Question

Compare and contrast Lieutenant Kotler and Pavel.

Answer 1

Answer:

Lieutenant Kotler and Pavel both worked under Bruno's father and both have a superior authority to report to or to obey.

On the contrary, while Kotler is a proud, egoistic soldier who would do anything to be the center of attention and looked down on anyone inferior to him, Pavel is a humble "doctor" who chooses to work as a servant for Father's family. He also helped clean and dress Bruno's wounds even though he was the son of the man who is the overseer of the concentration camp he was kept captive in.

Explanation:

John Boyne's novel "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" is a Holocaust story of how a young Jewish boy became friends with the Nazi officer's son. Their friendship flourished irrespective of the social and political condition, which then ended tragically for the two boys.

Lieutenant Kotler is a young teenage soldier for the Auschwitz concentration camp. He is a proud, young soldier who despises anyone inferior to him, especially the Jewish prisoners and also loves to call Bruno "little man", which the young boy really hates. Pavel, on the other hand, is a Jewish prisoner who works as a servant for Bruno's family.

Despite the scarcity of any similarity between the two, there are some points where they are indeed similar. Both work for/ under Bruno's father. And they are both know the orders to be obeyed, even at the cost of their personal opinions.

But their differences are much more. Lieutenant Kotler loves the attention he can get by boasting, he's full of ego and would do anything to bring the spotlight to himself. Moreover, he hates the Jews and would do anything to demean and treat them in any derogatory way, and hates anyone inferior to him. Pavel, on the other hand, is a meek 'doctor' who would do anything to blend in and not be in the spotlight. He chooses to work as a servant in the house and tries hard to hide his "doctor skills". And even though Bruno is his master's son and most likely have any animosity to any Nazi, he treats the young boy with respect and helped him when he got hurt.