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
discovery and experiences on how to deal with the newness they found in their surroundings.
The datum below shows how Bruno feels mesmerized by the view in front of him. Bruno and Gretel feel both confused and flustered as they see outside from
the window.
To begin with, they weren’t children at all. Not all of them, at least. There were small boys and big boys, fathers and grandfathers. Perhaps a
few uncles too. And some of those people who live on their own on
everybody’s road but don’t seem to have any relatives at all. They were everyone.
‘Who are they?’ asked Gretel, as open-mouthed as her brother often was these days. ‘What sort of place is this?’
‘I’m not sure, ‘said Bruno, sticking as close to the truth as possible. ‘But it’s not as nice as home, I do know that mb
uch’ Boyne, 2007:30
In above datum, Bruno and Gretel start to observe people from the other side of the fence. There are all kinds of people bundled in one place which look strange
for both of them. They find it strange on how people from variety kinds of ages are together in one place. It triggers their curiosity to know the people in the
distance. Although this is the first encounter of Bruno and Gretel to see such place, they feel the pleasure from the sight they see. They are able to feel such
strange things that actually exist in their new house. From the new sight he sees, Bruno even comes to a decision that the new place is not as nice as his home in
Berlin.
Children have their own opinion when they observe the new situations. They also have their own sensitivity toward the newness and the strange situation they
see. The feeling of flustered and shocked is a common response from children. Those are the natural responses when children see new things. It is a part of their
pleasure. Children are able to distinguish the different atmosphere between one place to another.
Thinking is part of pleasure. For children, thinking is also part of the pleasure when they observe the newness of the surroundings. As children go deeper, their
curiosity will lead them into more adventurous events. In this case, Bruno as the child character in the novel starts to think about his new world. When he moves
to Out-With, he finds everything completely strange around him. As he observes his new environment, he starts to drown into a deep thought about the new
situation. The datum below shows how Bruno observes the people outside the fence.
It was as if it were another city entirely, the people all living and working together side by side with the house where he lived. And were they really
so different? All the people in the camp wore the same cloth caps too ; and
all the people who wondered trough his house with the expectation of Mother, Gretel and him wore uniforms of varying quality and decoration and
caps and helmets with bright red-and-black armbands and carried guns and always looked terribly stern, as if it was all very important really and no one
should think otherwise. Boyne, 2007:100
The above quotation shows how Bruno observes the people in the huts. He thinks that the way they dress and look are all strange. He observes the way they interact
to each other in such a strange place where everybody is out from their houses. They are a bunch of people who dress the same and go around without a
particular pattern. On the contrary, Bruno also observes the way people in his new house. They all look stern in their uniform and carry their guns everywhere
they go. Bruno finds it strange because they look contrast and different to one another. It makes Bruno think about his new situation.
Thinking is part of pleasure when children are able to tell not only the difference
but also to think further about the things they observe. Their curiosity leads to another part of thinking which triggers their sense of learning something
new. In their learning process, children use their sense of imagination to reflect their new knowledge. Those imaginations help them to understand the current
situation. Children are able to visualize what they see with the imaginations they have. They see the changes and the strangeness around them through their own
interpretation. As children are able to think further, they are able to observe and look for the
changes that happened around them. Children will not only stay silent as they see those changes around them, especially from something familiar. Bruno as a child
character is able to observe closely when Pavel is getting thinner day by day. He
is able to tell that there is something wrong about the way Pavel moves. The quotation below shows the way Bruno is being observant
He seemed to grow smaller and smaller each week, if such a thing were possible, and the colour that should have been in his cheeks had drained
almost entirely away. His eyes appeared heavy with tears and Bruno thought that one good blink might bring in a torrent.
When Pave came in with plates, Bruno couldn’t help but notice that his hands were shaking slightly under the weight of them. And when he stepped back to
his usual position he seemed to sway on his feet and had to press a hand against the wall to a steady himself. Boyne, 2007:142
The way Bruno describes Pavel’s change of appearance indicates that he always
observes Pavel every day. Pavel is someone he always meets in the house. Bruno closely observes every single movement of Pavel which makes him think that he
is different from his usual self. Bruno is able to describe in his own way how Pavel does the house chores with shaking hands. Pavel looks terrible with the
teary eyes and the body that gets skinnier day by day. The way children observe every single thing around them is part of the
pleasure. Regardless the things they see, it always brings pleasure to children. When children are aware of the things around them, they will be able to be
sensitive. The sensitivity of their feeling surely leads to another kind of pleasure when they are able
to relate to others. Furthermore, being observant children is the way for them to be able to have more contact to the society around them. To
be able recognize the pattern of people and the changing society. This is certainly the pleasure of observing.
