Morality In The Book Thief

Hundreds of men and women have debated the human conscience, the morality of thousands of different situations and still, we can not agree on one singular statement. Constantly, we have argue over human nature and ethics in war or simply everyday life. Many have argued that the first instinct of humanity is simply survival, to preserve oneself to live another day. Yet, that isn’t always what’s displayed over intricate and troubling past. In The Book Thief, Zusak argues a different, yet compelling truth. Zusak utilizes his war novel to argue how regardless of circumstance, survival isn’t humanity’s first instinct, doing the right thing, despite often guaranteed danger will always be humanity’s first thought. Throughout The Book Thief we see this message being shown in multiple situations with nearly all the characters. In the face of growing danger in each of these character’s lives, they still consistently sacrifice in order to better others.

As the Nazi officers parade the captured Jews through Molching, many of those Jews being former townspeople. The town stands and watches the atrocity, standing there as one old man in particular struggles to even stand. “Just give him five more minutes and he would surely fall into the German gutter and die. They would all let him, and they would all watch.” (393). Hans Hubermann, however, is unable to stand and watch the cruelty, and as the man falls again, he jumps into the fray and gives the Jew a piece of bread. Hans is immediately whipped for his indiscretion until he can no longer stand, the Jew peering back at Hans as he is ushered forward. “He took a last sad glance at the man who was kneeling now himself, whose back was burning with four lines of fire, whose knees were aching on the road. If nothing else, the old man would die like a human. Or at least with the thought that he was a human.”