In Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, Death, the narrator, is a distinctive and a nuanced figure. Death is not only a passive viewer of things that take place throughout the book, he or she is also a proactive participant who assumes the roles of narrator and historian and has his own internal conflicts throughout the book.
Death is introduced in the narrative as a bone chilling, inhuman, attachmentless creature who is only interested in gathering souls. “I could introduce myself properly, but it’s really not necessary,” (Zusak 18). But as the book goes on, the reader starts to recognize more of Death that is not only sympathetic but also moved and shaken by the pain of other characters in the novel.
The connection between Death and Liesel Meminger,
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“I wanted to stop. To crouch down. I wanted to say: ‘I'm sorry, child.’ But that is not allowed. I did not crouch down. I did not speak. Instead, I watched her awhile. move, When she was able to move, I followed her.” (Zusak 29). Death first cares about taking Liesel's soul, but as he follows her life's story, he develops a greater interest in her story. He starts to view her as a person with her own ambitions, dreams, and challenges rather than just another soul to gather. He also developed sympathy for her and the other characters, and he even sheds tears when they die.
Death also starts to doubt his purpose as a soul collector which is mostly seen as the reader dives deeper into the story. “I became interested. In the girl. Curiosity got the better of me, and I resigned myself to stay as long as my schedule allowed, and I watched.” (Zusak 22). He starts to question whether there is more to his existence than stealing souls and whether there is a reason for the pain he sees throughout the story. This internal conflict that Death experiences plays a significant role in Death's character growth since it demonstrates that he is not only a silent emotionless being, but also a being that has his own doubts and problems seen in his own internal