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Book Thief Themes

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Recommended: The book thief literary criticism

There are many themes present in the novel ‘The Book Thief’, such as the concept of death, language/words and storytelling, love, the kindness and cruelty of humans, and more. One of the more prominent themes in the novel is the concept of death. The novel's narrator is Death. All of the characters in the story are aware of death’s presence, and it is a constant reminder of how fragile life is. The theme of death in the story is used to show the readers that you should cherish the time that you have before it's too late. Death is not as bad as you would think he is, he has compassion and feels guilty for all of the lives he has taken, but he knows that it is something that must be done. Death also does not like the war, he states that ‘They …show more content…

Liesel Meminger is a book thief, and her love for the books she steals and reads is one of the most important parts of her character. Markus Zusak uses the power of language, words and storytelling to convey the nightmare that is World War 2, and the impact that it has on the people and communities. The books that Liesel steals become her source of comfort and hope, and her books serve as a reminder that the power of words is able to connect and bring people together. Through using the power of words; The learning of the alphabet and using it to make words, Liesel and Hans are able to develop and deepen their bond with each other. Max and Liesel also use the power of words to become closer to each other, with Liesel describing what the weather is like to Max, or them reading and writing together. Throughout the story we see how Liesel uses words and language to create a safe space for herself amongst nazism. Liesel later uses words and storytelling to keep her neighbours calm whilst the air raids were happening, by reading to them from her book. The power of language and words is shown once again at the end of the story as she forms a connection to Death, leaving her book

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