Leo Fried The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Week #3

In The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne, there are many examples of having strong themes of Morality and Ethics. For example in the story, Bruno, who even though is a young child, shows many examples of himself having a sense of Morality and or Ethics. This is because Bruno does not view anyone as lesser to him, despite living in a society where that is a very common thing to see. An example of this is when Pavel asks to build a swing for Bruno by Lieutenant Kotler. This leads to Kotler calling Pavel many terrible things and treating him as inferior to himself. An example is in the text where it states, “Come over here, you—”. Where Bruno, on the other hand, does not want to harm Pavel and treats him kindly.

Another example of a character in the story who has a good sense of morality and ethics is Bruno’s mother, Elsa. Even though the fact that she is married to a Senior Nazi General, Bruno’s mother seems to question her husband’s beliefs and ideas. Throughout the book, there are many instances where she mourns the countless deaths that took place in the concentration camp. an example of this is after Pavel is done helping Bruno after he falls from the swing, Elsa walks in and thanks to him for helping her son. Even though “thank you” is only two words, it means a lot coming from a woman married to a Nazi General, to a Jew. This moment shows a lot about Elsa’s identity and shows that we are all human, no matter what the times are.

But also, an example of someone who has a bad sense of morality and ethics is Bruno’s sister, Gretel. Gretel’s ethics are corrupted by Nazi beliefs and are easily tricked into believing something false just to fit with everyone else. She almost never questions anything that is told to her. For example, when Pavel drops the bottle of wine and is beat up almost to death for no reason, Gretel says, “The Jew deserved it.” Overall, having a good sense of morality and ethics is a crucial trait that is always important to have.