The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

by

John Boyne

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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Symbols

The Fury

“The Fury” is Bruno’s mispronunciation of “the Führer,” a word that means “leader” in German, but has now become forever linked to the rule of Adolf Hitler. Hitler was the leader of the Nazi…

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Out-With

“Out-With” is Bruno’s mispronunciation for Auschwitz, the area in Poland where Father moves the family after Hitler “promotes” him to Commandant of the concentration camp. At first, both Bruno and Gretel mispronounce the Polish…

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Striped Pajamas

Bruno notices immediately that everyone behind the fence at Auschwitz is wearing what he sees as “striped pajamas.” Shmuel must wear them all the time, and they are what Bruno uses as a disguise when…

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The Fence

The fence around the concentration camp is used to keep the prisoners in, and everyone else out and away from seeing the horrors that happen inside. Like the striped pajamas, however, it is of…

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