The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Final Essay

Choose one theme from the book (i.e. Innocence and guilt, friends
and enemies,
human nature, equality, childhood, racism, regret, prejudice, good
and evil, life and death, cruelty and compassion, and segregation).
You will write an essay around this theme.
Questions to consider:

How was it developed in the book?

Why is this theme important to the novel/story?
What did characters do that helped illustrate this theme?
What did characters say that helped to illustrate this theme?
What events take place in the novel that help to illustrate this theme?
Are there any recurrent images or clusters of images? Do these images
support the idea or theme that you find in the novel?
Other questions and outlines that involve a theme:

1. Theme: Innocence
Discuss Ignorance is Bliss with reference to examples from the novel.
1. State your opinion on this phrase and your main ideas
2. Idea 1 e.g. Telling through a 9 year old boys eyes
3. Idea 2 e.g. Not telling reader the whole truth
4. Idea 3 e.g. Other characters ignorant to what is happening
5. Conclusion

2. Theme: Friendship
How can people use the power of friendship to cross boundaries of race,
religion, and culture? Discuss this statement with reference to examples from
the novel.
1. State your opinion on friendship and your main ideas
2. Idea 1 e.g. Example of friendship from the novel
3. Idea 2 e.g. Another example from the novel
4. Idea 3 e.g. Example from real life
5. Conclusion summarize all your ideas and give a message to the
world!

3. Theme: Segregation
The barbed wire fence is a physical separation between Bruno and Shmuel.
What other types of separation does the fence represent in this story?
1. State your main ideas briefly
2. Idea 1 e.g. Expand on one of your ideas - race
3. Idea 2 e.g. Expand on another idea - wealth
4. Idea 3 e.g. Fences in real life
5. Conclusion summarize all your ideas and give a message to the
world!
 The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Final Essay

Follow this outline:

Introduction-
o Use one or two sentences to express your personal opinions on the
subject of the book (do not use I).
o Describe in general, how the author expresses the theme, i.e. by using
characterization, symbolism, setting or conflicts, etc.
o State the theme you are writing about from the book and why it is
important. (thesis)

Body-
Write three paragraphs to explain how the author expresses the theme in his
book. To describe each example, you need to include the following
information.
o What happened (**briefly** I have read the book) that represented the
theme? Explain why/how this is a representation of the theme.
o What did the character do to show the theme? Explain why/how this is
a representation of the theme.
o What did the character say or think (quotes from the character, or the
narrator)? Explain why/how this is a representation of the theme.
o What is the consequence of his/her action? Explain why/how this is a
representation of the theme.

Conclusion
o Restate your theme in the thesis.
o What did you think of the theme? How has it affected you? What
lessons should the world take from this theme and book?

Tips for not using first person:

Avoid: I, me, we, us, my, our, etc.

Use vague references of people it would affect: the world, the population,
people, society, humankind, one (e.g. if one is sick, then one should go to
bed.)