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How Does Liesel Use Irony In The Book Thief

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When one thinks of a thief, they think of sneaky men in black masks trying to steal a precious jewel. However, in “The Book Thief” the thief is in fact not a man in a black mask but a girl. The definition of a thief is someone who steals items of important value resulting in negative consequences for the victim. Instead, in the novel, when the main character, Liesel, steals books, they have a positive effect on the people that she stole it from and even the people she comes in contact with. This is why it is ironic that the title of the novel is “The Book Thief”, because Liesel in a way isn’t really a thief. Throughout the book there are multiple signs that point to the fact that even though Liesel “steals” several books, she ameliorates the …show more content…

She can’t read. Why would someone steal something that they can’t possibly use? Furthermore, why would Liesel pick up this book, “The Gravedigger’s Handbook” that has no important value whatsoever? When reading this one might think that this is strange and peculiar about why Death, our narrator, may include this; however, for others just the fact that Death is the narrator is disturbing and strange enough for them that a detail such as Liesel picking up this useless book seems normal. Although many would agree that Liesel wasted her time picking up “The Gravedigger’s Handbook”, by picking it up, it is a godsend for Liesel. To begin with, the handbook is evocative of Liesel’s real family and her dead brother. The handbook fell out of the hands of the gravedigger, who had just buried Liesel’s brother, and that book is the last thing that she remembers of her brother. Furthermore, the handbook allows Liesel to grow in her relationship with her new father Hans Hubermann. When Liesel first comes to Himmel Street the first person who she finds welcoming is Hans; Hans was the only person able to get Liesel out of the car. Hans was the only person Liesel was comfortable being with. When Liesel was having nightmares, Hans was always there for her leading to what Death describes as “A 2 AM Conversation”, “‘Is this yours?’‘Yes, Papa.’‘Do you want to read it?’Again, ‘Yes, Papa.’A …show more content…

Liesel from now on starts stealing books; but is she really stealing them? Throughout the book, Death says that Liesel is “stealing” these books, but when examined closely, it seems as if some of the books she stole weren’t really stolen, but rather given to her in an indirect way. During Liesel’s first days as a Hubermann, she gets to meet Ilsa Hermann, the cold and distant wife of the mayor, who at this point in the book, appears to be another lazy privileged client of Rosa Hubermann, the hardworking, underprivileged service provider. However, as the book progresses the importance of Ilsa Hermann increases because of something she possesses. Books. Ilsa Hermann has a lot of them, so much that it attracted one girl. Liesel Hubermann. The skinny and orphaned girl who has an obsession for these bundles filled with words, that speak to her in different ways. Some of these words are evocative; other words are didactic, teaching Liesel many lessons on how to cope with life. To Liesel, books are as valuable as a diamond is to a thief. For example, when Liesel and Ilsa meet for the second time, Ilsa invites Liesel into her mausoleum of a house. What Liesel saw next would have impressed any bibliophile: rows and rows, stacks and stacks full of one thing. Books. Like a child entering his first candy store, was Liesel when she entered her first library. Going through her head was probably this one thought. How do I steal all of

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