Hammond, 1 Maeve Hammond Mrs.

Rutan AP Literature and Composition 20 June 2013 Books and Pajamas The terror, bigotry, and devastation caused by Hitlers regime the Third Reichis still today one of the most controversial topics discussed throughout the world. Movies, documentaries, and books associated with World War II and the Holocaust are often told through the eyes of those who endured Jewish persecution. However, the struggles at the end of the WWII spectrumthe German people, who are often labeled as the oppressors of the warare rarely ever explored or examined. Two pieces of work impressively depict the lives of two sides of the German people during WWII: the movie The Boy in the Striped Pajamas illustrates the complications of a high-end Nazi soldiers family, and Markus Zusaks novel The Book Thief describes the lives of impoverished, war-plagued people living in a small German town. These two forms of literary media realistically exemplify the day-to-day lives of people in Nazi Germany; however, they both starkly contrast each other by shedding light on drastically different social and socio-economic classes and their take on Hitlers enforced message. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and The Book Thief emphatically twist setting, theme, and mood to convince their audiences that they are watching Nazi Germany through a glass wall. The settings in both pieces of work are incredibly significant to help provide an explanation for the actions and beliefs of certain characters. Similarly, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and The Book Thief are set in Nazi Germany during the early 1940s; both settings also prove to be undesirable for each of the main characters, Bruno and Liesel. In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Brunos father is a highly regarded Nazi soldier who is ordered to move his

Hammond, 2 family from their Berlin mansion to a concrete, business-like edifice across from a concentration camp in the middle-of-nowhere country. Although Brunos rich parents can buy young Bruno any toys or books he could possibly want, he is still unsatisfied by the utmost lack of other children. Bruno is ecstatic when he finally finds a friend: the audience first encounters Shmuel, a destitute Jewish child, behind an electric fence in a dirty concentration camp. Both of these settings contrast greatly to the scenery in The Book Thief: Liesel lives in the poverty-ridden Himmel Street in Molching, Germany. Although its residents are under constant threat of bombings and children steal food, there is still happiness and joy among the residents. Himmel Street has neither the grand pristineness of Brunos home, nor the grimness of the concentration camp. Both forms of literary media share the same themes of unwavering Nazi control, ceaseless amounts of propaganda, and the impact of war. The Nazi message strongly promotes the hatred of Jewish people and culture. In The Book Thief, the Nazi mayor organizes a burning of books relating to Jewish culture, gangs vandalize and throw bricks at Jewish stores, and Jews are publically humiliated on Himmel Street while marching to concentration camps. People are also berated for assisting or showing care for the Jewish people: when a man gives food to an emaciated Jew, he is scornfully labeled as a dirty Jew-lover (Zusak, 401) and is somewhat denounced by his some of his neighbors. In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Jewish servants in Brunos house are often beaten and degraded by Nazi soldiers. Both pieces of work display heaps of Nazi propaganda: pictures and posters of Hitler are hung on walls, clothes are embellished with the Swastika, and Hitlers Mein Kampf is referenced. WWII greatly shaped the lives of all who lived in Nazi Germany. The Book Thief highlighted characters who were sent to fight or aid in the waragainst their willbecause they didnt comply with strict Nazi

Hammond, 3 guidelines. Food rations, bombings, and raids are also described to emphasize the impact of war on German civilians. Likewise, war is a prominent theme in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, as Brunos household is constantly teeming with Nazi soldiers. Because of the darkness and despondency of WWII, both The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and The Book Thief share some of the same moods. The Book Thief has the ultimate essence of darkness, as the story is told by Deaths perspective: not only did Zusak just procure gloom, but he maintained its darkness through Deaths genuine andat timesdepressing take on how and why humans die. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas almost surpasses The Book Thiefs eeriness with reoccurring shots and references to the concentration camp across from Brunos house one of the most disconcerting moments of the film is when Bruno asks his parents why the outside air has a sickening smell, while the audience knows it is actually the stench of burning Jewish corpses. Along with the mood of darkness comes fear. Fear resounds soundly among the Jews at the concentration camp in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas: they fear beatings, separation from their families, and being incinerated. Fear of Nazis and of death is also prevalent in The Book Thief. As Molching civilians diligently appear as perfect Nazi party members to avoid suspicion by the NSDAP, they are distressed by Allied raids and bombings. It is imperative to discuss and examine the lives of all who were affected by WWII. Future and present generations must understand and acknowledge the devastation that occurred at the hands of corrupt leaders to ensure such desolation will never repeat itself. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and The Book Thief are great compliments to each other; although they contrast in some ways, they both bring the attention to the impact of WWII on both Nazi Germany and the world.