As a student in Kang Chiao for the entire junior high, I, Mandy, learned my writing and analysis skills through English courses over three years, and believe myself to have improved greatly. Although the school provides a variety of forms of literature in the syllabus, we have not yet tried book reports. However, even if this is the first time, the analytical skills developed in class and the ability to identify and catch onto literary devices helped me a lot during the process of writing. I am lucky to be able to represent the school this time.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, by John Boyne, is a novel set in the horrors of WWII concentration camps. The atrocities and bloodshed during the period are news to none; books, movies, and art pieces still depict lingering memories, still haunt those who lost their dearest ones in their deepest nightmares. Over the course of 16 years since its publication, Boyne’s piece has sold over 9 million copies, winning countless awards nationally and internationally. Among the uncountable WWII- centered pieces, what makes the book stand out, what makes it different from the others?

The novel describes the story of Bruno and Shmuel, kids alike in personality, looks, and age, but also different in the cruelest way; Bruno is the young son of a German commanding officer, while Shmuel is the child of a Jewish family. Bruno, while exploring his new home near the concentration camp, meets Shmuel on the other side of the security fences. They soon become close friends. One day, Shmuel’s father goes missing, and Bruno agrees with Shmuel’s plans of wearing the striped pajamas from the other side of the fences to help him find his father. Unaware of the danger, the two sneak into the camp. Heavy rain pours down, and some officers drive them, along with a large group, into a warehouse. In the darkness, the two hold hands, not letting go, until the very last moment.

The story follows Bruno’s innocent steps into a dangerous path of no return. Its unique perspective leads the reader through the story: instead of having a member of the weak, oppressed community as the main character, Boyne takes advantage of a child’s mind; children, as they know not of dangers coming from war, they are the innocent, yet they are the harmed. Under these conditions, cruelty of merciless war is enlarged to its fullest. The story portrays a new insight towards war: during wartime, whether you are born on the oppressor or the oppressed side, tragedy is unavoidable.

The tragedy progresses under dramatic irony, as the reader’s historical background knowledge leads the reader to a higher level of understanding than the characters. The perspective along with Bruno urges the reader’s sympathy, creating a will to help the character against their destined fate yet not being able to lend a hand to help. The desperate tide of emotions further takes the reader back to the setting of the story- a world of desperate attempts with no hope.

War is a source of trauma. Bruno died because of cruelty during warfare, leaving his parents and sister in sorrow and tears. At the end, Bruno’s old clothes before he entered the camp were found, representing the everlasting memory fragments left on this world. Bruno’s death left the family in sadness. The father no longer believed in war and left the army, the mother became haggard, and Bruno’s older sister faced hard times thinking about Bruno. The tragedy reminds us of the inevitable consequences of war, directly impacting families and innocent children, ending lives whilst leaving those alive in tears. A red, bold warning unfolds in front of us: war only causes tragedies; in war, no one is the winner.