1. Explain how the author uses the first several paragraphs to establish the point of view in the story. Highlight evidence from the text and make annotations to explain your choices.

2. Reread paragraphs 18 and 19, that begin with the words “Bruno frowned” and end with “.... I could show you my room.” What do Bruno’s thoughts, actions, and dialogue reveal about his character?

3. Reread paragraphs 20 through 30 beginning with “He told me not to move” and ending with “...if I take them he’ll come in and –.” What can you infer about Shmuel’s character from the dialogue in these paragraphs?

4. In the 18th paragraph that begins with “Bruno frowned,” the term “Out-With” is mentioned. Who or what is “Out-With”? How is Lieutenant Kotler a symbol for this larger, although unseen, antagonist? Use evidence from the text to support your response.

5. In the last eight paragraphs of the story, all three characters have conflicts. Discuss these conflicts with a focus on the Essential Question for this unit: “What does our response to conflict say about us?” Use evidence from the text to support your response.

Start of paragraph 1 of 47

Bruno went into the kitchen and got the biggest surprise of his life. There, sitting at the table, a long way from the other side of the fence, was Shmuel. Bruno could barely believe his eyes.

2

Start of paragraph 2 of 47

“Shmuel!” he said. “What are you doing here?”

3

Start of paragraph 3 of 47

Shmuel looked up and his terrified face broke into a broad smile when he saw his friend standing there. “Bruno!” he said.

4

Start of paragraph 4 of 47

“What are you doing here?” repeated Bruno, for although he still didn’t quite understand what took place on the other side of the fence, there was something about the people from there that made him think they shouldn’t be here in his house.

5

Start of paragraph 5 of 47

“He brought me,” said Shmuel.

6

Start of paragraph 6 of 47

“He?” asked Bruno. “You don’t mean Lieutenant Kotler?”

7

Start of paragraph 7 of 47

“Yes. He said there was a job for me to do here.”

8

Start of paragraph 8 of 47

And when Bruno looked down he saw sixty-four small glasses, the ones Mother used when she was having one of her medicinal sherries, sitting on the kitchen table, and beside them a bowl of warm soapy water and lots of paper napkins.

9

Start of paragraph 9 of 47

“What on earth are you doing?” asked Bruno.

10

Start of paragraph 10 of 47

“They asked me to polish the glasses,” said Shmuel. “They said they needed someone with tiny fingers.”

11

Start of paragraph 11 of 47

As if to prove something that Bruno already knew, he held his hand out and Bruno couldn’t help but notice that it was like the hand of the pretend skeleton that Herr Liszt had brought with him one day when they were studying human anatomy.

12

Start of paragraph 12 of 47

“I’d never noticed before,” he said in a disbelieving voice, almost to himself.

13

Start of paragraph 13 of 47

“Never noticed what?” said Shmuel.

14

Start of paragraph 14 of 47

In reply, Bruno held his own hand out so that the tips of their middle fingers were almost touching. “Our hands,” he said. “They’re so different. Look!”

Start of paragraph 15 of 47

The two boys looked down at the same time and the difference was easy to see. Although Bruno was small for his age, and certainly not fat, his hand appeared healthy and full of life. The veins weren’t visible through the skin, the fingers weren’t little more than dying twigs. Shmuel’s hand, however, told a very different story.

16

Start of paragraph 16 of 47

“How did it get like that?” he asked.

17

Start of paragraph 17 of 47

“I don’t know,” said Shmuel. “It used to look more like yours, but I didn’t notice it changing. Everyone on my side of the fence looks like this now.”

18

Start of paragraph 18 of 47

Bruno frowned. He thought about the people in their striped pajamas and wondered what was going on at Out-With and whether it wasn’t a very bad idea if it made people look so unhealthy. None of it made any sense to him. Not wanting to look at Shmuel’s hand any longer, Bruno turned round and opened the refrigerator, rooting about inside it for something to eat. There was half a stuffed chicken left over from lunch time, and Bruno’s eyes sparkled in delight for there were very few things in life that he enjoyed more than cold chicken with sage and onion stuffing. He took a knife from the drawer and cut himself a few healthy slices and coated them with the stuffing before turning back to his friend.

19

Start of paragraph 19 of 47

“I’m very glad you’re here,” he said, speaking with his mouth full. “If only you didn’t have to polish the glasses, I could show you my room.”

20

Start of paragraph 20 of 47

“He told me not to move from this seat or there’d be trouble.”

21

Start of paragraph 21 of 47

“I wouldn’t mind him,” said Bruno, trying to sound braver than he really was. “This isn’t his house, it’s mine, and when Father’s away I’m in charge. Can you believe he’s never even read Treasure Island? ”

22

Start of paragraph 22 of 47

Shmuel looked as if he wasn’t really listening; instead his eyes were focused on the slices of chicken and stuffing that Bruno was throwing casually into his mouth. After a moment Bruno realized what he was looking at and immediately felt guilty.

