Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
An analysis of the book thief
The book thief literary essay
The book thief summary
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
More handpicked essays just for you.
An analysis of the book thief
The book thief literary essay
The book thief summary
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The issue of war is one that is deeply etched into the history of humanity, previously proven to bring out both the good, and bad in human nature. Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, set in Nazi Germany, and Steven Galloway’s The Cellist of Sarajevo, set in wartime Sarajevo, these aspects of humanity are explored. The theme of courage is explored by Zusak using symbolism and characterisation, with Galloway too using characterisation and the motif of water. Zusak uses the motif of books, with Galloway using the symbol of the cello to convey humanity’s ability to find beauty in times of great horror. The theme of evil in human nature is shown by both authors through setting, with each author using narrator to portray the idea of both good and bad
Glossary-bases connections: Nuremberg Laws: In the Book Thief Max mentions how he used to work at an Engineering Factory but when the Nuremberg Laws came into place he and all the other Jewish employees were fired. The Nuremberg Laws were a series of Anti-Semitic laws against Jews originated by the Nazi government in 1935. This is what caused Max to lose his job. Stereotypes:
Narrative Tension in The Book Thief In Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, the most apparent form of narrative tension is anticipation. As an example, he uses anticipation because everyone wants to see what is going on within the next pages of the book. He uses a variety of elements to keep the reader interested in what is going to happen. In the writing it states, “A SPECTACULARLY TRAGIC MOMENT/ A train was moving quickly.
The Book Thief Narrative Tension Markus Zusak uses all three forms of narrative tension in his story, The Book Thief, but it is clear that anticipation is the most used out of all of them. An early example of this is when Zusak uses anticipation at the beginning of the section, The Eclipse, to gain the reader's attention. Zusak foreshadows the future by using colors associated with certain events. Zusak starts The Eclipse by saying, “Next is the signature black, to show the poles of my versatility, if you like. It was the darkest moment before dawn.”
While The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, offers a limited representation of the Second World War, one that is tied to death camps and Auschwitz specifically, The Book Thief zooms out to reflect how the war took its toll on Germany. The Book Thief is a story narrated by Death, about a young girl, Liesel, an accordionist, Hans, a Jewish fist-fighter, Max, and some other Germans, during the Second World War. The novel takes place in a small fictional town in Germany, Molching, specifically on Himmel Street.
Historical fiction, loved by many. Historical Fiction tells a story through fictional characters who are placed in a real time in history. Hearing/watching a historical event through the eyes of a character, and sometimes an unexpected author of history seems to draw people in more than one would expect. The historic events are told in a more relatable and comprehensible way appeal to people. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak does just that, draw people into the story.
There are certainly numerous things that surround you whether you notice them or not. One of those many things is hate. It's almost everywhere you. You can almost say that you have a stalker, but unfortunately for you, you're not that special. Hate follows everyone despite age, height, gender, or race.
Growing as a Character Every event in our lives happens for a reason, whether it is to learn from our mistakes or to gain experience from them. In Markus Zusak's novel “The Book Thief,” Liesel Meminger uses her experiences with living in the 1940s to learn life lessons and experience first hand the many terrible things Hitler is doing to people around her. She learns how to deal with the many obstacles that are thrown at her. Liesel grows as a character by following her step-father’s footsteps in being a kind and generous person, going through childhood with her best friend Rudy, and being aware of what is going on around her by learning from Max.
Books have always been an alternate world to escape to and learn more about the world around you. But that’s a privilege some do not have. In Fahrenheit 451, books and burned at all costs and in The Book Thief, Liesel must steal to be able to read and learn about the world. Within both texts, books play a vital role.
A natural human instinct is to do anything in order to survive. Though a person may not necessarily want to survive, the physical body of a person does. The body naturally will try to do anything in order to protect itself and survive even when the person does not notice. Survival comes at a cost that not all people are willing to pay. To survive there are struggles and obstacles that not all are willing to face, but to get through these obstacles an individual is one step closer to survival.
Markus Zusak has assembled ‘The Book Thief’ using a variety of narrative conventions. These include a unique narrative viewpoint, plot structure and use of imagery, all of which provide meaning to the reader. (33 words) A narrative’s point of view refers to who is telling the story. In this case Zusak’s narrator identifies himself as Death.
Developing Friendship through Justice, Love and Humanity Human relationships break or develop depending on the circumstances. The values that creates a stable relationship may vary on historical setting or the characteristics of each person. The novel, “The Book Thief” written by Markus Zusak shows justice, love and humanity through the friendship Liesel and Max developed during the time of the Holocaust.
Humans lie and steal without hesitation to survive. That is how man is. However, human nature does not allow for cruelty to exist without the other end of the spectrum - kindness. In his novel, The Book Thief, Markus Zusak reveals the extreme malice possible in humans, along with the tenderness that stems from it. In times of hate and paranoia in Nazi Germany, ones who live morally are rare.
Most people say that blood runs thicker than water, but in this book that is not the case. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, family is shown in an extremely unique way. Generally, when people imagine the average model family, they see a family that has money, a family that is prim and proper and usually, a family that is biologically related. Though, family in this book is based on shared hardships and having faith in each other, not by blood relation. Hans and Liesel’s relationship is a great example of trust.
“Friendship isn’t about who you’ve known the longest. It’s about who walked into your life, said “I’m here for you and proved it.” These words perfectly describes the beginning to Liesel and Rudy's friendship. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Rudy and Liesel, younger teenagers, create an unbreakable bond that keeps them together through Germany during World War II. Rudy's outgoing, caring, and loving personality is shown in The Book Thief when he sticks up for his friends, he jumps into the winter water to save Liesel’s book, and how he keeps all of Liesel’s secrets.