Propaganda In The Book Thief

Throughout the 1930’s into the 1940’s, the National Socialist German Workers' Party, more commonly known as the Nazis, ruled Germany under a totalitarian dictatorship. Almost all aspects of life in the country were controlled by the government. Under the control of Adolf Hitler, many innocent lives were lost, and the Germans living there were oblivious to the fact. In order to manipulate the country into his puppets, Hitler utilized many racist and immoral techniques to reign Germany. These methods include exploiting the weakness of the government, propaganda, and false promises. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a novel that illustrates such behaviors, using the perspective of death to tell the story of a girl named Liesel and the hardships,

The Hitler Youth Program was used as a way to brainwash the youth into believing that Nazi Germany was better off without the Jews. Hitler Youth was a Nazi organization that consisted of young boys and girls. German boys and girls, ages 10-17, were forced to join by law. In The Book Thief, Liesel is required to join Hitler Youth as she turns 10, “...Liesel tried on her new uniform. Ten years old meant Hitler Youth. Hitler Youth meant a small brown uniform. Being female, Liesel was enrolled into what was called the BDM” (Zusak 40). Similarly, in Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow, “she wanted to join the girls’ branch of the Hitler Youth, called the Bund Deutscher Mädel (BDM), or League of German Girls” (Bartoletti 19). The Book Thief and Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow describe the BDM, or Bund Deutscher Mädel. Both books use the example of German girls who joined the Hitler Youth, describing their journey in the BDM. The Book Thief integrates this aspect of Hitler Youth, down to the name, as well the age requirement. Additionally, Hitler Youth groups joined assemblies and bonfires. For example,