Boyne’s “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” Book and Film Comparison Essay

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Updated: Oct 31st, 2023

The book The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and the film The Boy in the Striped Pajamas are both stories by John Boyne about Bruno, a nine-year-old boy narrating his experience in World War II before moving from Berlin. The texts show various similarities, including Bruno relocating from Berlin to Out-With and differences such as Bruno’s experiences when he explores, and the inclusion of more details about Shmuel in the film than the book.

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The book and the film are similar in many ways. First, the two mediums clearly describe the main character in the same way. In other words, they both capture Bruno’s shifting from Berlin to an unknown location. The film and movie also describe his later experiences as Bruno loses interest and decides to explore. He identifies a fenced field while wandering. He meets a boy called Shmuel in the barricaded area, and they establish a unique connection quickly, much as in the book. Bruno’s big sister, Gretel, owns many toys, and when she becomes obsessed with Adolf Hitler, she disposes of the toys in both the movie and the book. Another way the two mediums are similar is that the storyline occurs in the same historical context. Fink’s brief narrative, “The Tenth Man,” provides a certain focus to the Nazi Holocaust, an incident that occurred after World War II. In comparison, it was an incident that directly targeted Jewish people. This is seen for the first time in “The Tenth Man” at the emergence of Chaim.

The film and movie are also similar in their illustration of the story setting. The movie illustrates the old clothes and cars clearly illustrate the period; the 1940s. The book also describes the story’s setting; Berlin at the beginning and later the camp. The time is in the 1940s, during the WWI, a time of disastrous events during the Holocaust. The description is evident as the primary narrative emphasis is on the interaction between Bruno, the main character and Shmuel who is imprisoned at the camp Auschwitz. The reader can clearly understand the circumstances surrounding Shmuel.

While there are several similarities between the movie and the book, there are also various distinctions between them in the main theme. For instance, when Bruno first explores Out-With, he sees the men with striped pajamas and his parents prevent him from staring at them. Another distinction is that in the film, Shmuel’s profile is illustrated better than in the novel; this includes more of Shmuel and his family’s history. In the book, Bruno is also illustrated continuously terming the concentration site Out-with, representing his innocence about the occurrences around him. At the same time, in the film, Bruno is shown discussing the beauty of the living quarters on the farm based on the Nazi movie. The film has a better link with the subject as it elaborates his personality. The illustration also allows the creation of a clearer link to the time frame as it clearly explains how Bruno and his parents lived and behaved because of the graphics in the film. Although this wasn’t seen in the series, the war was going on, but he specified that Bruno’s father was a high-ranking officer in the German army.

In conclusion, there are apparent similarities and differences between the book and the film The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Both mediums cover Bruno’s relocation from Berlin to a new place he refers to as Out-With. The historical periods illustrate in the two are also similar. Differences emerged from Shmuel’s elaborations as the film offers more emphasis on his life history than the book. The movie also elaborates Bruno as naĂŻve and ignorant, while in the novel, Bruno is more mindful and even notes the beautiful appearance of the place he lived. The film links the concept by providing more details about Bruno’s perspectives. The novel perfectly reflected the implied period through the detailed description. The movie offered a better connection between the characters in the sentiments and how this conflict affects them.

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IvyPanda. (2023, October 31). Boyne's "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" Book and Film Comparison. https://ivypanda.com/essays/boynes-the-boy-in-the-striped-pajamas-book-and-film-comparison/

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"Boyne's "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" Book and Film Comparison." IvyPanda, 31 Oct. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/boynes-the-boy-in-the-striped-pajamas-book-and-film-comparison/.

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IvyPanda. (2023) 'Boyne's "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" Book and Film Comparison'. 31 October.

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IvyPanda. 2023. "Boyne's "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" Book and Film Comparison." October 31, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/boynes-the-boy-in-the-striped-pajamas-book-and-film-comparison/.

1. IvyPanda. "Boyne's "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" Book and Film Comparison." October 31, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/boynes-the-boy-in-the-striped-pajamas-book-and-film-comparison/.


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IvyPanda. "Boyne's "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" Book and Film Comparison." October 31, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/boynes-the-boy-in-the-striped-pajamas-book-and-film-comparison/.

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