The Boy in the Striped Pajamas: A Story of Friendship and Loss
1. The Discovery
One afternoon, Bruno came home from school to find Maria, the maid, packing. They were moving elsewhere because of his father’s work. The boy did not think it was right, but had no choice but to obey.
2. The New House
Bruno was very disappointed when he saw his new home. It was different from his home in Berlin. It was small, dirty, and was in a remote area where there were no other houses. Bruno got angry and unpacked.
While in his room, he looked out the window and saw something that made him feel a cold and intense fear.
3. The “Fool”
Bruno went to the room of his sister, Gretel, calling her stupid, but with whom he had a good relationship. They talked about their new home, which they did not like. She said the place where they were was called Out-With.
He talked about what he saw from the window, and she looked out.
4. What They Saw Through the Window
There were children and elderly people. The women were not there, as if living in another area. There was a huge wire fence separating the area from their house. Behind it, the soil was barren, there were huts and square buildings, and a couple of columns of smoke in the distance.
The siblings wondered who those people were. They were like soldiers and obeyed orders. They wore gray-striped pajamas and a cap.
5. Prohibited to Enter Under Any Circumstances and Without Exception
Bruno decided to talk to Father. Carefully, he entered the office he was forbidden to enter. He spoke with his father about his impressions of the new home. He said he wanted to return, but his father said he understood the importance of their work, something Bruno was still not sure what it was. He asked about the people on the other side, and his father replied that they were not people and had nothing to do with him.
6. The Servant with an Excessive Salary
While Maria was organizing Bruno’s clothing, he said his father was a fool to take them there. Bruno said she should not say this about him, that he was a good person and that she had received a lot of favors. The boy was angry because he could never say what he felt.
7. The Day Mother Took Credit for Something She Had Not Done
In the weeks that followed, Bruno got a swing. While swinging, the boy fell to the ground. Pavel, the cook, took him to the kitchen and dressed the wound on his knee. While he went to his room, he heard his mother tell Father that she would say that she had dressed Bruno’s wound. That was not true, and the boy was upset.
8. Grandmother Was Angry When She Left
The person Bruno missed most from Berlin was his grandmother. She was very kind to him and his sister. He had not seen her since the last Christmas dinner. That night, Father and Grandmother had fought because he had been promoted and given a new suit, and Grandmother said that it was not funny. One afternoon, Bruno wrote a letter to his grandmother telling her about his sad life in Out-With.
9. Bruno Said That He Liked to Play the Scouts
One day, Father decided that the siblings should retake their classes and introduced them to their new teacher. Bruno did not like him. The boy continued to question life behind the wire. Then he decided to go outside to investigate around the house.
10. The Point That Became a Speck That Became a Blot That Became a Figure That Became a Child
The walk along the fence took longer than expected; it seemed to never end. Then he saw something in the distance, and it turned out to be a child. He sat on the floor with a look of sadness on his face and wore a bracelet with a star. His skin was almost gray, and his eyes were very large. His name was Shmuel, and he said that he lived in Poland. Bruno asked him about the people on his side…
11. The Furies
One afternoon a few months after arriving in Out-With, Father came home stating that the Furies would be coming to dinner in Berlin. Everyone was very nervous these days and carefully prepared every detail of the house. That night, everyone dressed very well. When the man arrived, they went to meet him. He was short, with short black hair and a tiny mustache. He was with a blonde and beautiful woman. The boys were introduced and then sent back with orders not to bother and not to come downstairs the whole night. That night, Bruno heard his parents discuss leaving Berlin.
12. Shmuel Seeks an Answer to Bruno’s Question
Answering the boy’s question, Shmuel told him that he lived in a small apartment, and one day things changed. His mother told him to put on a bracelet with a star, and then they had to leave. They went to a house where eleven people were in the same room. They then traveled all together on the same train and arrived where they are now. His mother, father, and sister were put somewhere together. Bruno returned home. He decided that he would not tell this to anyone.
13. The Bottle of Wine
Bruno was getting used to Out-With and no longer felt so miserable because he had someone to talk to every day: Shmuel. He brought him something to eat when he could and spent the afternoon talking.
One day, Lieutenant Kotler went to dinner at their home. He was always hanging around the house and was a friend of Father, Mother, and Gretel, but Bruno did not like him.
He noticed that at dinner, Pavel looked sad and nervous. While serving some wine to Kotler, he dropped the bottle, and Kotler was very mean to Pavel.
14. Bruno Tells a Lie
Gretel walked into Bruno’s room while he was reading. He was upset that he could not go outside to play with Shmuel because of the rain. To fix the problem, he invented an invisible friend with whom he played. His sister teased him, but he was still satisfied.
15. One Thing That Should Not Have Been Said
One afternoon, Bruno went down to the kitchen. He saw Shmuel on the other side of the fence while he washed some glasses on Kotler’s orders. Bruno gave him some food. When Kotler arrived, he asked the boy if he had eaten. Shmuel said that Bruno had given him food, but Bruno denied it. Then he felt terrible. A few days later, they met again, and Bruno apologized.
16. The Haircut
One afternoon, Bruno was in his sister’s room when she screamed. Their mother found a tiny insect in her hair. It turned out that both he and Gretel had lice. Bruno’s head was shaved. He thought he looked much like Shmuel.
17. Mother Gets Her Way
Bruno heard his mother and father discuss returning to Berlin. A few days later, Father called the boy and said that he would return him, his sister, and his mother to their old home. The truth is that Bruno did not feel much excitement.
18. How the Final Adventure Was Conceived
One afternoon, as usual, Bruno went to see Shmuel. Shmuel told him that his father had disappeared. Bruno suggested that he come and help him find him. They agreed that the next day, Bruno would dress in striped pajamas and enter through the fence.
19. What Happened the Next Day
Bruno went to the wire. There, Shmuel was waiting for him in his pajamas and a cap. Bruno changed and slipped through the wire. They went to the area of the houses. Then Bruno realized that this was not right. Soldiers gathered everyone together. They were put on a long march. Bruno did not understand what was happening. Then everything went black.
20. The Final Chapter
Bruno was never heard from again. Mother and Gretel returned to Berlin. Father stayed in Out-With for another year. One day, he noticed that at the base of the fence, there was a gap where a child could fit through. Then he realized what had happened. A few months later, Father ordered the soldiers to take him away, and he went without protest.