Assignment 2 Characterization

The main characters in this book are called Bruno, Shmuel, Gretel and Bruno's parents.

Bruno

The first main character in this book is called Bruno. He is a 9 year old boy and he grows up in Berlin. He is a very sweet boy and he wishes the best for anyone. His hobby is exploring outside with his friends and play. His father, Ralf,  is a commander and Bruno's idol. Bruno really looks up to him. One day Bruno moves with his parents far away from his friends. Bruno becomes less happier and feels very alone. This makes that Bruno is a dynamic character because he changes in the course of the story. Bruno is also a round character. He has a lot of emotions. He is sharing all his thoughts in the book. His character also changes in the story because he always was a sweet and good boy but when he moved, he started lying to his father and he started doing things that his parents didn't allowed and hide it for them. Bruno is the Protagonist in this story because he is the most important character. He takes the most important decisions and is almost always present in the story.

Shmuel

Shmuel is a Jewish boy and he lives in a concentration camp which is located on the backside of Bruno's house. He has the same age as Bruno and their appearance is similar. Shmuel has to wear striped pyjamas, that's a rule in the camp. His family is killed by German soldiers and he is the only one left. He is a shy and has a withdrawn character. He met Bruno at the fence of the camp and they become friends. Shmuel trusts Bruno but sometimes Bruno isn't always that loyal. example: in this quote Bruno gave Shmuel something from the fridge and this happened:

“ ’Did you steal something from that fridge?’ ‘No sir. He gave it to me, ‘sais Shmuel, tears welling up in his eyes as he threw a sideways glance at Bruno. ‘He’s my friend, ‘ he added. (…) ‘Do you know this boy?’ repeated Kotler in a louder voice. ‘Why does he say you’re his friend?’ ‘I’ve never spoken to him, ‘said Bruno immediatly. ‘I’ve never seen him before in my life. I don’t know him.’ “

In this quote Bruno is letting his friend down to protect himself from getting in trouble.

Shmuel is a flat character because he doensn't change along the story.

Gretel

Gretel is Bruno's sister. She is an antagonist in the story. She isn't that important for the story. Sometimes she gives Bruno advice and she teaches Bruno things about the war. She is a flat and static character. She doens't change in the course of the story or something and her character isn't very complicated. She is a lot on the background.

Bruno's parents

Bruno's father is called Ralf, he is commander and the owner of the concentration camp. He tells his son that he is a good person but he kills Jewish people. Bruno's mother is called Elsa. She is a very sweet housemother and she loves her family. She also doesn't know that her husband is running a concentration camp. When she found out, she was very upset and she didn't approve it. Elsa and Ralf are antagonists in the story because they aren't as much in the picture as Bruno or Shmuel. I would call Ralf more important for the strory then Elsa. Bruno's parents are both flat and static characters because they don't really change in the story. Elsa stays the sweet, concerned housemother and Ralf stays a strict commender.

https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_character_en_round_character

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protagonist

https://www.cliffsnotes.com/cliffsnotes/subjects/writing/what-is-a-dynamic-character-what-is-a-static-character-how-are-they-different

Linda

Assignment 3 Setting

The story takes place in Germany in the second worldwar. At the beginning, Bruno and his family live in Berlin. Later in the story they move near to a concentration camp. Bruno, his family and Shmuell lived somewhere between 1939 and 1945, while the second worldwar took place in Germany.  Below this text you can find the trailer from the film 'the boy in the striped pajamas'. 

Linda

Assignment 4 Point of view

The story is written in third person. The teller of story is talking about he/ she/ it/ they. The teller really zooms in on Bruno and his thoughts. In this quote from page 148 and 149 you can see that the story is written in third person.

"What happened then was both unexpected and extremely unpleasant. Lieutenant Kotler grew very angry with Pavel and no one - not Bruno, not Gretl, not Mother and not even Father - stepped in to stop him doing what he did next, even though none of them could watch. Even though it made Bruno cry and Gretel grow pale."

Linda

Assigment 5 Theme

The major theme of this book is friendship. It’s about Bruno and Shmuel, they’re good friends. They do a lot for each other. Bruno often brings food to Shmuel because he doesn’t have food. Bruno wants to stay with him because he has no friends at his home. This shows that the friendship is real. You can also read it in the quote:’’You’re my best friend, Shmuel. ‘he said’ ‘my best friend for life.’’. Family is also a theme of this book, the family of Bruno hasn’t time for him and they’re always busy with work. The book the mist in the mirror has also a family theme because it’s about the mistery of the family’s It’s also about het war, the book is in the time of the Second World War. It shows by the concentration camps and because Adolf Hitler is called a lot in this book. That is the same theme as the book American sniper, it’s about a military in iraq.

Indy

Assigment 6 Author

John Boyne is born 30 April 1971 in Dublin. He is an Irish novelist. He is the author of ten novels for adults and five novels for younger readers. His novels are published in over 50 languages. He studied English Literature at Trinity College, Dublin, and creative writing at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, were he was awarded the Curtis Brown prize. He has also won 3 Irish book awards, for children’s book of the year. People’s choice book of the year and short story of the year. He has won a number of international literary awards, including the Que leer award for novel of the year in Spain.

https://johnboyne.com/about/

https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Boyne

Indy