Skip to main content

How do (or would) different characters in the text view conflicts in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas?

The conflict that I would like to discuss here is actually the "supposed" conflict, or one that would be expected of a Nazi commandant's son and a Jewish boy:  Bruno vs. Shmuel.  This conflict can be seen in this quote that I will discuss later in the paragraph:


We're not supposed to be friends, you and me. We're meant to be enemies. Did you know that? 


It is ironic to label it as a conflict...

The conflict that I would like to discuss here is actually the "supposed" conflict, or one that would be expected of a Nazi commandant's son and a Jewish boy:  Bruno vs. Shmuel.  This conflict can be seen in this quote that I will discuss later in the paragraph:



We're not supposed to be friends, you and me. We're meant to be enemies. Did you know that? 



It is ironic to label it as a conflict at all in that the two are not really against each other, except in the idealism of Nazi Germany.  Still, it is interesting to see how other characters would react to that friendship.  Bruno's father, the Nazi commandant, (as well as Lieutenant Kotler) would be in favor of the conflict and forbid the friendship completely.  I believe Bruno's mother as well as characters such as Pavel and Maria would look upon Bruno with sad eyes whether the two boys were in conflict or friends.  All three characters would discourage any communication between the boys and feel sad for them in the process because any relationship would be dangerous for both Bruno and Shmuel.  Gretel would have a different take on things all together. She would see the conflict or the friendship as "stupid" because that is often how she labels her little brother.  In regards to Bruno and Shmuel themselves, they would not understand the conflict.  In fact, Bruno admits that very thing in the quotation above.  They would be in favor of the friendship and, in fact, that is exactly what happens.  They are loyal to the other even unto death.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is the meaning of "juggling fiends" in Macbeth?

Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a... Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a sense of guilt, and that man tells him: Despair thy charm. And let the angel whom thou still hast serve...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are some external and internal conflicts that Montag has in Fahrenheit 451?

 Montag, the protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, faces both external and internal conflicts throughout the novel. Some examples of these conflicts are: External Conflicts: Conflict with the society: Montag lives in a society that prohibits books and critical thinking. He faces opposition from the government and the people who enforce this law. Montag struggles to come to terms with the fact that his society is based on censorship and control. Conflict with his wife: Montag's wife, Mildred, is completely absorbed in the shallow and meaningless entertainment provided by the government. Montag's growing dissatisfaction with his marriage adds to his external conflict. Conflict with the fire captain: Montag's superior, Captain Beatty, is the personification of the oppressive regime that Montag is fighting against. Montag's struggle against Beatty represents his external conflict with the government. Internal Conflicts: Conflict with his own beliefs: Montag, at the beginning of th...
Post a Comment
Read more

In A People's History of the United States, why does Howard Zinn feel that Wilson made a flimsy argument for entering World War I?

"War is the health of the state," the radical writer Randolph Bourne said, in the midst of the First World War. Indeed, as the nations of Europe went to war in 1914, the governments flourished, patriotism bloomed, class struggle was stilled, and young men died in frightful numbers on the battlefields-often for a hundred yards of land, a line of trenches. -- Chapter 14, Page 350, A People's History of the United States Howard Zinn outlines his arguments for why World War I was fought in the opening paragraph of Chapter 14 (referenced above). The nationalism that was created by the Great War benefited the elite political and financial leadership of the various countries involved. Socialism, which was gaining momentum in Europe, as was class struggle, took a backseat to mobilizing for war. Zinn believes that World War I was fought for the gain of the industrial capitalists of Europe in a competition for capital and resources. He states that humanity itself was punished by t...
Post a Comment
Read more