Character Analysis: The Book Thief

The time in which we will decide what novel will be chosen for this year’s summer reading approaches; however, there is an important factor that must be kept in mind. Unlike in past years, this year’s summer reading will be read and discussed by both parents and their students. Presented is a list of four novels to choose from that include: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling, Scythe by Neal Shusterman, and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. While these books are all very well written, The Book Thief is clearly the best choice for both students and their parents. Throughout the story of The Book Thief, Death narrates the story of 9-year-old Liesel Meminger, who grows up with an adoptive family

During the Holocaust, the line separating right from wrong was suddenly blurred. What was “the right thing to do” suddenly became an unanswerable question. Death itself even comments on the matter by saying “again of the contradictory human being. So much good, so much evil. Just add water” (Zusak 178). So many people felt that their primary obligation in life was to their country. Once Hitler came to power, they became obligated to follow him and thousands of people were convinced that this was the right thing to do. Fearing for the sake of their lives and that of their families, others went along with the Nazi Party. The rest of the population who were not Nazis were those who rebelled in ways big and small. Ethics come into play in this situation when one questions how he or she would react in this situation. Is it more important to defend one’s country or those being kicked out of it? Should one risk the lives of his or her family to save the life of someone who would certainly die if one did not take the risk? If one knows someone who is breaking Nazi law does one turn them in if it meant ensuring one’s family’s safety? The questions are tough to answer and would be interesting to hear about from the perspective of both student and parent. It is especially interesting because from a young age, one is typically taught about ethics and morals by parents. As one grows up, one encounters a situation at some point in which the right thing to do is not black and