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
with the fact that he has to live in a very quiet neighborhood with no one to play with. He describes the new house as a barren place with a dull environment. The
datum below shows Bruno’s opinion of the new house.
The house in Berlin has stood on a quiet street and alongside it were a handful of other big houses like his own, and it was always nice to look at them
because they were almost the same as his house but not quite, and other boys lived in them who he played with if they were friends or steered clear of if
they were trouble. The new house, however, stood all on its own in an empty, desolate place and there were no other houses anywhere to be
seen, which meant there would be no other families around and no other boys to play with, neither friends or trouble.
Boyne, 2007:11 The above datum shows the comparison between Berlin and Out-with and how
those two places are very different to one another. From children’s perspective Berlin is seen as a playground with a lot friends and even trouble. Berlin is big
city where everything is ready to be explored with the busy streets and big houses, while the new house is the exact opposite of Berlin. Out-With is a barren
place where nothing is interesting as there are no other families live in the neighborhood. It depicts how lonely Bruno will be with no one to play with.
Moreover, the most important thing for children is the presence of friends and a place to explore with many adventures.
Children have their own difficulty to adapt to the new place, especially when the new place is not as nice as what they expected to be. The way Bruno
perceives information and even situation depicts children in the same situation.
The most important thing for children is the presence of friends, of someone to play with. Their world is the world of exploration. When children see a place with
a barren land with no other people, they feel disappointed because they have no friends to share the new adventure.
Another problem arises when Bruno and Gretel realize that the house is surrounded by the strange atmosphere. The strange atmosphere surrounding the
house is a new thing to the children in the house. Their surroundings are completely different and it shows from the quotation below.
There wasn’t any grass after the fence; in fact there was no greenery anywhere to be seen in the distance. Instead the ground was made of a
sand-like substance, and as far as she could make out there was nothing but low huts and large square buildings dotted around and one or two
smoke stacks in the distance. She opened her mouth to say something, but
when she did realized that she couldn’t find any words to express her surprise, and so she did the only sensible thing she could think of and closed it again.
Boyne, 2007:32
Gretel is shocked to see her surroundings. The barren land with no plants and vegetables make her silenced in surprise. Especially, when there are strange
houses in the distance. She thinks that the neighborhood is not a friendly one where her family can stay and make friends.
Children’s feeling as portrayed by Bruno and Gretel are the feeling of shocked to see the house and the surrounding. The gloomy atmosphere could be
seen from the depiction of the nature surround the house. The Huts in the distance
also make the atmosphere more and more mysterious as they have never seen such house. The huts and the square buildings in the distance only give both
Bruno and Gretel chill. Gretel is shocked to the point that she could not express her surprise.
The dark atmosphere does not only appear outside the new house but also appears inside the house. The rusty condition of the house makes Bruno feel
uncomfortable. Although, the house is big and has three floors, but the rusty paint and the gloomy atmosphere brings a dark ambiance. The quotation below shows
how Bruno feels about the new house.
Some days later Bruno was lying on the bed in his room, staring at the ceiling above his head. The white paint was cracked and peeling away
from itself in a most unpleasant manner, unlike the paintwork in the house in Berlin,
which was never chipped and received annual top-up every summer when Mother brought the decorations in. Boyne, 2007:55
From the datum above, it shows how Bruno feels the gloomy atmosphere of the house just by looking at the ceiling of his new house. The rustic vibe of the house
gives the gloomy atmosphere to the family. In fact, Bruno keeps comparing his old and new house and how things differ between the two houses. The feeling of
lonely keeps coming back to Bruno as he feels his surroundings. To conclude, environment plays a big role for children to feel secure,
comfortable and protected. Children who live in such a poor condition have their own response toward the environment around them, especially children who
experienced a drastic change of environment. They are able to compare the old one with the new one. It is even harder for them to accept the new condition with
poorer environment. \
2. The Pleasure of the Main Characters
a. The Pleasure of Observing
Children are interested in adventure and exploration. Children could take every journey they have in their environment as a part of their adventure and
exploration. Observing the environment is one of the ways for children to be sensitive and aware. Children need to be observant in order to gain knowledge
about the people and the environment around them. It is important for them to be able to observe between one place to another and to be able to conclude how they
should behave based on the situation. Observant children sincerely feel the pleasure of observing every single detail in their surroundings.
Observing environment is not a new thing for children. As they have more contact to the new environment and the new people, children will be exposed to a
broader world. It is the pleasure for children, to be able to see the whole new world. The same environment will even feel different when they look upon it
closely. Furthermore, observing could be one of the perfect way for children to learn based on their instinct and also capability. They will learn through their own
