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The Book Thief Literary Analysis

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Can something be beautiful and terrible at the same time? That is the question Death strives to answer regarding humanity in Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. World War II was a tragic event caused by the hatred of one man toward a group of people, the Jews, and subsequently, anyone who was against him. The book’s focus is not on the war itself, but on the lives of a handful of people and their actions. In this book, Death recounts the story of Liesel Meminger, a ten-year old German girl, who faces tragedy throughout her time in Molching, Germany. Liesel’s life is turned upside-down when Max, a Jew, comes to stay with her foster family, going against everything she has been taught. Liesel and Max quickly form a forbidden friendship that stretches their understanding of truth and love. With paradox, irony, and symbolism, Zusak brings the plot …show more content…

The narrator of this story is Death, which in itself is a paradox because death is not a living thing and therefore cannot have an opinion or make decisions. Throughout The Book Thief, Death often adds in his own opinion or foreshadows something to come. He also interjects straight-out spoilers of events that have yet to occur. For example, here Death gives away the fact that Rudy is going to die and that it was unfair by declaring: “A SMALL ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT RUDY STEINER He did not deserve to die the way he did” (Zusak 241). The matter-of-fact spoilers Zusak throws at the reader throughout the story keeps the focus on the people – the how and why of what was happening, not the events in which they found themselves. Since most of the spoilers are related to bad things to come, these spoilers illicit feelings of anxiety and dread in the reader. Zusak interjects these spoilers normally at times when Liesel is having a good day. Again, this sudden change reminds the reader that evil lurks just around the

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He frequently uses foreshadowing throughout The Book Thief and by using it, he creates false hope and suspense. Zusak makes the his audience want to keep reading to see if his inclinations about future events are true. Most of the foreshadowing in The Book Thief points to one significant event, the deaths of the important people in Liesel's life, one of the best examples of his use of false hope in his foreshadowing is this: “Preemptively, you conclude, as I would, that Rudy died that very same day of hypothermia. He did not.” (Zusak 242).

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As a Jewish citizen of Gemany, Max was in a constant state of horror, because if he were to be caught he would be killed along with the family who were protecting him. Max, along with many other Jews, decided to give up his own life in fear that he would end up taking those of the family protecting him. This would be a very difficult for any person to make, but it was common for a Jew to have to make a decision of this size. This excerpt not only develops the plot through a strengthening of Liesel and Max’s friendship, it brings personal and historical aspects to the story by connecting the reader more with Max and letting them understand his struggle that was staying

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703 Words | 3 Pages

You truly don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Everyday things are taken for granted. In “The Book Thief” It shows incredible examples of how loss transforms you for the better. “The Book Thief” Written by Markus Zusak is a novel based on Nazi-Germany during post World War 2. It Features the scary truth along with harsh humor, The story is told through the eyes of brave, Jewish girl named Liesel.

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Markus Zusak draws the reader into this fascinating story that takes place in WWII through Death’s point of view. The novel contains controversies that are still seen today like racism, having too much power, the importance of knowledge, and etc. Since the beginning, Death is very truthful about mortality and how sooner or later everyone will have the same ending. In one of his travelings, he finds an intriguing girl named, Liesel. He visits her every chance he gets when he has to pick someone close to where she lives.

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Yet, in context of The Book Thief written by Markus Zusak, the items accommodate a manifold of symbolic significance in between the pages, crumbs, and keys that mean something more to the characters than the implements purpose. The symbolic items that take place in the novel all differ in multiple ways. Liesel’s books include a variety of symbolism such as how the The Gravedigger’s Handbook is out of remembrance for her brother. Additionally, when Liesel stole the book out of smouldering fire, it was her way of defying Hitler.

