The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

What has The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas taught you /shown you about prejudice and bias?

     The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is told in the point of view of Bruno, a nine-year old son of a German Nazi Commandant.  He's still young and oblivious to the cruelty his father is subjecting millions to.  His view of Shmuel is not affected by prejudice and propaganda; he's only got his personality to judge.  Once you've been exposed to prejudice, however, your view of people and the world is tainted.

     The Auschwitz extermination camp was the camp Shmuel was at in the novel.  It was used mainly for extermination in gas chambers, but many residents died of forced labor, starvation, and human experiments.  At the end of the novel, Bruno and Shmuel, two nine-year old boys, are forced into a gas chamber and are killed.  Children were killed out of prejudice for those who were different.  Not only that, but they were forced to work on the little food and fear they were being fed.  The children weren't the only ones; it was anybody thought to be different or causing Germany's then-crisis, or those who disagreed with Nazi rule.

     Prejudice is a powerful thing; it can lead people to commit extreme acts with a mere push.  Crises such as a war or depression oftentimes causes anger, frustration, and a need for someone to blame.  This feeling can grow so great as to convince people that mass murder is for the best.

     The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas was set in the past, as the Holocaust took place during World War II, which ended in 1945.  It is important for us to continue studying events like this, no matter how long ago they were.  History has passed, but it happened, and events can repeat themselves.  Caring about the past can help us make better decisions than our ancestors, and ensure a better future.