Chapter 5 Out Of Bounds At All Times And No Exceptions

1. Chapter 5Out Of Bounds At All Times And No Exceptions Pg. 39 - 54

2. Taking a closer look… Pg. 40 ‘We should have never let the Fury come to dinner,’ she said. ‘Some people and their determination to get ahead.’

3. Just after she said that she turned around and Bruno could see that she had tears in her eyes, but she jumped when she saw Maria standing there, watching her. ‘Maria,’ she said, in a startled tone of voice. ‘I thought you were in the car.’

4. ‘I was just leaving, ma’am,’ said Maria. ‘I didn’t mean—’ began Mother before shaking her head and starting again. ‘I wasn’t trying to suggest –’ ‘I was just leaving, ma’am,’ repeated Maria, who must not have known the rule about not interrupting Mother, and stepped through the door quickly and ran to the car.

5. Pg. 41 What is happening here?

7. What do we know about Father? Describe Bruno’s relationship with his father.

8. Author’s intent… Pg. 43 As they left they stood in a row together like toy soldiers and their arms shot out in the same way that Father had taught Bruno to salute, the palm stretched flat, moving from their chests up into the air in front of them in a sharp motion as they cried out the two words that Bruno had been taught to say whenever anyone said it to him.

9. What are the “two words” ? Why did the author choose not to state the two words explicitly? What effect does this have on the reader?

10. Pg. 53-54 He pushed his two feet together and shot his right arm into the air before clicking his two heels together and saying in as deep and clear a voice as possible – as must as like Father’s as he could manage – the words he said every time he left a soldier’s presence.

11. ‘Heil Hitler,’ he said, which, he presumed, was another way of saying, ‘Well, goodbye for now, have a pleasant afternoon.’

12. Why do you think the author chose to reveal this now?

13. Ch. 6The Overpaid Maid Pg. 55 - 66

14. Pg. 58 ‘So you don’t like it here then?’ asked Bruno. ‘You think it’s as bad as I do?’ Maria frowned. ‘It’s not important,’ she said. ‘What isn’t?’ ‘What I think.’ ‘Well, of course it’s important,’ said Bruno irritably, as if she was just being deliberately difficult. ‘You’re part of the family, aren’t you?

15. Why would Maria think that her opinion is not important?

16. What do we learn about Maria in this chapter? What prompts her to tell Bruno about her past?

17. Pg. 62 ‘Yes,’ said Maria, standing up and walking over towards the window, the one through which Bruno could see all the way to the huts and the people in the distance. ‘He was very kind to me then,’ she continued quietly, looking through it herself now and watching the people and the soldiers go about their business far away.

18. ‘He has a lot of kindness in his soul, truly he does, which makes me wonder…’ She drifted off as she watched them and her voice cracked suddenly and she sounded as if she might cry. ‘Wonder what?’ asked Bruno ‘Wonder what he… how he can…’ ‘How he can what?’ insisted Bruno.

19. Ch. 7How Mother Took Credit for Something That She Hadn’t Done Pg. 67 - 85

22. Pg. 72 Lieutenant Kotler was deep in conversation with Gretel and whatever he was saying must have been terribly funny because she was laughing loudly and twirling her hair around her fingers into ringlets.

23. Pg. 73 She was putting on a silly voice that made her sound as if she hadn’t a thought in her head. … ‘You can ask,’ said Lieutenant Kotler, which made Gretel laugh again even though it was not particularly funny.

24. Pg. 84 ‘When did you arrive at Out-With?’ asked Bruno. Pavel put the carrot and the peeler down for a few moments and thought about it. ‘I think I’ve always been here,’ he said finally in a quiet voice.

25. Why did mother take credit for cleaning up Bruno’s cut? What did Bruno think of his mother’s actions?