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How Does Hitler Use Power In The Book Thief

734 Words3 Pages

Texts are an important tool used to communicate values arguments and ideas. ‘The Book Thief’, written by Markus Zusak, is a novel centralised on Liesel Meminger, who is a young girl who steals book during the Holocaust in World War 2. By following her journey, Zusak explores themes of man’s capacity for cruelty and kindness, and the power of words.

Morals are shaped through an individual’s experiences with others, informing their capacity for cruelty and kindness. When Liesel Meminger and her friend, Rudy Steiner, begin stealing food, it introduces the idea that every human has the capacity for cruelty and kindness. “In years to come, he would be a giver of bread, not a stealer – proof again of the contradictory human being. So much good, …show more content…

The power of words is present when the narrator, Death, introduces Hitler, in “the Fuhrer decided that he would rule the world with words… a nation of farmed thoughts.” The metaphor in “rule the world with words” demonstrates how Hitler was able to weaponize his words to create a tool of manipulation for his rise to power. This is further supported through the extended metaphors of “planted”, “farmed” and “grow… great forests”, to portray how Hitlers dangerous beliefs and words spread throughout the land, revealing the power of his words. Further, when Liesel yelled at the mayor’s wife for firing her, it reveals how Death acknowledges that words can be harmful. “The injury of words. Yes, the brutality of words.” The personification when describing Liesel’s words as brutal emphasises the power of words, as the narrator says it is able to cause injury. The theme is further supported through the high modality, making the situation more dramatic and intense. The strong language is used to enforce the theme, revealing that words are capable of injuring and changing an opinion. Zusak continues to say that Hitler’s words are extremely powerful, and that without words, he would be nothing. “Without them, there wouldn't be any of this. Without words, the Fuhrer was nothing.” The hyperbole is used to exaggerate how weak Hitler would be without words, showing how much power he received from them. By stating that “without them, there wouldn’t be any of this” it illustrates that all the pain and suffering caused by Hitler was also caused by the power of his words, demonstrating Hitler’s rise to power was solely from his ability to manipulate the public using words. By using his novel as a vehicle for communicating the idea of the power of words, Markus Zusak prompts the audience to consider the effects words have on

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