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Describe the relationship between the Fury and his blonde companion in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

In Chapter 11, we get a glimpse of what the relationship between the Fury (in reality, the Fuhrer, Adolph Hitler) and Eva (his blond companion) is like.


Accordingly, Adolph Hitler (or the Fury) has invited himself to dinner at Bruno's home. Both Bruno's father and mother are very anxious to please their very important guest, as all their lives are dependent upon following the Fury's orders to the letter. When the Fury and his blond companion arrive, Bruno notices that the Fury is far shorter than his father and that he has a tiny mustache. Meanwhile, Bruno thinks that Eva, the Fury's companion, is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen in his life.


As a guest, the Fury is rude and insensitive; he is awkward in his interactions with the children and is abrupt in his dealings with everyone. On the other hand, Eva is pleasant and adept at making conversation with the young children. As the chapter progresses, we see that the Fury is equally dismissive of his companion; he treats Eva as if she was a servant to be ordered about.


When Eva lingers in conversation with Bruno and Gretel, the Fury shouts at her from another room, clicking his fingers as if he was ordering a dog to come to him. However, Eva ignores his first order to cease her conversation with the children. She merely rolls her eyes and stands up, but she does not walk away. At the Fuhrer's second (more insistent) roar, Eva eventually makes her way to join her impatient companion. Eva's reaction to the Fury's pugnacious commands is telling.


She is simply not afraid of the Fury, even though everyone else is. We get the impression that Eva humors her companion but is not the least bit intimidated by him. While the Fury finds it acceptable to be rude with everyone he comes into contact with, Eva exhibits courtesy and kindness towards Bruno and his family. At their departure, the Fury merely gets into the chauffeured car without a word to his hosts; he also doesn't hold the car door open for Eva.


Meanwhile, before she gets into the car, Eva pauses to thank Bruno's mother for the lovely dinner and to say goodbye. From this chapter, we can see that the Fury observes none of the customary lover's courtesies towards his companion. Eva, for her part, does not exhibit any fear of the Fury; she will go to him when she is called, but only when she is ready to. Eva appears to cherish her own agency despite her companion's shocking boorishness.

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