IndexThe Boy in the Striped Pajamas: summary and analysisThe Boy in the Striped Pajamas: film review (essay)ConclusionWorks CitedThe Boy in the Striped Pajamas : summary and analysisA A young, fun-loving 8-year-old boy lives his days to the fullest in the city of Berlin, Germany, where his family resided in the 1940s. Everything changes when his father is promoted to commander of the Nazi German army. Now Bruno and his family must uproot their life in Berlin and move to the countryside as his father's job requires. Bruno, being an explorer and adventure seeker at heart, becomes bored and lonely in his new home to which he is only attached to certain areas. Of course, while his family worries, his curiosity gets the better of him and he ventures out. He wanders through the woods and comes across the enclosure of the “farm” he had seen from his bedroom window, which later turns out to be the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. Here he meets Shmuel, the boy in the striped pajamas, Bruno's age and equally unaware of the horrors of the camp. An unusual friendship is born between the two, without the knowledge and prohibition of Bruno's family and a large part of German society. During Bruno's adventures to see his new friend, he and his sister Gretel meet a tutor whose resume is full of anti-Semitic ideologies. As time passes, Bruno's mother learns the details of her husband's job and decides that their new home and its associated environment are not the right place to raise a family. Bruno's father arranges for Bruno and Gretel together with their mother to reside with a close relative until further notice. After learning that he will be leaving his new home, Bruno embarks on one last adventure with Shmuel that ends with an unexpected outcome. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The overall moral of this story is that, as human beings, people are more similar than different. Individuals share more commonalities than differences in their physical, religious, or cultural variations arbitrarily called race. Sociologists often use the term race in quotation marks to imply that it has very little meaning. Race is seen as a socially constructed idea that rarely categorizes individuals accurately. This moral is conveyed both through the commonalities between Bruno and Shmuel, both ironically, and through the differences insinuated between the German and Jewish people. Through their friendship, it can be determined that racism is a learned belief fueled by culture. Research has shown that children exposed to cultures different from their own become more racially tolerant. Because race is a socially constructed idea, racism, racial prejudice, and associated hatred are culturally encouraged attitudes. To further expose this moral, the producers juxtapose the symbolic interactionist perspective used to address the relationship between Bruno and Shmuel and with the use of conflict perspective to represent the relationship between German society and the Jews. The symbolic interactionist perspective is represented by showing children having the same status, pursuing the same goals and cooperating with each other to achieve them and in return receiving positive feedback from each other. Both Bruno and Shmuel are eight years old, an age when their social roles are still based on their parents' authority. They are depicted as equal even though the audience knows that they have been forced by society into dominant and subordinate groups respectively. They pursue friendship with each other and, after thetheir first meeting, they establish their friendship with a handshake. Throughout the film they are shown cooperating to achieve this goal by associating as often as possible, communicating and playing board games although they are separated by a large fence. Ironically, this fence symbolizes the social orders in place to prevent their friendship, such as racism and racial prejudice that lead to racial discrimination and social inequality. While the symbolic interactionist perspective only examines the relationship between Bruno and Shmuel and their roles in society using the micro level. analysis, the conflict perspective uses macro-level analysis to recognize the dynamics of the dominant Aryan race and the subordinate Jewish race. Historically, before the start of World War II, Hitler became the leader of the Nazi Party, a socialist political party, and was eventually named Chancellor of Germany. Through his position he dismantled democracy, establishing a dictatorship in its place and establishing the Reich. Hitler advocated a deep pride in Germany and the Aryan race, as well as a deeply held anti-Semitic ideology. The book points out that powerful people often “use ideologies to maintain their [dominant] positions at the expense of others.” Hitler did just that. He secured social control and approval of his ideologies using violence and intimidation. This created a culture of institutionalized discrimination directed against Jews and those disloyal to the nation who supported the idea that these people should be persecuted and exterminated. Due to extreme hatred and discrimination against Jews, the idea was formed that they were “unworthy of living,” resulting in genocide of the Jewish race. This culture is represented throughout the film. At the beginning of the film, the commander's mother expressed her