"Lines may divide us, but hope will unite us."
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - Characters & Cast
Character Analysis
Bruno
Asa Butterfield
Motivation
Driven by loneliness and curiosity. He wants to explore his new environment and find a friend to play with, leading him to the fence.
Character Arc
Bruno moves from a state of sheltered ignorance in Berlin to a tragic realization of the world's cruelty. His development is marked by his internal struggle to reconcile the 'good' father he loves with the horrific actions of the man running the camp.
Shmuel
Jack Scanlon
Motivation
Survival and the longing for his family. He seeks comfort and food from Bruno while searching for his missing father.
Character Arc
Shmuel remains largely static due to his imprisonment, but his interactions with Bruno show a desperate clinging to humanity. He acts as the silent witness to the horrors Bruno cannot see.
Elsa (Mother)
Vera Farmiga
Motivation
Protecting her children and maintaining a sense of domestic normalcy amidst the surrounding chaos.
Character Arc
She begins as a supportive Nazi wife but undergoes a psychological collapse as she realizes the true nature of the 'Final Solution.' Her arc represents the moral decay and eventual horror of the German middle class.
Ralf (Father)
David Thewlis
Motivation
Ambition and a rigid sense of duty to the Nazi state, believing his actions are for the greater good of his family and nation.
Character Arc
He remains steadfast in his Nazi duty, viewing his role as essential for the Reich. His arc ends in irony and total personal loss, as the machinery of death he built consumes his own legacy.