The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
A novel by John Boyne
Blurb
‘Lines may divide us, but hope will unite us…
Nine-year-old Bruno knows nothing of the Final Solution and the Holocaust. He is oblivious to the appalling cruelties being inflicted on the people of Europe by his country. All he knows is that he has been moved from a comfortable home in Berlin to a house in a desolate area where there is nothing to do and no one to play with. Until he meets Shmuel, a boy who lives a strange parallel existence on the other side of the adjoining wire fence and who, like the other people there, wears a uniform of striped pyjamas.
Bruno’s friendship with Shmuel will take him from innocence to revelation. And in exploring what he is unwittingly a part of, he will inevitably become subsumed by the terrible process’
Opening ideas to consider
1. ‘A story of innocence in a world of ignorance’. What do the terms innocence and ignorance mean? Identify examples of people who you think fall into these 2 categories.
2. What do you know about the following topics?
a) World War Two
b) Adolf Hitler (the Fuhrer)
c) The Holocaust
3. Read the blurb (on the front page of this study guide). What assumptions might we make about the character of Bruno based on what we read here?
Chapter 1 – Bruno Makes a Discovery
1. Why was Maria packing Bruno’s belongings?
2. ‘the rims of her eyes were more red than usual’ – What does this tell us?
3. How many people are in Bruno’s family? Name them.
4. Why was the family moving? How did Bruno feel about moving?
5. How did Bruno feel about Gretel?
6. There are references in this chapter to a person Bruno calls ‘the Fury’. Who do you think this person could be?
Vocabulary
belonged, respectfully, imitate, previous, frustration, adventure, honest, uniform, interrupting, enormous, presumed
-----------------------------------------
If you have any questions or you would like to purchase the guide in full,
please email me using the link below:
Back to The Wonderful World of English Resources
Email: Bernadette Sheedy
© 2009 Bernadette Sheedy
