The Book Thief By Sandra Cisnero, And Markus Zusak

Eunseo Farris Mrs. Allen English March 26, 2024 The Abuse of Power Three books—one about Hitler’s reign over Germany, one about growing up as a Latino girl in an overlooked neighborhood, and one about the stealing of power from a brother—all have one thing in common: They represent the abuse of power and how control can be scarring over an array of time, each still being as prevalent as the day they were written. All of these different stories can be connected under one umbrella. Most books can, as they represent, the greed of power and, furthermore, the greed that power provides us with. The writers William Shakespeare, Sandra Cisnero, and Markus Zusak represent how the abuse of said power plagues everyday life through their characters’ experiences.

Hitler uses his power to corrupt the government that he rules over in The Book Thief. He uses his overall power to manipulate the country into his own views, knowing full well that the country has suffered. During this time, Liesel yells about how she hates Hitler due to him burning the books and hurting her companions. In response, Hans “slapped Liesel Meminger squarely in the face”. ‘Don’t say that!’ His voice was quiet but sharp.” (Zusak 115). He hits her out of the love of a father, not wishing for Liesel to be hurt. To say that you don’t love Hitler would’ve killed you during his rule. This is another display of how the power Hitler held was not used to good use and instead hurt others. Though Hans Hubberman does this, he isn’t reluctant to join the party. In fact, he paints over slurs on a Jewish shop front when “everyone knew you weren’t supposed to paint over slurs written on a Jewish shop front.” (Zusak 104). Hans Hubberman was a man who went with how he felt, and instead of demeaning the Jewish people, he instead learned to help them, unlike Hitler, who only wished to strike him down. As Max enters the Hubberman household, Liesel and he read books