Boy in the Striped Pajamas

There's a wonderful thing about kids. Somehow, they can take a scary or traumatizing situation and turn it into something exciting and enjoyable. Their perspective of the world is a way of life adults with never see, whether its for good or bad. This is true in the life of Bruno from The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne.

Bruno is a 12 year old boy growing up during the holocaust. Since his father is a Nazi, he moves from his sweet town in Germany to across the street from a concentration camp in Poland. But the War puzzles Bruno; intriguing him even more. Bruno decided to try out as much as he can about this odd new life he is living. By asking questions and exploring, what he does find is a bit disturbing to him. But it doesn't bring him down. His curiosity never dies.

 Eventually, Bruno meets a friend, Shmuel. Shmuel lives in a concentration camp.  It's frustrating for Bruno. He hates not understanding things to the full extent. He doesn't understand why Shmuel is behind a fence when he's not. But despite their differences, their friendship progresses into a truly unbreakable bond. Their relationship is not the type you see everyday.

Unfortunately, his curiosity leads to a tragic end. But in theory, the importance is the friendship that he gained. Disregarding the pregidous and opinion that surrounds him, he invents a genuine friendship.

The Great Gatsby

Symbols are present in real life and in stories. Symbolism may occur more than the average person thinks. It's also not always so obvious. The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald contains many hidden symbols in all different forms; even characters. A symbol that takes form of a character is Daisy.

Daisy is a wealthy midwesterner who lives in East Egg (Sand's Point), Long Island. Married with and without children, Daisy's lifestlye is idle and self involved. Everyone that knows Daisy wants to know her better. As said by Gatsby, even her tone of voice is full of money. The way Daisy carries herself makes her intriguing to everyone. But Daisy is a significant character because she is not a character at all.

Daisy is simply a symbol. She's a represtenation of how self absorbed and egotistic wealthy people were in the 1920's. She is hollow, lifeless inside and out. She is so incredibly dishonorable that she is able to abide blaming a murder on someone else. She may seem to be just a privileged housewife, but truly she is a cheat. Readers will love to hate Daisy.

The fact that Scott Fitzgerald would create this kind of character is beyond sophisticated. Not only is it contentious, but very stimulating. This kind of writing that witholds incognito world topics and symbols isn't something seen as well portrayed as in the Great Gatsby.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Life is never easy. Everyone encounters obstacles, one way or another. Junior, the main character of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is no different. But unlike others, Junior is able to simultaneously maintain an optimistic and efficient personality even in the worst of situations. Junior is the type of character that would resonate with you forever; his good sprit and ongoing sympathy make him truly memorable.

            Junior lives on a Native American reservation with his mother, sister, father, and grandmother. His lifestyle automatically grants him with the burden of discrimination, poverty, and an unsafe environment. Anyone can see that it takes a lot to handle those issues when you’re merely a teenager. But somehow, he never lets these disadvantages take over his life.  It’s as if Junior can tackle bad situations more genuinely than most adults. For example, his problems with poverty lead to a poor education. But instead of letting that get the best of him, he surpasses to switch to a better school.  This shows his amount of patience and responsibility, he doesn’t blame his situation on anyone or fall into a sort of depression.  He’s able to find a silver lining in the darkest of times

Junior has great ability in not letting hard situations get to him. He is able to create distractions to help ease him through his complicated life. For example, he starts playing basketball. This evolves into a new found passion. This helps Junior extract hope and happiness despite the violence and loss he is exposed to. Also, Junior is constantly cracking jokes. The fact that he can find humor so easily is an easy quality to revere. But Junior's personality is so sophisticated and complex that he barely notices it.

            Although this relates to me less drastically, being positive and headstrong all the time is something that I’ll try to continuously be. If I’m in a sticky situation, I’ll think about Junior and all of the good things he obtained from his positive attitude. I hope that anyone who reads this book understands how truly important it is to be optimistic; being the opposite will only bring more of a struggle.