The Boy in the Striped Pajamas: Chapter 11 Summary & Analysis

Several months before Bruno first met Shmuel, Bruno remembers the day that Father received a new uniform, along with the title “Commandant.” Father came home one night very excited, and announced to the family that they were to cancel any plans for the upcoming Thursday evening. Mother replies that she has tickets to the theatre, but Father interrupts her to say that “the Fury” has invited himself over for dinner to discuss something with Father. Father tells Bruno he is pronouncing “the Fury” incorrectly, but fails to instruct him on the proper way to say it. Gretel tells Bruno that the Fury runs the country. Father speculates that the Fury will bring “her” with him to dinner. Mother begins to plan all of the things she will have to prepare and clean before dinner on Thursday night.

An hour before the Fury is scheduled to arrive, Gretel and Bruno are summoned to Father’s office, one of the rare occasions they are allowed inside. The children are both wearing their nicest clothing, even though they are not to be present at the dinner. Father lays down ground rules for the evening: when the Fury arrives, they are to be quiet and only reply to him in a clear voice if he speaks to them first. Second, if the Fury ignores them, they are to look directly ahead and treat him with “the respect and courtesy that such a great leader deserves.” Third, when Father and Mother are at the dinner table, the children are to remain in their rooms quietly. Bruno is explicitly not allowed to slide down the bannister.

Forty-five minutes later, the doorbell rings and everyone takes their places. A small man and a taller woman appear in the doorway, and Father salutes them while Maria takes their coats. Bruno observes that the Fury is “far shorter” than Father, and has short dark hair and a tiny moustache. He finds the woman to be “the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life,” with blonde hair and red lips. Bruno is shocked that the Fury would be so rude as to go sit in Father’s place at the head of the table. Flustered, Mother and Father follow the man to the table, while the woman stays and chats with the women and children for a moment until the Fury yells “Eva,” and clicks his fingers to summon her. The woman “rolls her eyes” and goes to the table, but not before telling Bruno that he should tell his mother that his shoes are too tight.

The Fury and Eva stay at the dinner table for the better part of two hours, and Gretel and Bruno are not invited to come say goodbye when they depart. From outside his window, Bruno can see that the Fury has a chauffeur. While the Fury climbs into the car and begins to read a newspaper, Eva thanks Mother for a lovely evening. Bruno thinks about what a horrible man the Fury is. Later that night, Bruno eavesdrops on Mother and Father’s conversation in Father’s office. From snippets, he can hear Mother saying that she does not want to leave Berlin for “a place like…” and Father saying that “that’s an end to the matter…” Mother leaves Father’s office, and Bruno falls asleep. A few days later, Bruno comes home to find Maria packing his things—where the story begins.