The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne is a globally renowned book that delves into the topic of the Holocaust. Published on January 5, 2006, it became one of the most impactful novels to this day. In November 2008, the film was released, further increasing its already high popularity and grossing over $44.1 million. The story follows an eight-year-old boy named Bruno, whose family moves to a new home because of his father’s job. Unbeknownst to Bruno, his father is a Nazi officer, and the new home is located near a concentration camp. Bruno befriends a boy named Shmuel, who lives on the other side of the camp’s fence. The story aims to illustrate the horrors of the Holocaust through the innocent perspective of a young boy. However, it has been criticized for its historical inaccuracy.
The novel was intended to introduce the heavy themes of Hitler and the Nazis in a way that the public could easily understand. Nevertheless, it is argued that the story should have delved deeper into these themes. Both the book and the movie focus on Bruno’s family and their tragic experiences while overlooking the condition of the hundreds of Jews inside the camp. While it may be thoughtful to introduce the war through the eyes of a child, the story takes liberties with historical facts causing the Auschwitz Memorial and Museum to label it as “unrealistic.”
One reason for this criticism is that Bruno, as the son of a Nazi official, would have been aware of the war and the Holocaust. Additionally, the emotional bond grown between the reader and Bruno overshadows the one-dimensional portrayal of Shmuel as a mere victim in the camp. Moreover, the portrayal of children in concentration camps was not accurate since Shmuel would not have had the time to sit around a fence that looks cheaply made and easy to escape through. These inaccuracies have raised questions about the story’s credibility.
Looking back, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is not a story that should be considered a reliable source for learning about the Holocaust. If you are interested in reliable examples of what happened during the Holocaust, the Holocaust Museum Houston site provides great examples of both movies and books that will not disappoint.