In the novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, where are Bruno and Gretel? How do you know, and what clues did you use in the passage to infer the...

In Chapter 4, Bruno and Gretel attempt to figure out where they are. The first thing Bruno mentions is the numerous boys, men, and grandfathers who inhabit the place that does not look as "nice as home." Bruno describes a huge wire fence that runs along the length of the house and separates the area where the people are living as far as his eyes can see.Bruno is essentially describing the fence surrounding the...

In Chapter 4, Bruno and Gretel attempt to figure out where they are. The first thing Bruno mentions is the numerous boys, men, and grandfathers who inhabit the place that does not look as "nice as home." Bruno describes a huge wire fence that runs along the length of the house and separates the area where the people are living as far as his eyes can see. Bruno is essentially describing the fence surrounding the concentration camp that is used to keep the prisoners confined. The landscape inside the concentration camp is rather barren, with no greenery, and Gretel comments that "it is a nasty-looking place" (Boyne 32). The children notice the small one-floor huts and the various activities the prisoners are engaged in. Bruno mentions how the people stand still in lines with their hands against their sides as soldiers march in front of them. He also describes what seems to be a chain gang, while other people are wheeling wheelbarrows and carrying spades. Inside the camp, soldiers are yelling at children, and Gretel mentions that the children look filthy. Bruno's final thought of the chapter is the most revealing about the atmosphere they are viewing. Bruno says that all the people living inside the fence are wearing the same pair of grey striped pajamas and caps on their heads. This final piece of information from Chapter 4 reveals that Bruno and Gretel's family has moved to a concentration camp. The striped pajamas are actually the Jewish prisoners' uniforms.

One can infer that the concentration camp they've actually moved to is Auschwitz based on Bruno's continual mispronunciation. Out-With sounds like Auschwitz, and one can also infer that Bruno's father is a Nazi officer of some sort. We know from Chapter 1 that Bruno's family is German, and in Chapter 2 we find out that Bruno's father has a very important job that forces them to move. Bruno's father is a Nazi, and they have just moved from Berlin to the Auschwitz concentration camp.