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Examples Of Suffering In The Book Thief

1395 Words6 Pages

Suffering with the Loss of Humanity One can learn a great deal about life whilst looking through the eyes of another. Literature greatly teaches by the use of various characters. One unusual character that is personified in many works is Death. In the novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Death narrates the adventures of the main character, Liesel Meminger, while exemplifying the underlying themes of suffering which leads the audience through the heart-wrenching story using historical evidence as well as personal analysis to impact each reader differently. In order to understand the analysis of the book, one must first refresh themselves on the historical background of the era. During the occurrence of World War II, two major leaders by the …show more content…

For instance, this becomes helpful in categorizing the examples of hardship made throughout the story, as when Death has an odd way of narrating especially when he exclaims “Mystery bores me. It chores me. I know what happens and so do you. It's the machinations that wheel us there that aggravate, perplex, interest, and astound me" (Zusak 243). This summation of Death’s style of narration and his management of people have an eloquent yet blunt way of saying something. Not only does this quote perfectly sum up Death’s style of narration, but it also has truth behind it regarding the famous assumption that a journey is more significant than a destination. In addition, there exists a certain element of description that pieces the whole book together with its powerful ways such as: “Upon her arrival, you could still see the bite marks of snow on her hands and the frosty blood on her fingers. Everything about her was undernourished. Wirelike shins. Coat hanger arms. She did not produce it easily, but when it came, she had a starving smile” (Zusak 31). When presented with this quote, one can imagine a skinny frostbitten girl with a forsaken smile. The element of description does a great job in allowing the reader to visualize what the brutality of her trip has done to her. All together, these examples of mode assist the reader in creating an understanding of the

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