Setting: 1940s Germany, during World War II.
Characters:
* Bruno: An innocent, 9-year-old boy whose family moves to a new home near a mysterious "farm" due to his father's promotion to a high-ranking officer in the Nazi regime.
* Shmuel: A Jewish boy of Bruno's age, imprisoned in the concentration camp located near the "farm."
* Gretel: Bruno's older sister, who initially expresses sympathy for the "people on the other side of the fence" but quickly falls under the sway of Nazi propaganda.
* Father: Bruno's father, a high-ranking Nazi officer whose ignorance of the atrocities committed in the camp fuels his naive beliefs.
* Mother: Bruno's mother, a caring and sensitive woman who struggles with the family's relocation and the increasingly harsh reality of the war.
* Pavel: A Jewish prisoner who becomes the family's servant and befriends Bruno's mother.
Plot Summary:
* Bruno is bored and lonely in his new home, surrounded by barbed wire fences and a constant atmosphere of fear and secrecy. He befriends Shmuel, whom he observes across the fence in striped pajamas.
* Bruno, unaware of the true nature of the "farm," is drawn to Shmuel's innocence and loneliness. They establish a forbidden friendship, meeting secretly at the fence and sharing stories and food.
* As their friendship deepens, Bruno becomes increasingly curious about the "farm" and the people inside. He begins to question the Nazi ideology he has been raised with, though he remains mostly oblivious to the true horrors taking place.
* Bruno, driven by a desire to help Shmuel who is struggling to find his father, decides to wear striped pajamas and enter the camp. He believes he can help Shmuel find his father, but he doesn't understand the danger he's putting himself in.
* Bruno and Shmuel are tragically separated from each other in the chaos of a gas chamber. The reader is left to assume they both die.
Themes:
* Innocence and Ignorance: The story is told from the perspective of Bruno, a child who is shielded from the realities of the war and the Holocaust. His naivety allows him to form a pure friendship with Shmuel, but it also makes him unaware of the true dangers of the situation.
* The Power of Friendship: Despite their different backgrounds and circumstances, Bruno and Shmuel develop a deep and meaningful friendship that transcends the barriers of fear and prejudice.
* The Horrors of the Holocaust: The novel depicts the horrors of the concentration camps through the lens of Bruno's innocence. This perspective highlights the dehumanization and destruction caused by the Nazi regime.
* The Importance of Empathy: The story emphasizes the need for understanding and empathy, even in the face of fear and prejudice.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a powerful and thought-provoking story about the Holocaust that explores themes of innocence, friendship, and the consequences of hate and ignorance.