them.
‘So tomorrow will be the last time we see each other until then,’ he continued. ‘We’ll have to say our goodbyes then. I’ll try to bring you an extra
special treat.’Boyne, 2007:195 From the datum above, it shows how children also find it difficult to say goodbye
and they are able to feel such a deep emotion. When they are attached to each
other, it will be harder to say goodbye. The bounds that exist between the child ’s
characters are beyond expectation. They could be friends despite the difficulty they have to go through. The special bounds also make their friendship stronger.
It makes them hard to say goodbye and feel the sadness of separation. Children’s way of perceiving goodbyes might be a little bit different from
adults. In children’s world, they still need a little adventure even in goodbyes. The sadness of never seeing each other is commemorated as the last adventures
between Bruno and Shmuel. The children still have a beautiful memory as a goodbye. Therefore, optimism in sadness is a must for children. The light of a
hope should be display in order to make children have a positive way of seeing sadness.
d. Children’s Insecurity
The feeling when children feel dominated by others and when they feel scared of the threat is the feeling of insecure. Insecurity comes when children feel
traumatized upon particular events or treatments. When children feel scared, most of the feeling only comes for once as the impact of a sudden shock. Nonetheless,
insecurity comes in more complex way to children as they feel more complex feeling of insecurity, emptiness, and loneliness.
In Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, the feeling of insecure is felt by the main characters, Bruno and Shmuel. Their insecurity is the manifestation of
fears, sadness, loneliness, and emptiness. It is a complex feeling in which they have to deal with. The insecurity is lingered in their mind as they are reminded of
something t hat traumatized them. The first datum below could reflect Bruno’s
feeling of insecure when the first time he observes his surroundings and finds the emptiness and the feeling of unsafe.
Sometimes he liked to stand in front of these stalls and close his eyes and breathe in their aromas, feeling his head goes dizzy with the mixed scents of
sweetness and life. but there were no other streets around the new house, no one strolling along or rushing around, and definitely no shops or fruit and
vegetable stalls. When he closed his eyes, everything around him just felt empty and cold, as if he was in the loneliest place in the world. The
middle of nowhere.
Boyne, 2007:13 From the above datum, it shows that Bruno feels the chills when he observes his
new environment. He compares his new environment with his old life in Berlin and realizes how different it is. The feeling of shock could lead into insecurity.
Children can easily feel insecure in a new place, especially when the place is not as nice as where they come from. In addition, children need a longer time to adapt
to the new situation.
When Bruno observes his new surroundings, he feels the emptiness he never felt before. It is a new feeling for Bruno to feel such kind of emotion. Bruno
compares himself as the loneliest boy in the world. He feels that no one would be there for him in the middle of nowhere. It is a normal feeling even for adult when
they are forced to live in a barren place wi th no other people to live with. Bruno’s
feeling of insecurity shows how children find difficulty to adapt to the new environment.
The other form of insecurity which is depicted in the novel is wh en Bruno’s
sister intimidates him. It makes Bruno nervous every time her sister and her friends are around him. Bruno should not get any kind of bullying. He deserves to
feel safe anywhere he goes and plays with anyone he likes. Gretel mostly disagrees with Bruno as they always have their own competition. Although Gretel
only thinks about it as a way to tease her brother, Bruno feels different things. In the quotation below, Bruno shares his feelings about being bullied every time her
sister is around. Gretel was three years older than Bruno and she had made it clear to him from
as far back as he could remember that when it came to the ways of the world, particularly any events within that world that concerned the two of them, she
was in charge.
Bruno didn’t like to admit that he was a little scared of her, but if he was honest with himself
– which he always tried to be – he would have admitted that he was.
Boyne, 2007:21 The datum illustrates the way children perceive bully from other children. The
older children pick on Bruno as the younger one. The feeling of having power
and domination comes as a natural thing. It even makes people feel superior just being in charge and have a power. That is also what happened with Gretel and
Bruno. As a child, Bruno always tries to show his best side and show that he is strong and undefeated. On the inside, Bruno feels a completely different feeling
than he has outside. Bruno is scared of his sister and he does not like to admit it. The severe domination and insecurity felt by Bruno comes when he has to
face Lieutenant Kotler. Kotler always shows his domination not only to Bruno but also to people around Bruno. Pavel and Shmuel are people who come from
the other side of the fence which also feel terrified every time they meet Kotler. Kotler’s domination shows as he is one of Bruno’s father soldiers. He gets the
respects from the other soldiers and admiration from Gretel and Bruno’s mother. He gets the trust from the important adults around him. This datum below
illu strates Bruno’s concern when he tells a lie because he is afraid of saying the
truth to Kotler. Bruno’s mouth dropped open and he tried to remember the way you used your
mouth if you wanted to say the word ‘yes’. He’d never seen anyone look so terrified as Shmuel did at that moment and he wanted to say the right thing to
make things better,
but then he realized that he couldn’t; because he was feeling just as terrified himself
. Boyne, 2007:170 The above quotation shows how Bruno is terrified by
Kotler’s action. It also illustrates the way children feel scared when they are oppressed. In this situation,
children could also have flaws when they are too scared to say the truth and they
choose to give the expected answer instead of telling the truth. This kind of flaw should be considered as their human side, but it should not become a habit.
Children too are expected to be honest and able to stand for themselves. In conclusion, insecurity is a common feeling felt by children when they feel
dominated or in a difficult situation. Insecurity could be the manifestation of fears, loneliness, and emptiness as a whole. When children feel insecure, parents
as their guidance should help children to overcome their dark emotion. The absent of parents could lead into more severe problems as children have no one to
help them to overcome the insecurity.
e. Children’s Dark Environment
The dark environment is an interesting topic from Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. The exposure of extraordinary environment in Out-With is a
new thing for children to learn how much it is different from their usual environment. The extravagant dark environment of the novel takes the main
characters into a whole new journey. The dark environment is the new horizon where the characters feel the atmosphere and the ambiance of the place they live
in. Dark is the perfect way to describe the atmosphere of the novel. Furthermore,
the atmosphere around the new house also gives the gloomy vibe on how there is no neighbor found around the house. Bruno as a child character is disappointed
