Učenje posle Aušvica: Holokaust u književnosti za decu na primeru romana Dečak u prugastoj pidžami Džona Bojna

Abstract

Тhe goal of the paper is to examine the significance of John Boyne’s novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas for Holocaust education, as well as its appropriateness and efficiency in transmitting the experience of the Holocaust to a younger audience. The paper is divided into three segments, all representing various perspectives of analysis that are necessary for the complete understanding of the novel. The research thus covers the ideological, ethical, and pedagogical perspectives. The ideological perspective, based on studies on ideology in children’s literature, will examine how the Nazi ideology is enforced throughout the novel. Bruno, the nine-year-old protagonist, believes that his father is a good man and that the concentration camps, which he does not even define as such, are harmless places. This is partly due to his age and childhood innocence. However, Bruno’s curiosity and investigative spirit lead him to re-examine the difference between himself and all of the men wearing “striped pyjamas.” Through the characters of Bruno and Shmuel, the Jewish boy, we notice Emanuel Levinas’s teaching about taking responsibility towards each other, as this is the only way to fight against inhumanity. Finally, the pedagogical aspects of the paper deal with some of the most common obstacles teachers face in Holocaust education and the benefits of using this novel. The subtitle of the novel represents it is a “fable of the Holocaust”, which implies a sort of moral lesson should be reached and emphasizes the educational nature of the work. The importance of writing and teaching Holocaust narratives is also emphasized as, according to Theodor Adorno, the proper education after Auschwitz is the only way to point to the danger of all types of discrimination and attempt to prevent an event such as the Holocaust from being repeated