Color In The Book Thief Essay

1173 Words5 Pages

Color is a huge part of how people view different emotions and feelings. For an example, when people see the color black, they may feel darkness and loneliness. Using color as a description in books can really help the reader better understand what the author is trying to get across. Color can mean so much more than shades and tints, it can show true meaning and emotion. It's proven that warm colors trigger thoughts of happiness, energy, and optimism. Cooler colors can be more soothing and calming, but can also invoke thoughts of sadness. Many people see colors differently though. If someone had a terrible experience with a certain color, when people saw the certain color it could trigger them to think about what happened. In The Book Thief, …show more content…

The color black is associated with death, evil, and mystery. Although some may argue that black isn't a color and that it's a shade, authors like to use it because it can bring out deep emotions. The book says that the streets were filled with black smoke. Yes, they were indeed filled with black smoke but, there is much more meaning than that. The streets were filled with tragedy. A good quote that shows how black can be used to show deep emotions is, "Somehow, between the sadness and loss, Max Vandenburg, who was now a teenager with hard hands, blackened eyes, and a sore tooth, was also a little disappointed.”(Zusak 188) The use of black in this quote shows how Max’s eyes were deep and filled with sadness. Using the color really helps the reader visualize how max was feeling. In the book, Death who is the narrator denies he wears a black robe. He must deny this because he is more than just a symbol of despair, he has feelings. He feels for all of the terrible events are happening in the setting of this book and he doesn't want to world to be afraid of him. Therefore, saying he doesn't wear a black robe can make people truly think that death isn't evil. Black is used throughout the story many times to symbolize sadness, despair, and a much deeper emotion that people can not express but can