In the boy in the striped pajamas what is bruno self-conscience about?

Internal and external conflicts always exist in literature. The internal conflict usually revolves around the concept of Man versus himself meaning that there is inner confusion and often a difficult choice to be made. It may be an emotional or ethical choice which is driven by feelings and perceptions. External conflicts are recognizable as the struggle of Man versus Man, Man versus Nature, Man versus fate or Destiny, Man versus society and Man versus machine. In The Boy in The Striped Pajamas, Bruno experiences inner and external conflict as he struggles to accept his father's decisions although he knows that his father holds the ultimate position of authority in the household which Bruno cannot question. Bruno decides to defy his parents wishes and go exploring along the fence (inner conflict). He makes a conscious decision to challenge that authority by going exploring even though he knows what is expected of him.  

Bruno suffers another inner conflict when he denies Shmuel after Kotler catches Shmuel eating the cake which Bruno has given him. This has painful consequences for both boys and Bruno's promise that he will never let his friend down again is put to the test and resolves the conflict when he joins Shmuel on his side of the fence, only to meet his death in the gas chamber.  

External conflicts include the only time Bruno stands up to his father in chapter 5 and is told that "those people...well they're not people at all." This conflict will be resolved when Bruno meets Shmuel for the first time and discovers that the boys share a birthday so are apparently not so different after all. This conflict could be both Man versus Man and Man versus society as Bruno reveals the similarities and not the differences between the Jews and the Nazis.  

In the conflict of Man versus Destiny, Bruno's mother desperately wants to free herself from any part in the Nazi solution. Her inner conflict as she tries to be loyal and to justify her part is outweighed by her external conflict as she fights the inevitable.

Explanation:

The protagonist and narrator, at the start of the novel Bruno is a nine-year-old boy living in Berlin during World War II. His Father, a Nazi officer, then moves the family to Auschwitz, Poland. As Bruno is young and cannot pronounce certain words, throughout the novel Hitler is referred to as “the Fury” (the Führer) and Auschwitz is referred to as “Out-With.” Bruno is very sheltered and naïve, and though he develops a close friendship with Shmuel, a Jewish boy in the concentration camp, Bruno has a difficult time grasping exactly how hard life is on the other side of the fence.

Explanation:

returning points to main

catherine roberts for ignoring me