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Theme Of Beauty In The Book Thief

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Liesel’s life represents beauty in the wake of brutality. Beauty in the wake of brutality means something that is good in the middle of evil. For example, the Sodom and Gomorrah story in the Bible (Genesis 19). The two cities are evil and God is going to destroy them but there is one family that is good and he saves them. The family represents beauty in the wake of brutality. In the Book Thief, Liesel’s life represents beauty in the wake of brutality in her relationship with Ilsa Hermann, in her relationship with Rudy, and in the Hubermann’s house. Ilsa Hermann is the mayor’s wife and her connection to Liesel is through books. Throughout some of the book, Liesel went to the mayor’s library and read with Ilsa Hermann. The beauty is the books and reading, and the brutality is that Ilsa fired Rosa Hubermann and Liesel ripped up the books in the library. “How fitting that she was discovering the power of words. And how awful (and yet exhilarating!) it would feel many months later, when she would unleash the power of this newfound discovery the very moment the mayor’s wife let her down. How quickly the pity would leave her, and how quickly it would spill over into something else completely” (Zusak 147). Rudy and Liesel had a very significant relationship throughout …show more content…

Hans Hubermann played the accordion and it represented the good things in life during a time like Nazi Germany. The watschens was a sign of punishment given by various characters to Liesel (the teacher and Rosa Hubermann). Inside the Hubermann household, the accordion can represent beauty and the good things about life in Nazi Germany and the watschen can represent brutality and all of the bad things in life (Holocaust, poorness). After Hans left for war, the two elements combined and Rosa turned into the accordion. “Remember that she was the woman with the instrument strapped to her body in the long, moon-slit night” (Zusak

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a. "She had watched a bomber pilot die in a metal case. She had seen a Jewish man who had twice given her the most beautiful pages of her life marched to a concentration camp"(521). - Liesel has been through so many struggles. Her brother died in front of her, her mother sent her away, and she witnessed almost everyone she loved depart from the world. She had more than enough reasons to quit, but she decided to stay strong through it all.

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The theme in this passage is that loss is an unavoidable part of life but is not something that has to destroy us. Liesel uses her past on her side to strengthen her in what she does and how she feels. Both the figurative language and the diction in the passage bolster the idea that loss is something that you cannot escape, but it is something that can make you stronger, and shows how Leisel portrays that idea. Figurative language has a way of drawing you into the book and giving the story a deeper meaning, it does this when Liesel's brother appears next to her as she yells at the mayor's wife. The most prominent in this passage is imagery.

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Liesel was enjoying the books so much that she stole nine books throughout the novel, Liesel did not know any better. She knew what she was doing was wrong, she even got punished by her parents but that did not stop her from stealing more books. Another character that changed throughout the novel is Rudy Steiner, he made decisions that almost got him in trouble like for example The Jesse Owens Incident. Jesse Owens was an inspiration to Rudy; Death says : He smeared the charcoal on, nice and thick, till he was covered in black. Even his hair received a once over.

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Liesel has realized she must respect the man who was the reason for her and her entire families suffering. She has realized she officially has lost her home, that she is completely isolated from the community. “It was quite a sight seeing an eleven year old girl try not to cry on church steps, saluting fuhrer”(Zusak 115). After losing all of these emotionally wrecking things Liesel learns and understands she needs to keep going forward. She refuses to give up she although times are rough manages to think, it could be worse.

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The power of words in “The Book Thief” and the endless strength they carry is a prime topic throughout the book. “The Book Thief”, a novel narrated by Death about Liesel, a young German girl who is given up for adoption to live with the Hubermann’s shortly before World War II. Liesel discovers the power that words, written or spoken, have to transform people, relationships, and lives. In the novel, Mark Zusak uses the relationship between characters to signify the power of words. Within “The Book Thief” the author suggests that words hold much power and have a major role in crafting the relationships between the characters.

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The Book Thief Narrative Tension Markus Zusak uses all three forms of narrative tension in his story, The Book Thief, but it is clear that anticipation is the most used out of all of them. An early example of this is when Zusak uses anticipation at the beginning of the section, The Eclipse, to gain the reader's attention. Zusak foreshadows the future by using colors associated with certain events. Zusak starts The Eclipse by saying, “Next is the signature black, to show the poles of my versatility, if you like. It was the darkest moment before dawn.”

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Memories and Grieving Impacting Ethical and Moral Decisions In J.K Rowling’s novel Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Mark Zusak’s novel The Book Thief, memories act as an important basis for the actions and choices of characters. Memories of influential people in character’s lives often act as a basis point for his or her ethical or moral beliefs.   Thus, when acting or making choices, memories of loved ones and the grief associated with loss are significant in character’s choices.

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Based on the circumstances that they are developed in, humans are capable of both good and evil. Markus Zusak's The Book Thief explores the complexities of human nature through his use of setting, symbols and characters. Different characters possess different qualities based on their experiences. Symbols are used to illustrate both the beauty and the ugliness in humanity. Also, in the novel, the setting in which the character is raised has either a negative or positive effect on the characters 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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880 Words | 4 Pages

He even tried to push her away, but the girl was too strong.’” (511) The time of the Holocaust was hell-like for the Jews. Just because of their religion, they were harassed and and abused by the Germans in inhumane ways. However, Liesel was a girl who stood up for humanity and justice.

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978 Words | 4 Pages

At first, Liesel is illiterate, but when she steals her first book at her brother’s funeral, and is abandoned by her mother, she turns to something she

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862 Words | 4 Pages

Also, when Mama was depressed about Papa going to war, Mama would sleep with Papa’s accordion Liesel acknowledged “that there was great beauty in what she was currently witnessing, and she chose not to disturb it” (Zusak, 429). Finally, when Liesel’s papa gave a Jew bread during the parade and what Liesel did during the parade, she gave Jews bread by placing them in the street. How the author characterized Liesel

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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

He killed himself for wanting to live” (Zusak 503). While Michael deals with guilt by self destructing, Liesel, the main character, handles guilt using other methods. Liesel encounters guilt through the death of her loved ones in addition to the sadness of losing everything she had. She deals with this guilt by stealing books and reading with her Papa. By stealing books, she achieved the famous nickname, the Book Thief.

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808 Words | 4 Pages

Liesel often used colors to describe things, such as Papa’s eyes. “They were made of kindness, and silver (Zusak 34).” This implies the bond that has yet to come with Liesel and Papa. The importance of the silver eyes is that Liesel finds comfort in his eyes even though he was a stranger. The comfort Liesel found in his eyes even with the terrible situation. ”

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