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Emily Kwon

Ms. Storer

English 3H Block 1

January 23, 2020

Beyond the Fence

History is the repetition of clashing ideologies, ensuing resentment, and the bitter

realization that blood has been spilled for no reason. Mark Herman’s film The Boy in the Striped

Pajamas captures the Holocaust, a historical tragedy, during which countless victims of

resentment are annihilated. Bruno, the son of a prominent SS Commandant Ralf, befriends a

Jewish boy Shmuel who lives beyond the fence, and the two become victims of the resentment

that they do not understand. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas uncovers the true brutality behind

the Nazi hysteria through the lens of an innocent boy and the condemnation of fellow Germans,

proving how unjustified hatred is vain.

The film The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is shown from an innocent child’s perspective

to highlight the moral corruption of Nazism. For example, when Bruno first meets Shmuel on the

other side of the fence, he naively remarks, “That’s not fair, me being stuck over here on my

own, while you’re over there, playing with friends all day,” to which Shmuel responds with an

incredulous look. (Herman 00:32:48-00:35:00) During the coincidental encounter, the tall silver

fence is apparent at all angles to stress the division between the two boys. Although both boys

display the innocence of an eight-year-old, their lives are the direct opposite – while Bruno lives

as a privileged elite, Shmuel is deprived of his human dignity in the Jewish concentration camp.

The separation between the two boys inevitably leads the audience to question whether the anti-

Jewish decrees are morally justified. Bruno’s naïve remark poses a question: is it really fair to
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exterminate people due to ideological differences and crush unblemished youth? Who is the one

to determine which side of the fence the boys will lie on? Bruno’s misunderstanding of the camp

effectively stirs the audience, exposing the merciless nature of Nazism. Later on, Bruno himself

questions the nature of the camp when he meets Shmuel to apologize for his betrayal: “I don’t

understand. I saw a film about the camp, and it looked so nice” (Herman 01:04:55-01:06:22).

The camera focuses on Shmuel’s beaten eye and dirty striped pajamas that sharply contradict

Bruno’s decent appearance, augmenting the effect that Bruno’s question has on the audience.

Even though the fabricated camp advertisement momentarily convinces Bruno that Nazism is a

“positive good,” seeing the camp with his own eyes arouses confusion. While Bruno sincerely

wishes for Nazism to be worthy of his respect, Shmuel’s bloody eye is an undeniable reality.

Accordingly, the audience becomes revolted by the fact that mass hysteria was caused by the

Nazi propaganda of the concentration camps, the place of organized enslavement and genocide.

As they realize the deliberate scheme of deceiving the young mind into fascism, Nazism’s

abominable, systematic nature is revealed. The film proves Nazism’s corruption by presenting

itself in a naive boy’s perspective and encompassing characters who refute Nazism.

The film further accentuates the inhumanity of Nazism by portraying several Germans

who denounce the ideology. For instance, Ralf’s mother delivers a stinging comment during her

son’s SS promotion ceremony: “Does it still make you feel special… the uniform, and what it

stands for?” (Herman 00:07:28-00:08:09) Her piercing stare and sarcastic tone convey the grave

disappointment she feels, reminding the audience of the Nazi barbarity. Being a German and a

mother of a distinguished Nazi officer does not hinder Ralf’s mother from opposing the

government. She understands the meaning of the uniform – the blood, fallen lives, and shattered

peace that it is made of. What internal disagreement symbolizes is the moral blemish of the
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ideology that could not convince the hearts of the righteous. As the audience grasps the contempt

in the mother’s voice, the moral flaw of Nazism that was never fully overlooked by right-minded

people is also perceived. Furthermore, when Bruno’s mother Elsa learns of the crematoria, she

breaks down in disbelief and screams, “How can you… That isn’t war!” (Herman 00:48:58-

00:50:20) The shaking camera follows Elsa’s uneasy movements to indicate her profound

internal troubles. If Ralf’s mother represents the people who disagreed with Nazism from the

beginning, Elsa represents the majority of Germans who were indoctrinated of Nazi beliefs.

When her lack of motive to question the government policies turns into complete abhorrence, it

becomes a compelling theatrical device that makes the audience follow her emotions. The

conversion of a loyal believer, especially when it is provoked by savagery, shakes the foundation

of Nazism as the audience is induced to abominate its barbaric ideas. At this point, it is clearly

established that the Nazi policies violate the natural law and reject human dignity. The horror of

Nazism that is exposed in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas ultimately signifies meaningless

resentment.

The explicit depiction of Nazi brutality reveals the fact that baseless hatred brings

emptiness. For example, after discovering that Bruno has been killed in the gas chamber, Ralf

and Elsa are torn apart – Ralf’s face distorts in despair, and Elsa wails with Bruno’s clothes in

her hands. (Herman 01:25:52-01:28:43) As the two mourn, heavy rain that parallels the tragedy

continues to fall, deepening the grief. After the mortifying defeat in World War I and the social

and economic devastation that followed, the Nazis promoted antisemitism to make Jews the

scapegoats for the hardships. The German public, desperate for someone to blame, endorsed the

`social stigma of Jews, and the historic mass persecution began. Gassing people to death is a

heinous crime against humanity; systematic annihilation rejects the very being of humanity. Such
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Nazi barbarity, unjustified of its animosity towards the Jews, epitomizes the inhumanity that

Bruno’s death represents. Hatred, which was the overarching mood of the film, is replaced by

hollowness. Amidst the downpour and the cries lies nothing but the bitter reality of death. The

hollowness is aggravated when the camera focuses on the metal door of the gas chamber and

gradually zooms out to show the striped pajamas that are left in the room. (Herman 01:29:00-

01:30:02) Somber music plays in the background, and the screen turns black, leaving the

audience in desolate silence. Grieving for the lost souls, the audience is able to remember the

countless people who lost their lives behind the door. The discrepancy between Nazism’s

extreme nationalism and the Jewish culture was significant, creating outrageously unreasonable

abhorrence that soon proved to be catastrophic for the Jews. After the victims suffer to death

from lethal poison in the gas chamber, ghastly silence overwhelms the film. The only things that

remain are the ownerless pajamas and the painful question: what was it all for? As the two

scenes prove, malice toward people of different ideology leaves nothing at the end.

Through a tragic yet honest depiction of history, the overlooked truth of empty

resentment is made evident. In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, the perspective of an innocent

child and internal criticisms are used to expose the cruelty of Nazism, ultimately demonstrating

the pointlessness of hatred. With various unfounded resentments pervading today’s world,

repeating the tragedies of history can only be prevented through the realization that hatred is

hollow – upon thoughtful consideration, what lies beyond the fence is the way to overcome

differences.
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Works Cited

Herman, Mark, director. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Miramax, Heyday Films, BBC Films.

2008.