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800 Words | 4 Pages

Out of fear of facing more consequences of her inquisitive mind, Liesel find various methods to distract her mind. After this certain incident, she does not question many things as she is busying herself with reading, stealing, and being with Max and Rudy. This is a good representation of how children acted during the rule of Hitler, proving that the book is able to capture their true lifestyle using experiences of the characters within the novel. To conclude, the author uses the actions of Rudy and Liesel, the purpose of German youth, and fear in questioning as methods of displaying the roles of children accurately. Therefore, the novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is able to give a precise insight on the lifestyle of children during the time period of the Nazi

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1208 Words | 5 Pages

Therefore, in The Book Thief, Markus Zusak's develops the theme the theme that humans are often capable of both good and/or evil depending on the experiences they face. These experiences will then groom them for the future. Through Liesel Meminger , Zusak explores the effect of setting on one's future self. Firstly, living with the Hubermann’s has a lot of effects on Liesel’s actions.

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Growing as a Character Every event in our lives happens for a reason, whether it is to learn from our mistakes or to gain experience from them. In Markus Zusak's novel “The Book Thief,” Liesel Meminger uses her experiences with living in the 1940s to learn life lessons and experience first hand the many terrible things Hitler is doing to people around her. She learns how to deal with the many obstacles that are thrown at her. Liesel grows as a character by following her step-father’s footsteps in being a kind and generous person, going through childhood with her best friend Rudy, and being aware of what is going on around her by learning from Max.

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Through the pain and losses in her family, she begins to get motivated and is able to stick up for herself and others for what she feels is right. (Her father was killed because he felt communism was right). As Liesel grows up, she begins to re-evaluate her life, and creates a set of moral rules for herself instead of what society dictated for her. Liesel then begins to understand that her mouth (language) could be a blessing and a curse, and living under the control of the Nazi’s it changes her views on life. After books she reads, writes and steals, she learns more about herself, she evolves from a “powerless” character to a powerful character who can change the lives of many.

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880 Words | 4 Pages

Markus Zusak has assembled ‘The Book Thief’ using a variety of narrative conventions. These include a unique narrative viewpoint, plot structure and use of imagery, all of which provide meaning to the reader. (33 words) A narrative’s point of view refers to who is telling the story. In this case Zusak’s narrator identifies himself as Death.

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978 Words | 4 Pages

Having no one familiar to turn to, she finds a passion for words and continues to steal more books and develops strength through her burgeoning intellect of words. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is about the power of words; in this novel Zusak reveals that one who truly knows the hidden strength behind all words, can dominate others because words are more powerful than any weapon. The importance of words is shown through the symbolism of certain words throughout the novel; the motif of hunger, how it leads to her hunger for words; and how different Liesel’s world would be without words. Simple words can have deeper meanings.

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886 Words | 4 Pages

Through the protagonist’s reaction towards language, Zusak presents his message “that any place of darkness and "walled-in tragedy" can be transfigured, in the end, by the extraordinary power of words” (Koprince). This shows that the author believes that words of compassion and kindness are more influential than words of hatred because Liesel is able to overcome her hardships because of her newfound

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2175 Words | 9 Pages

One of the most important recurring themes throughout The Book Thief was Liesel’s relationships with all of the people in her life. She grows close with several different people, and trusts, loves, and cares for them all differently but equally. Three of those relationships will be explored more deeply; Liesel’s relationship with her foster father, Hans Hubermann, the Jewish man her family takes in, Max Vanderburg, and her best friend, Rudy Steiner. Liesel’s relationship with Hans is one of the most important, if not the most important, relationships in the novel. Hans is the first person Liesel trusts, and the person who stays with her and loves her until the end.

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1301 Words | 6 Pages

Her favorite thing to do with the stolen books was read with her father. Her Papa frequently read with her. “ ‘ Do you want to read it?’ Again, ‘Yes Papa’ “ (Zusak 64). One of Liesel’s friends, Max, is constantly filled with guilt as well.

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Forty million people a day view Instagram stories, 79% of teenagers use Snapchat once a day, and 51% use it at least eleven times a day. In fact, teenagers use on average five screens a day (Patel, “10 Tips”). The use of social media makes teenagers happier and cures their boredom after school. However, problems arise when young people find all their satisfaction on social media. All this time spent on social media and whether you get enough “likes” could result in a bad outcome and cause poor health.

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