disapproval of her son's choices to him and he insisted that he keep his opinions to himself. Later in the film, during dinner one evening, Lieutenant Kotler revealed that his father had fled Germany when the war began to signify his disloyalty to the country. He lost his job in the army because he had not informed his superiors that his father was a non-conformist towards the Nazi regime. The film also depicts this ideology being taught to both Gretel and Bruno by their guardian. Gretel believes in these beliefs and begins to act upon them by getting rid of her dolls and participating in the war efforts. Bruno has difficulty accepting this ideology as he has formed a relationship with Shmuel, a Jew, and the stereotypes he is taught about Jews because the characteristics he is taught do not match those he has been exposed to. Intolerance and hatred towards Jews is shown through Lieutenant Kotler's physical interactions with Pavel and Shmuel, as well as the stigma associated with being Jewish implied verbally in statements from members of the Nazi army and Bruno's guardian, as well as of Shmuel himself. This perspective highlighted the implicit differences between these two groups of people, insinuating that the two had more differences than similarities and could not coexist. The overall social problem in this film was the Holocaust which involved the persecution and genocide of the Jewish race. This social problem has been fueled by racism in the form of racial discrimination, prejudice and ultimately hatred. Because of the way the film ended, there were no solutions presented for these social problems, only the thought of what could have been and potentially the realization and a first-hand account of the atrocities committed. Throughout the film, and in the story, the differences between the two racesthey were sought out to the point that they no longer saw Jews as people. They failed to realize that they too were human beings, seeking friendship, love and other joys of life. They refused to recognize that they shared more commonalities as human beings than differences in their physical characteristics and religious beliefs. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas: Movie Review (Essay) The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has rated the audience demographic for this film as PG-13 which means parental guidance is recommended for children under 13 years. Due to the historical context behind this film but its relatability to today, I would say this film is suitable for a broad audience demographic. The film itself would likely be suitable for young adults and older, potentially older children with parental guidance, as suggested by the MPAA. Those who are interested in history, as well as action and drama films, may want to see this film. Personally I would suggest knowing the basic details of the Holocaust before watching this film to avoid forming incorrect notions about this historical event from this fictional film. Personally, I thought The Boy in the Striped Pajamas was an excellent film. When it first came out I wasn't sure if I wanted to watch it or not. Because of the nature of the historical event it's based on, I wondered if it would make me angry because it didn't accurately describe what happened, or if it would be terribly accurate and pain-inducing. However, I think it was portrayed accurately, insinuating the horrors of the Holocaust but without exposing viewers to gruesome images or scenes. While the film and original book are not based on a true story, I certainly don't find it far-fetched that many of the scenes captured in the film could have happened. I think the producers did a great job shaping this movie to respect what happened not so long ago in our world and producing a box office hit. On a five star scale (five is key), I would give this film 4.7 stars. I have to commend the producers for their insightful take on such a sensitive issue. Their idea of ​​looking at this event through the eyes of a young German boy was brilliant. Since many know the highlights of the event that happened not long ago and focus on the atrocities suffered by the Jews, it was innovative to add dynamics by looking at the other side of the story while acknowledging the disturbing realities of the Holocaust. The actors embodied their characters as if they were experiencing this event first hand. I thought it was a quality film with a profound message. My only criticism would be that it could be slightly melodramatic in some scenes, and I felt like it was promoted as a children's film. While I agree it is important for children to learn about the Holocaust, I believe they should be aware of the event before watching the film so as not to draw incorrect conclusions about the Holocaust from a fictional depiction of the event. Beyond that, I found it emotionally captivating and thought-provoking, two qualities that I personally think make a film great. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Conclusion Charles Colton once said, “We hate some people because we don't know them; and we will not know them because we hate them.” While I believe the ultimate solution to the social problem of racism, including racial discrimination, prejudice, and hatred, is a change of heart, accepting differences in others is a good start. For this to happen we need to know each other. We have to..