Question

Compare and contrast Lieutenant Kotler and Bruno’s father. (From the Novel) for 5 stars and 25 points.

Answer 1

Ralf, Bruno’s father, was a soldier in the Great War (World War I), and is promoted to Commandant in the German Army by Hitler during World War II. He moves the family to Auschwitz, where he is in charge of the camp. Father is strict and intimidating, but expresses tenderness towards his family. He eventually consents to letting the family move back to Berlin, though he remains at Auschwitz to continue his duties for Hitler. A year after Bruno disappears, he figures out what happened to his son, and is destroyed by the realization. When the Allied soldiers come to take him away for punishment, Father submits to their demands, as he no longer has the will to live.

The The Boy in the Striped Pajamas quotes below are all either spoken by Father or refer to Father. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one: Innocence and Ignorance Theme Icon). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the David Fickling Books edition of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas published in 2007.

“It’s a very important job,” said Mother, hesitating for a moment. “A job that needs a very special man to do it. You can understand that, can’t you?”