Examples Of Dehumanization In The Book Thief

A vine of torture grew ravenously around the necks of 6 million Jewish individuals during the vicious events of the second world war. For no reason other than religion, innocent civilians were stripped of their humanity by the millions of Germans possessed by the Führer. Markus Zusak demonstrates this sting of misery in his novel, The Book Thief. Zusak articulates the never-ending struggle of Jews in Nazi Germany by illustrating the story of a young Jewish man, Max Vandenburg. Although he is a human like any other German, Max constantly fights for the life that the Führer has seized. Zusak illustrates this idea in his novel in an effort to convey the appalling dehumanization of Jews inhabiting Nazi Germany.

The fire of the Führer’s words

The ostracism lingers in the air as civilians are deprived of their homes, families, and humanity. Coerced by torture, individuals of Jewish descent are forced to march helplessly in clusters. The bystanding citizens watch as “the suffering faces of depleted men and women reached across to them, pleading not so much for help-they were beyond that-but for an explanation”(392). The explanation of why Jews were struck with misery remains absent. There is no reason behind Germany’s venom and the entire country goes up in flames without a second thought. They are whipped, shot, tortured, and starved; the famine of these marching Jews burns them from the inside and out. Even the sight of a dirty stale bread crumb causes a Jewish man to “[reach] down and [pick] up a piece and [shove] it deliriously into his mouth”(440). They are forced to survive in insufferable conditions as soldiers allow their starving stomachs to wither with hunger. Zusak is trying to convey the deprivation of humanity that Jewish individuals experience. In addition to hunger, every ounce of strength drains from their bodies. Demonstrating this idea, an elderly man stumbles in the marching herd as “the ache in his arms [is] unbearable to watch as they [shake], trying to lift his body. They [give] way one more time before he [stands] and [takes] another group of steps. He [is] dead”(393). The life