Skip to content

Bruno, Shmuel and the Fence | ICSE Class 8

questionbuddy.in/icse/class-8/english-literature/the-boy-in-the-striped-pyjamas/bruno-shmuel-the-fence-and-the-power-of-innocence

English LiteratureICSE Class 8 · The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Bruno, Shmuel, the Fence and Innocence (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, ICSE Class 8)

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

In The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (John Boyne, 2006) a fable set in the Second World War, Bruno, the commandant's young son, befriends Shmuel, a Jewish boy behind a camp fence. Bruno's innocence lets him see a friend, but also blinds him to danger; the tragic ending shows the cruelty of prejudice. The story is best read with a teacher or parent.

Notice the arrow of friendship crossing the fence: Bruno's innocence sees a friend, while prejudice is what built the fence.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand Bruno, Shmuel, the Fence and the Power of Innocence

Status. On the Suggested Reading List for Class VIII; recommended, not prescribed. John Boyne's novel was published in 2006 and calls itself a fable. It is set during the Second World War, when Nazi Germany murdered about six million Jews and millions of others in the Holocaust. The subject is serious; read with a teacher or parent.

Point of view. Told closely from Bruno's point of view, so readers understand far more than he does. Bruno, about nine, mishears the name of the camp as "Out-With" and takes the striped uniforms for "striped pyjamas".

The friendship. After his father is promoted to commandant, the family moves from Berlin to a bleak place. From his window Bruno sees a fence and many people in striped clothes. Lonely, he walks along the fence and meets Shmuel, a thin Jewish boy of the same age and birthday. Over many months Bruno visits him secretly, talks through the fence and sometimes brings food, but never understands why Shmuel is there.

The ending. Bruno learns the family must return to Berlin. To help Shmuel search for his missing father, he wears a set of striped clothes, crawls under a gap in the fence and enters the camp. Caught in a group of prisoners being marched away, the boys die together. Bruno's father later finds the gap in the fence and understands what happened. The novel ends with a bitterly ironic remark that such things could never happen again.

Themes. Innocence and ignorance; friendship across barriers; the cruelty of prejudice; family and its breakdown.

Characters. Bruno, Shmuel, Bruno's father (the commandant), Gretel (his elder sister, "a Hopeless Case") and Pavel (a Jewish prisoner who works in the house and helps Bruno when he is hurt).

Bruno, Shmuel, the Fence and the Power of Innocence: key facts

Misunderstandings
Out-Withthe camp
Striped pyjamasprison uniforms
The FuryHitler
They show Bruno's innocence.
The friendship
  • Same age
  • Same birthday
  • Meet at the fence
  • Secret visits
  • Food
  • Search for Shmuel's father
Barriers made by adults.
Themes
  • Innocence and ignorance
  • Friendship
  • Prejudice
  • Family breakdown
The reader knows more than Bruno.

How to answer Bruno, Shmuel, the Fence and the Power of Innocence questions

Use this for theme and ending answers.

  1. 1State the point of view: Bruno's, so readers know more.
  2. 2Give two misunderstandings that show innocence.
  3. 3Describe the friendship and the fence as a barrier.
  4. 4Explain the ending and its irony in neutral words.
  5. 5Link to prejudice and family.

Bruno, Shmuel, the Fence and the Power of Innocence in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

A hypothetical school divide

Suppose two boys from different parts of a town become friends at a fence between their playgrounds, although their families do not talk to each other.

How is this like Bruno and Shmuel, and what does it show?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. A fence divides them.
  2. Their friendship ignores the divide.
  3. The division is made by adults, not by the boys.

Answer: It shows, as in the novel, that the barriers between people are made by adults and ideas, not by nature.

Memory hook: The fence divides; friendship crosses.

Tricks to remember Bruno, Shmuel, the Fence and the Power of Innocence

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • Fence, friend, fable

    Three Fs of the story.

    Use it when: Setting, relationship, genre.

  • Reader knows more

    Bruno's point of view creates irony.

    Use it when: Narration.

Bruno, Shmuel, the Fence and the Power of Innocence: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: What does Bruno call the camp? · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

Bruno mishears the name of the camp as:
(a) Berlin (b) Out-With (c) Dachau (d) Sosnowiec

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. A mishearing of the real name.

Answer: (b) Out-With.

Example 2: What are striped pyjamas? · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level

What does Bruno think the "striped pyjamas" are, and what are they really? (2 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. He thinks they are pyjamas (1).
  2. They are prisoners' uniforms (1).