23

Start of paragraph 23 of 47

“I’m sorry Shmuel,” he said quickly. “I should have given you some chicken too. Are you hungry?”

24

Start of paragraph 24 of 47

“That’s a question you never have to ask me,” said Shmuel who, although he had never met Gretel in his life, knew something about sarcasm too.

Start of paragraph 25 of 47

“Wait there, I’ll cut some off for you,” said Bruno, opening the fridge and cutting another three healthy slices.

26

Start of paragraph 26 of 47

“No, if he comes back—” said Shmuel, shaking his head quickly and looking back and forth towards the door.

27

Start of paragraph 27 of 47

“If who comes back? You don’t mean Lieutenant Kotler?”

28

Start of paragraph 28 of 47

“I’m just supposed to be cleaning the glasses,” he said, looking at the bowl of water in front of him in despair and then looking back at the slices of chicken that Bruno held out to him.

29

Start of paragraph 29 of 47

“He’s not going to mind,” said Bruno, who was confused by how anxious Shmuel seemed. “It’s only food.”

30

Start of paragraph 30 of 47

“I can’t,” said Shmuel, shaking his head and looking as if he was going to cry. “He’ll come back, I know he will,” he continued, his sentences running quickly together. “I should have eaten them when you offered them, now it’s too late, if I take them he’ll come in and—”

s.

31

Start of paragraph 31 of 47

“Shmuel! Here!” said Bruno, stepping forward and putting the slices in his friend’s hand. “Just eat them. There’s lots left for our tea—you don’t have to worry about that.”

32

Start of paragraph 32 of 47

The boy stared at the food in his hand for a moment and then looked up at Bruno with wide and grateful but terrified eyes. He threw one more glance in the direction of the door and then seemed to make a decision, because he thrust all three slices into his mouth in one go and gobbled them down in twenty seconds flat.

33

Start of paragraph 33 of 47

“Well, you don’t have to eat them so quickly,” said Bruno. “You’ll make yourself sick.”

34

Start of paragraph 34 of 47

“I don’t care,” said Shmuel, giving a faint smile. “Thank you, Bruno.”

35

Start of paragraph 35 of 47

Bruno smiled back and he was about to offer him some more food, but just at that moment Lieutenant Kotler reappeared in the kitchen and stopped when he saw the two boys talking. Bruno stared at him, feeling the atmosphere grow heavy, sensing Shmuel’s shoulders sinking down as he reached for another glass and began polishing. Ignoring Bruno, Lieutenant Kotler marched over to Shmuel and glared at him.

Start of paragraph 36 of 47

“What are you doing?” he shouted. “Didn’t I tell you to polish these glasses?”

37

Start of paragraph 37 of 47

Shmuel nodded his head quickly and started to tremble a little as he picked up another napkin and dipped it in the water.

38

Start of paragraph 38 of 47

“Who told you that you were allowed to talk in this house?” continued Kotler. “Do you dare to disobey me?”

39

Start of paragraph 39 of 47

“No, sir,” said Shmuel quietly. “I’m sorry, sir.”

40

Start of paragraph 40 of 47

He looked up at Lieutenant Kotler, who frowned, leaning forward slightly and tilting his head as he examined the boy’s face. “Have you been eating?” he asked him in a quiet voice, as if he could scarcely believe it himself.

41

Start of paragraph 41 of 47

Shmuel shook his head.

42

Start of paragraph 42 of 47

“You have been eating,” insisted Lieutenant Kotler. “Did you steal something from that fridge?”

43

Start of paragraph 43 of 47

Shmuel opened his mouth and closed it. He opened it again and tried to find words, but there were none. He looked towards Bruno, his eyes pleading for help.

44

Start of paragraph 44 of 47

“Answer me!” shouted Lieutenant Kotler. “Did you steal something from that fridge?”

45

Start of paragraph 45 of 47

“No, sir. He gave it to me,” said Shmuel, tears welling up in his eyes as he threw a sideways glance at Bruno. “He’s my friend,” he added.

46

Start of paragraph 46 of 47

“Your…?” began Lieutenant Kotler, looking across at Bruno in confusion. He hesitated. “What do you mean he’s your friend?” he asked. “Do you know this boy, Bruno?”

47

Start of paragraph 47 of 47

Bruno’s mouth dropped open and he tried to remember the way you used your mouth if you wanted to say the word “yes”. He’d never seen anyone look so terrified as Shmuel did at that moment and he wanted to say the right thing to make things better, but then he realized that he couldn’t; because he was feeling just as terrified himself.

Excerpted from The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, published by David Fickling Books.