Three themes and issues of the book.

After reading, I have discovered three key themes and issues of the book. The beginning, the middle and the end. When Bruno moves house, when he meets Shmuel and the aftermath of both of them been gassed to death.

The beginning; Bruno and his family move house. This is a significant theme because it not only shows how it means a start of a new life, it also shows how benevolent the parents are at listening to there children's opinions. Not very benevolent at all. Examples to back this up is that if Bruno's father had of shown benevolence, he would have been given the option or at least given him some forewarning. Another reason why moving house was so significant for the whole family, particularly the kids is because they will not be able to contact any of their friends or family so that would make them sad which will significantly decrease their self esteem. In conclusion, I believe moving house was a key theme of the book.

The middle; Bruno meets Shmuel. This is a significant event because it is the start of a lifetime friendship and it also starts to change Bruno. It starts a lifetime friendship because for a start, they are the same age, and they are both lonely people so they keep each other company. Also, they can sort of relate to each other. An example of this is how they both don't have a strong relationship with their parents. It changes Bruno because he is more happy that he has finally met a friend the same age as him to play with. Especially after moving house, Bruno was very sad, fearing that he would not find friends ever again. Also, his morals start to change because at the start, he was very needy, but after meeting Shmuel, Bruno is helping him all the time.

The end; Bruno and Shmuel get gassed to death. This is a significant time of the novel because it is not just the event itself that was shocking, it was also the aftermath that was shocking. The actual event is significant because Bruno and Shmuel spend their last moments together holding hands and they end their lives stocking with each other no matter what. The aftermath is significant because instead of the father feeling grief that his son has just been gassed to death in a Jew camp, the father showed no emotional attachment with the situation. This just goes to show how snide Bruno's father is.