Bruno’s Journey: From Berlin to Auschwitz
Chapter 1: Bruno’s Discovery
One day, Bruno arrives home from school with his friends and notices that something is amiss. Everyone is packing their belongings, and he sees Maria, the maid, carefully placing his clothes and all the items from his room into boxes. He asks his mother what’s happening and discovers that they are moving from Berlin due to his father’s promotion. Bruno is unhappy with this news, as it means leaving his friends, grandparents, and everything he loves about Berlin.
Chapter 2: The New House
The dreaded day arrives when Bruno must leave Berlin and move to his new home, which greatly disappoints him. He observes that it’s vastly different from his Berlin house, and he realizes it’s incredibly far from Berlin. It’s a small house, unlike his five-story Berlin home where he always found a cozy corner. The new house is dirty and isolated, with no neighbors in sight. Upon arrival, Bruno, upset and saddened, goes to his new room to unpack and explore. He gazes out his window, spotting something unsettling among the trees, filling him with a chilling fear.
Chapter 3: The Hopeless Case
Bruno goes to his older sister, Gretel, whom he considers a “Hopeless Case” and with whom he doesn’t have a good relationship. They discuss their new home, which neither of them likes. Gretel tells Bruno the name of the place: “Out-With” (Auschwitz), which Bruno finds strange, as his old house only had a number. Bruno tells Gretel about what he saw from his window, and she goes to look, experiencing the same intense coldness and fear as her brother.
Chapter 4: What They Saw Through the Window
Through the window, the children see other children and elderly men, but no women, who are seemingly in another area. A huge fence surrounds the area where they are, along with some huts, several square buildings, and a couple of smoke columns rising from the dry, barren ground. The children question why those people wear striped pajamas and a cap, and why they obey every order given by soldiers like those under their father’s command.
Chapter 5: No Entry Under Any Circumstances
In this chapter, Bruno descends to his father’s office, a place he’s forbidden to enter, to talk to him. He expresses his feelings about their new home and suggests returning to Berlin. His father explains that it’s impossible, as they are there for his very important work, though it remains unclear to Bruno. He feels the situation is unfair. After a brief argument, Bruno asks about the people in pajamas, but his father dismisses them as “not people at all” and tells him not to worry, as they have nothing to do with him.
Chapter 6: The Maid
One day, while Maria, the maid, is organizing Bruno’s clothes, he tells her he thinks it was foolish to have moved. Maria quickly corrects him, saying he shouldn’t speak that way about his father, who is a good man and has helped her through difficult times. Bruno becomes frustrated because he feels he can’t express his thoughts to anyone.
Chapter 7: Mother Takes Credit
A week after arriving at his new house, Bruno, bored, decides to make a swing. He asks Lieutenant Kotler for an old tire. The lieutenant instructs Pavel, the waiter who peels potatoes and carrots, to give Bruno a tire from the back warehouse. While swinging, Bruno falls, hitting his knee, and the tire gives him a slight blow to the head, causing him to lose his balance. Pavel carries him to the kitchen and tends to his knee. When Bruno goes to his room, he overhears his mother arriving and, upon learning what happened, tells him to say that *she* treated his injury, which angers Bruno.
Chapter 8: Grandmother’s Fury
Bruno misses his grandmother, who was very kind to him and his sister. He hasn’t seen her since last Christmas, and he remembers their Christmas plays. He recalls a strong argument between his father and grandmother that night because his father had been given a new general’s uniform due to his promotion, news that didn’t please his grandmother. One afternoon, Bruno writes a letter to his grandmother, telling her how unhappy he is in his new house in “Out-With” (Auschwitz).
Chapter 9: Remembering Explorations
One day, Father decides that his children should resume their studies and hires a tutor named Herr Liszt. Bruno continues to wonder what lies beyond the fence. He remembers his love for exploring and pretending to be an explorer, so he sets out to investigate the area outside his new house.
Chapter 10: The Dot That Became a Figure
While walking through the forest, Bruno decides to explore the fence. The walk seems endless; he circles the fence but finds nothing of interest. After a while, he sees a speck in the distance, which, as he gets closer, becomes a blur, then a small figure. Finally, he sees it’s a small boy sitting cross-legged on the ground, with a sad expression. He wears an armband with a six-pointed star, his skin has a grayish tone, and he has large eyes. They begin to talk, and Bruno learns his name is Shmuel. Shmuel shares his story, revealing he used to live in Poland. Bruno asks him what he’s doing on that side of the fence…