The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
by John Boyne
Book Background
Summary
Main Characters
Bruno
Shmuel
"Shmuel is a young Polish Jew who is a prisoner in Auschwitz. Bruno meets him at a fence while exploring near his house. Shmuel is as innocent as Bruno and seems not to quite understand why he is a prisoner. Bruno has a hard time comprehending some of the stories Shmuel tells him because it seems so unimaginable to him. Bruno and Shmuel seem to lead parallel yet mutually exclusive lives. Bruno and Shmuel demonstrate how resistant and resilient children can be and how important kindness and compassion are (eNotes)."
Elsa
Elsa is Bruno's mother. She is very caring and despises her husband's job. Elsa is very upset with how the Nazis treat the Jews. She wants to take Bruno and his sister back to Berlin because she thinks that Auschwitz is no place to raise young children.