The Book Thief By Markus Zusak

Friedrich paints a clear picture of the natural state of humans. Out of every single animal that walks this Earth, he calls us the cruelest, and this makes sense. It is human nature to kill, backstab, and do what it takes to be in power or to survive. This was the main cause of Death's troubles. Death is the main narrator of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. He guides us through this intricate story of a girl plagued with problems entering a new environment, making new friends, and becoming a new person. He does a great job of giving us insightful information that most 3rd person narrators wouldn’t usually give, an example of this is when he says “Here is a small fact, you are going to die.” (Zusak 3). Throughout the story, Death constantly gives

Death has watched so many humans come and go. He watched their experiences, and listened to their stories. He watched them grow and shape into new people. But ultimately, they all die. After all this, it is fair to assume that Death is tired, that he feels the burden of living. The first example of where Death feels sorrow is when he talks about Reinhold Zucker’s death. He states: "It kills me sometimes, how people die." (Zusak 464). This is a clear instance of where Death feels grief for getting to know people, and feels for their qualities and personalities, like Rudy Steiner. Rudy was one of Death’s favorite people. He felt a connection with him, as seen when he says: “...It’s his only detriment. He steps on my heart. He makes me cry.” (Zusak 531). Death is not a lifeless being. He feels, and he feels hard. Imagine the pain and guilt that Death had to go through when Rudy died. He has been close to many human beings all his life, and he has felt the cruel, unfortunate feeling of guilt many times. His immortal life will always be haunted by the ones he loved, which are now gone. This is a clear example of pain, Death’s pain, and how he will be forever haunted by