Literary Analysis Of The Book Thief

Reflection: The Book Thief contains many important concepts, but three of them play major roles in developing the characters and creating themes. One key concept discusses the power and significance of words. As seen in the novel, words can be used to influence people in negative and positive ways. For example, reading and writing save the lives of Hans, Max, and Liesel in the form of letters, a copy of MKPF, and Liesel’s life story. On the other hand, Hitler uses words to encourage the German people to hunt down and kill Jewish people. This shows how words can kill people and save people’s lives. Another important concept in The Book Thief is that life is unpredictable, and it can’t be meticulously planned out. Fate and chance will make a difference. This is shown when Hans switches seats with Reinhold Zucker in the military vehicle. Neither of them knows that the bus will crash, and the person in that seat will be killed. But fate isn’t tested, so Hans’s life is spared, and Zucker’s life is taken away. The last major concept, and perhaps the most important, is used as the framework for one of the most crucial themes. It is that humanity displays its duality in extreme ways. From Hans risking his life to give a piece of bread to a frail, old man, to Hitler killing six million Jews in cold blood, humans are capable of the amazingly kind and the incredibly

Philip K. Dick, a notable author, once said “There exists, for everyone, a sentence - a series of words - that has the power to destroy you. Another sentence exists, another series of words, that could heal you. If you're lucky you will get the second, but you can be certain of getting the first.” The Book Thief explores an array of themes but none more meaningful than the power of language to heal and destroy. The novel follows the life of Liesel Meminger, who learns how much words can influence her life in minuscule ways. Learning the alphabet and creating words was one the first ways that Hans and Liesel bonded. They would sit in the basement for long hours writing words on the wall. The power of words also brought Max and Liesel together. Liesel would describe the weather to him when was trapped in the basement. Hitler used the power words to spread propaganda of racism and hatred. Ultimately, it’s Liesel’s words in her journal she leaves behind after the bombing that institutes the emotional connection Death feels to her. The power of words is the most important theme in The Book Thief.

Relationship to meaning: - Death, as the narrator, gives us an insight into the events surrounding Liesel that otherwise would not have been known. Also Death explains definitions, events, and other items of note.

Death sees the color white all around, as if the world is covered in snow.

In The Book Thief, Zusak presents an example of somebody who was forced to be courageous is Max Vandenberg. Max Vandenberg is a runaway Jew in The Book Thief, who escapes German wrath, but ends up leaving his mother behind in the hands of Hitler’s men. He runs away from Stuttgart to Molching, to Hans Hubermann. Zusak uses the technique, metaphors, in the quote, “If they killed him tonight, at least he would die alive”. This quote creates the feelings of curiosity and sadness. The reader may be curious because they do not know much about Max

In the novel The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak, there is a strong presence surrounding words. I was amazed by this presence through Liesel’s relationship to books, the power of words, and language that is affected by the Holocaust. I was amazed by how Liesel overcomes Hitler’s suppression and teaches others about language and words.

The Book Thief Essay The Book Thief, in its historical setting and fictional characters, is able to portray a never-ending assortment of powerful matters within the story. The many themes in The Book Thief are presented clearly, but the highest standing include the power of words and stereotyping In The Book Thief, illustrated in many ways was the power of words. First of all, Rosa, Hans, Max, and Liesel all struggled against Hitler and his power to manipulate with words. He begins by burning books and limiting knowledge, and then uses people’s cluelessness against them.

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, takes place in 1940s Nazi Germany in the small town of Molching. The main character, Liesel Meminger, takes on a role as the foster child of Hans and Rosa Hubermann. She also meets a young boy named Rudy Steiner, who goes on to be her best friend and lover. In the book, Liesel faces many challenges big and small. From hiding a Jew in the basement to a thieving lifestyle, Liesel has to learn to overcome all of life's problems. Through all of this, she is supported by her foster father Hans Hubermann who is caring to people he barely knows, intelligence despite his lack of education, and generosity even when he has little for himself.

