There was a lot of pressure on the little boy. The fact that Bruno’s father was in charge of Auschwitz meant that Bruno was expected to do the same. Bruno’s father raised him as a soldier or officer. “ ‘Bruno,’ he said, coming round from behind the desk and shaking the boy’s hand solidly, for Father was not usually the type of man to give anyone a hug,’ ” (45, Print). Father also put the pressure on Bruno to impress the Fury. Bruno’s father set him up to be what he wanted, a German commander, rather than what Bruno wanted to be, an explorer. “ ‘Then there are a number of ground rules which need to be set down before we begin.’ Father was a big believer in ground rules. Whenever there was a special or important occasion in the house, more of them were created. ‘Number one,’ said Father. ‘When the Fury arrives you will stand in the hall quietly and prepare to greet him. You do not speak until he speaks to you and then you reply in a clear tone, enunciating each word precisely. Is that understood?’ ‘Yes, Father,’ mumbled Bruno. ‘That’s exactly the type of thing we don’t want,’ said father referring to the mumbling. ‘You open your mouth and speak like an adult. The last thing we need is for either of you to start behaving like children. If the fury ignores you then you do not say anything either, but look directly ahead and show himt eh respect and courtesy that such as great leader deserves.’ ‘Of course, Father,’ said Gretel in a very clear voice. ‘And when Mother and I are at dinner with the Fury, you are both to remain in your rooms very quietly. There is to be no running around, no sliding down banisters’ -- and here he looked very deliberately at Bruno -- ‘and no interrupting us. Is that understood? I don’t want either of you causing chaos.’ ” (65, PDF) Bruno denied the expectations his father had for him and wanted to have some fun. He decided to go and explore, not caring about what
There was a lot of pressure on the little boy. The fact that Bruno’s father was in charge of Auschwitz meant that Bruno was expected to do the same. Bruno’s father raised him as a soldier or officer. “ ‘Bruno,’ he said, coming round from behind the desk and shaking the boy’s hand solidly, for Father was not usually the type of man to give anyone a hug,’ ” (45, Print). Father also put the pressure on Bruno to impress the Fury. Bruno’s father set him up to be what he wanted, a German commander, rather than what Bruno wanted to be, an explorer. “ ‘Then there are a number of ground rules which need to be set down before we begin.’ Father was a big believer in ground rules. Whenever there was a special or important occasion in the house, more of them were created. ‘Number one,’ said Father. ‘When the Fury arrives you will stand in the hall quietly and prepare to greet him. You do not speak until he speaks to you and then you reply in a clear tone, enunciating each word precisely. Is that understood?’ ‘Yes, Father,’ mumbled Bruno. ‘That’s exactly the type of thing we don’t want,’ said father referring to the mumbling. ‘You open your mouth and speak like an adult. The last thing we need is for either of you to start behaving like children. If the fury ignores you then you do not say anything either, but look directly ahead and show himt eh respect and courtesy that such as great leader deserves.’ ‘Of course, Father,’ said Gretel in a very clear voice. ‘And when Mother and I are at dinner with the Fury, you are both to remain in your rooms very quietly. There is to be no running around, no sliding down banisters’ -- and here he looked very deliberately at Bruno -- ‘and no interrupting us. Is that understood? I don’t want either of you causing chaos.’ ” (65, PDF) Bruno denied the expectations his father had for him and wanted to have some fun. He decided to go and explore, not caring about what