Answer: Bruno thinks the striped clothes are pyjamas, but they are the uniforms worn by the prisoners in the camp.

Example 3: The friendship · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

How do Bruno and Shmuel become friends? Give two details. (3 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Meet at the fence (1).
  2. Same age and birthday (1).
  3. Secret visits and food (1).

Answer: Lonely Bruno walks along the fence and meets Shmuel, who is the same age and has the same birthday. Over many months Bruno visits him secretly, talks through the fence and sometimes brings food.

Example 4: The role of point of view · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

How does the story's point of view help readers understand more than Bruno does? (4 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Told closely from Bruno's view (1).
  2. He misunderstands names and uniforms (1).
  3. The reader sees the truth (1).
  4. This creates irony and power (1).

Answer: The story is told from Bruno's point of view, but he misunderstands things, such as the name "Out-With" and the "striped pyjamas". The reader understands the truth that Bruno does not, which creates a powerful gap between what he sees and what is real.

Example 5: What does the ending teach? · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

Explain what the ending teaches about prejudice and innocence. (4 marks)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The boys die together (1).
  2. Innocence blinds Bruno to danger (1).
  3. A system built on hatred destroys even those who serve it (1).
  4. The father's loss shows this (1).

Answer: The boys, who see each other only as friends, die together, which shows how a system of hatred destroys the innocent. Bruno's innocence leaves him blind to danger. His father, who served the system, loses his own son, so prejudice destroys even those who support it.

Where students lose marks in Bruno, Shmuel, the Fence and the Power of Innocence

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Writing carelessly about the Holocaust

    The subject needs care.

    Wrong working

    Casual or jokey tone.

    Right working

    Neutral, respectful, factual tone.

    Do this: Write with respect.

    Usually costs: 2 marks

  • Mistake: Explaining the title incorrectly

    The pyjamas are uniforms.

    Wrong working

    Bruno's night clothes.

    Right working

    Prisoners' uniforms.

    Do this: Link to innocence.

    Usually costs: 1 mark

  • Mistake: Ignoring the point of view

    It is key to the effect.

    Wrong working

    Only the plot.

    Right working

    Plot plus how the reader knows more.

    Do this: Mention it.

    Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks

Exam tips

  • Use a calm, factual tone.
  • Explain the point of view in any narration question.
  • Quote only short phrases.
  • Note that the novel is best read with a teacher or parent.

Practice questions on Bruno, Shmuel, the Fence and the Power of Innocence

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    Who is Pavel?
    (a) Bruno's father (b) A Jewish prisoner who works in the house (c) Shmuel's brother (d) A soldier

    Hint

    He helps Bruno when hurt.

    Answer

    (b) A Jewish prisoner who works in the house.

  2. Q2 · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level

    Why does Bruno enter the camp? (2 marks)

    Hint

    Shmuel's father.

    Answer

    He wants to help Shmuel search for his missing father before Bruno's family leaves for Berlin.

  3. Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    What happens to Bruno's family after the loss? (3 marks)

    Hint

    Mother, Gretel, father.

    Answer

    His mother searches for months before returning to Berlin with Gretel. His father stays, cold and haunted, until he finds the gap in the fence and understands what happened.

  4. Q4 · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

    What does the fence stand for in the novel? (4 marks)

    Hint

    Barrier.

    Answer

    The fence stands for the barrier between people made by adults and ideology. It separates the boys physically, but they share age, birthday, loneliness and curiosity, so the friendship shows that the divisions are not natural.

  5. Q5 · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

    The novel calls itself a fable. Do you think this suits a story about the Holocaust? Give two points. (4 marks)

    Hint

    Fable and real history.

    Answer

    A fable carries a moral through a simple story, so the child's view makes readers feel the human cost, which suits the theme. But the real history is far more complex, so readers must remember that the story simplifies it, and read the factual history with care.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.Who wrote the novel?Show answer

    John Boyne.

  2. 2.What year was it published?Show answer

    2006.

  3. 3.What does Bruno call the camp?Show answer

    Out-With.

  4. 4.What do the boys share?Show answer

    Their age and birthday.

  5. 5.What genre does it call itself?Show answer

    A fable.

  6. 6.Who helps Bruno when he is hurt?Show answer

    Pavel.

Bruno, Shmuel, the Fence and the Power of Innocence: frequently asked questions

Is it prescribed?

No, suggested reading.

Is it suitable for everyone in Class 8?

The subject is serious; read it with a teacher or parent.

What does innocence mean here?

Bruno does not understand the danger around him.