Boy in the Striped PJ's Chapter 4

• (pg 31) How does the author continue to use juxtaposition in regards to the two housing situations? (the Jews and Bruno's family)

Bruno' s family has a good house with a nice garden with flowers neatly arranged, and a bench and on the other side a nice forest, where on the other hand the Jews are surrounded by a high, wire fence with curls of barbed wire on the top. The fence itself was taller than Bruno's house and there was no grass. And these two complete opposites are side by side.

• What is it about the children that makes it difficult to understand exactly what they see through the window and just how bad it is?

Everywhere else looks reasonably nice such as the garden and the forest while this scene is horrific. It is obviously meant to keep people in or out and there wasn't even any grass there. It's all like a barren land covered in nothing but dirt and a few small huts. I don't think any child would be able to take that in. Especially after the life they have lived.

• Summarise how Gretel describes what she sees.

Gretel describes it as nasty looking and modern. She compares it to the countryside or a farm.

• What does Gretel attempt to do when she sees the Concentration Camp? How does she attempt to understand what she sees?

She attempts to understand by starring at it and trying to force herself to understand.

• Is her attempt successful? Does she convince Bruno that she understands? What does she eventually give in to? What does she say/or not say? (pg 32)

Her attempt is unsuccessful, and she is unable to convince Bruno that she understands. Gretel eventually gives into the fact that it's not actually their holiday house

• What can't the children do when they see the Concentration Camp that the adults seem to be able to do? Which group can understand what they see? Why do you think that this is the case?

The children can't seem to understand what they have seen while all of the adults understand perfectly well. The reason for this is that all of the adults have bee informed about the concentration camps while the children have been told nothing. The adults try to say it's good for Germany to make themselves feel better but the children can't comprehend what is happening.

• How does the author use understatement through the children's description of the Concentration Camp?

Because it is from a child's perspective they understate it because they can't know what it actually is.