Boy in the Striped PJ's Chapter 5 Questions

1. What does it say that we only actually meet the father in the book in Chapter 5 even though he is the one causing much of the action in the book? That he is not that important character in the book as we have met just about everyone and we are already up to Chapter 5 when we meet him.
2. The mother says: ‘We should have never let the Fury come to dinner. Some people and their determination to get ahead.’ What theme does this introduce regarding the role of ambition and causing harm? It means that the Fury wants the concentration camps to start working which means all the Jews are being taken there and being killed so that desire and ambition for the Fury's plan to succeed means that people will die.
3. How does Bruno's father speak to him? Give an example to support your answer. Bruno's father speaks to him with authority and power behind his words. His father also speaks to Bruno without and caring or love in his voice unless Bruno does something very good.
4. How would you compare the way Bruno speaks about the world to his father's? Do they both comment about what is going on around them the same? Bruno's father speaks about the world through his job and belief in the Nazi regime where as Bruno speaks about the world through innocence and the element of being a child.
5. How does the father rationalise every concern that Bruno has? Bruno's father rationalise every concern Bruno's has by saying that they have to stay because that is where their family is and that he has an important job and it is what will be good for his country.
6. What is ironic about what the father says when he comes around the desk and talks to Bruno about his childhood? It is ironic because his father tells Bruno that it was for his good that he always did what his father told him but ironically his father does not have a better life because he did what his father told him to.
7. Do you think that the father really cares about Bruno? Why/why not? No he doesn't because although his father listens to Bruno's problems he does not help Bruno to make a fun time at Out-with and his father cares more about his job than anything.
8. Do you think that Bruno understands what he is saying when he says 'Heil Hitler!'? No he doesn't because he says he thinks its saying goodbye and have a nice day but he only says that to soldiers which would indicate some importance of saying it but Bruno does not even realise that.
9. How is juxtaposition used in Bruno's description of their boarding the train to Auschwitz? Juxtaposition is used when he boards on the train as he is going onto a nice, fancy train to Auschwitz which has barely anyone in it when the train which is taken the Jews to the concentration camp and very over crowded shows the difference in how the Germans and Nazis lived compared to how the Jews were treated.
10. What is Bruno's reason for not saying anything to the Jews on the crowded train? How is this a representation of the greater German population? Bruno's reason was that he didn't want to make his mother or Gretel angry which is a representation of the greater German population because it shows that they didn't want to have any connection or be near any Jews.