The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a novel by John Boyne that tells the story of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of a Nazi commandant, as he comes to understand the reality of the Holocaust. Bruno is a complex and multifaceted character, and his journey towards understanding and empathy is both poignant and heart-wrenching.
At the beginning of the novel, Bruno is a typical eight-year-old boy, full of energy and curiosity. He is eager to explore the world around him and make sense of it, and he has a strong sense of justice and fairness. However, he is also naive and sheltered, having been raised in a household where his father's position as a high-ranking Nazi officer means that he is shielded from the harsh realities of the world.
As Bruno begins to explore the concentration camp that is located just beyond his family's new home, he is initially horrified by the sight of the prisoners in their striped pajamas. He is disgusted by their appearance and the way they smell, and he cannot understand why they are being treated so poorly. However, as he begins to interact with some of the prisoners, including a young boy named Shmuel, Bruno begins to see them as real people, with hopes, dreams, and feelings just like his own.
Through his interactions with Shmuel, Bruno comes to understand the true nature of the Holocaust and the evil that his father and the other Nazi officers are perpetrating. This realization is a turning point in Bruno's character arc, as he begins to question the values and beliefs that have been instilled in him by his family and society. He becomes increasingly sympathetic towards the prisoners, and his desire to help them becomes a driving force in his life.
As Bruno's understanding of the world grows, he becomes more and more isolated from his family and their ideology. He is unable to reconcile the atrocities that he has witnessed with the beliefs that he has been taught, and he becomes increasingly disillusioned with his father and the Nazi regime. In the end, Bruno's journey towards empathy and understanding leads him to make the ultimate sacrifice, as he chooses to stay with Shmuel and the other prisoners, even though it means certain death.
Overall, Bruno is a deeply complex and dynamic character, whose journey towards understanding and compassion is both poignant and heart-wrenching. Through his interactions with the prisoners and his own growing sense of morality, he comes to see the world in a completely different way, and his ultimate sacrifice is a testament to the strength of his character and his commitment to justice and fairness.