“I [Death] am haunted by humans” (Zusak 550). This example of imagery, a literary device, in The Book Thief juxtaposed how Death was haunted by the cruelty of human action, just as how humans were haunted by Death. Literary devices were implemented by authors to create gripping stories that they wanted to share with their readers. Novelist Aldous Huxley once said that “the essay is a literary device for saying almost everything about everything”. While casual readers may not realize the intricacies of literary devices in writing, they could definitely remember how the stories went. Through literary devices, stories can metamorphose into something greater and memorable. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, “To An Athlete Dying Young” by A.E.

In The Book Thief, a work of historical fiction, written by Markus Zusak introduces the main character Liesel Meminger, the reader starts to see how she keeps having many conflicts but always stays positive. Liesel has many conflicts, for example her brother dies early in the book and that shapes the way she is. Later on Liesel steals books and that makes her happy because the first book she stole was the grave digger's handbook and that is how she remembers her brother. Liesel steals and reads books this is how she finds happiness with all the bad things going on around her. In the end of the book most of the people she loves die and it is hard for her to find happiness again. The author uses the setting and point of view to express theme and to make the reader feel sympathy; He uses this because with the theme of finding light in the darkness, deaths perception, and the setting of Germany makes the theme clearer.

Words are enthralling and can lead to many thoughts and actions to be induced. Markus Zusak’s theme in his novel, The Book Thief, details the various ways words impose power positively or negatively on people. Power is constantly being manifested throughout The Book Thief as a way for a multitude of characters to achieve their wants. The challenges inflicted upon many of the characters detail the positive and negative outcomes of the power of language.

Markus Zusak, in his novel The Book Thief, set in 1939 Nazi Germany, raises many ideas, one of which is the power of words. Through various techniques including characterisation, personification, and similes, Zusak conveys messages about the power of words such as their intent, their ability to form bonds between people, and their importance as vessels of language. Many times, throughout The Book Thief, Zusak describes words as if they were living things, which gives them personality and shows us that words can have intent separate to that of the speaker. Through clever personification he gives personality and traits to words, and helps describe the feelings of characters, such as Hans’ “visible” hangover that “heaved itself to his shoulders and sat there like a bag of wet cement.”

Furthermore, Nazi book burning suppresses free speech (the surest sign a society has reached the tipping point to evil is when it orders the destruction of knowledge). By way of contrast, Liesel stands up and speaks truth to power by stealing a book from the Nazi’s flames. This is displayed through the following quotation, “The book thief had struck for the first time – the beginning of an illustrious career, (Zusak 29)” The significance of this quotation is to help develop the theme of harmfulness and helpfulness of words in reference to Liesel’s rebel-like character in stealing as a result of the harmful rules put into play thus showing the power of words. Later in the story, Max paints over the hateful pages of Mein Kampf to write a story for Liesel.

An example of this is when Hans Hubermann teaches Liesel the alphabet and begins their deep bond, or when Himmel Street was bombed and Liesel sees all her family and friends past away and she describes her emotion through words so we can feel her sorrow. In The Word Shaker, a book Max wrote for Liesel, it says that Hitler did not guns or money, but words as an instrument to take over the world. The theme of The Book Thief the power of words.

Words are one of the most powerful ways humans can connect with each other. Nazi Germany is a place where the use of words was the most powerful gift anyone could have. Since the novel is set in Germany during World War II the words back then had negatively influenced the society at that time, and positively influenced a young German girl named Liesel. In The Book, Thief Zusak tells the story of a German girl named Liesel who goes with Rosa and Hans Hubermann in Molching Germany, who become her foster parents. Liesel enjoys books and tends to steal various of them. The Hubermanns encounter a Jew named Max and do their best to help him survive the evil Nazi’s. The message in the book is that humans are so lucky they have words to use to express their thoughts and feelings and how simple a gift can be your worst nightmare because words are so powerful. With that much power, humans need to be careful. This message is demonstrated throughout the whole book, and characters. Words can be dangerous and can cause death, but also convey deep meaning while providing individuals with intelligence.