When it rains, some people feel happy and calm, and others feel sad and gloomy. It's fascinating how the same thing can affect two different people in two different ways. This same statement applies to how ignorance leads to innocence and vice versa and how this affects people, as shown in the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and the book The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. In both books, the authors used the characters of Lennie and Bruno to show that ignorance is often confused with the many types of innocence and that innocence and ignorance are somewhat interchangeable. First of all, innocence is seen in different ways between Lennie and Bruno. actions and the way they handle situations and shows how their ignorance and innocence affects their decisions. In the first chapter of Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie sit down to dinner. Lennie, being naturally childish due to his disability, says, “I like them with ketchup” (Steinbeck 10). Lennie's innocence makes him forget the terrible state in which he and George find themselves. George, after hearing this, panics and starts yelling at Lennie and is about to slap him. This shows that even something as innocent as asking for ketchup can get you into trouble in this cruel world. This also shows that people of that time were cruel and did not show as much compassion as they do today. In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Bruno sat next to Shmuel as he usually does. This time, Shmuel tells Bruno, “Bruno: We're not supposed to be friends, you and I. We are supposed to be enemies. Did you know? (Boyne 213). In the quote, Shmuel tells Bruno the horrible truth, but Bruno decides to ignore it. This shows that Bruno ...... middle of paper ...... a perfect example of a truly innocent person (Shmuel) and an arguably unsympathetic character (Bruno) who can be described as denying the truth suffering the same fate. As we can see from Lennie's death and Bruno's death, ignorance and innocence ultimately lead to the same fate. Even though some people may seem innocent, they may just be hiding their ignorance, and if some people appear ignorant, they may just be. innocent. We can see this in the actions of Lennie and Bruno, in the way they both handle situations, and in the way their horrible fates are similar. The next time you think of someone as ignorant, stop and think about whether they are ignorant or just have an innocent, childish mind. Boyne, John. The boy in the striped pajamas. Dublin, Ireland: David Fickling Books, 2006. Print Steinbeck, John. Of mice and men. New York, New York: Penguin Books, 1978.Print