Quotations

This is section 1, task 1: Quotations. In this section I will choose and explain four of the most dominant quotes in the story.

"Ah,those people," said Father, nodding his head. "Those people...well there not people at all, Bruno" p.53 (The Boy In Striped Pajamas)
This quote perfectly describes the prejudice and discrimination the Jews were under. Furthermore, the Germans refuse to even acknowledge them as even human, just because they come from a different culture and religion.
Bruno, being a naive little nine year old, was curious as to who the mysterious "beings" were, if not human. This is a perfect example of a child "inheriting" his father's hate and prejudice towards a specific culture. Fortunately, Bruno is a little naive, as stated before, so his father's prejudice was then converted to curiosity and wonder

"When I make mistakes I get punished," insisted Bruno, irritated by the fact that the rules that applies to children never seemed to apply to adults. "Stupid Father," he muttered under his breath. p.59 (The Boy In Striped Pajamas)
This comment explicitly states Bruno's feelings throughout the whole story.Bruno's father has made a huge mistake of moving to Auschwitz, and Maria, the maid, has said that Bruno has to live with those mistakes. The statement above clearly shows how some parents set several restrictions on a child's behavior, and or attire, and respond by breaking those rules in a major way. One prime example is how Bruno must not talk to Pavel and Maria in a rude way, as it is acceptable for Father to say to Maria, "You take your hands off my things", or to be rude and or inconsiderate to Pavel's feelings. Overall, I think this statement depicts the parents as hypocritical, due to the facts stated above.

"Well because Germany is the greatest of all countries," Bruno replied, remembering something that he overheard Father discussing with Grandfather on numerous occasions. "We're superior." p.112 (The Boy In Striped Pajamas)
Bruno, being a child, has overheard a number of things from his Father, due to him having a "booming" clear voice, which can be easily comprehended. This statement is the basic foundation of racism of any form -- superiority. The worst part is, Bruno has made this statement during his conversation with Shmuel, in an attempt to sound clever. However, being a kind, good-natured boy, he immediately apologized to Shmuel, and continued his friendship with his "inferior" pal.

"I know we're not," said Bruno in frustration. "I'm asking you, if we're not Jews, what are we instead?
"We're the opposite," said Gretel, answering quickly and sounding a lot more satisfied with the answer. "Yes. That's it. We're the Opposite" p.183 The Boy In Striped Pajamas)
Bruno seems to be learning a lot more about the other side of the fence and about the people in the striped pajamas i.e. Jews. Gretel's definition of the Jews shows the corruption that the teachings of their father's generation have influenced upon them. Furthermore, her definition of Opposite was simple, yet terrible. Instead of acknowledging as human beings, she belittles them and regards them as the opposite of human, in essence, monsters or savages. Unlike Gretel, Bruno never liked history, and the teachings of Herr Liszt, the family tutor, and never payed attention, so he would not know anything about the subject. Overall, this comment showcases the horrible teachings and morals that the Germans have influenced upon their children at that time.