Symbolism In The Thief

The Book Thief is a historical fiction novel by Markus Zusak set in Munich, Germany during the Nazi reign from 1936-1943. The novel incorporates a main character that is, in the beginning, an innocent child who doesn't understand the world and takes her on a journey where she grows up and matures through the hardships and challenges of her life. The story is narrated by the character Death, who is a fresh take on the Grim Reaper, only wearing the black cloak when it's cold and never carries a syte. Death describes the life Liesel Meminger, an orphaned girl who witnesses her brother's death and burial and finds herself being adopted by the benevolent old couple, the Hubermanns. The rest of the story follows Liesel's journey through her incredibly challenging life with the Hubermanns and characters such as Rudy, The mayor's wife, and Max helping her along. Symbolism in The Book Thief deepens the story by conveying many different ideas and emotions that supports the reader's understanding of the story. This is especially apparent with the use of the gravediggers to help the reader remember characters, the use of color to help the reader feel the proper emotions and remember the correct events, and the use of Liesel's changing feelings about Rudy to convey how Liesel grows and matures through the book.

1) Prescribed Text – The Book Thief a. Compose a summary/synopsis of the text (plot/themes/characters/key concerns). (100 words only)

Since The Book Thief is a historical fiction text, the fictitious characters interact in a realistic WWII setting in Germany. Three characters in the book, Liesel, Rudy and, Death develop their identities within the parameters of the Nazi-controlled society. However, if Liesel, Rudy and, Death were characters in today's society, their lives would be different.

Hope is elusive and one needs courage to ensure it does not fly away. In The Book Thief, Markus Zusak develops the theme of courage and hope throughout the novel, showing people need both to survive. He portrays the theme effectively through the characterization of Liesel as well as the symbolism of Hans Hubermann’s accordion.

The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak, outlines the tragedies and events that take place in Liesel Meminger’s life, in Nazi Germany. Throughout this young girl’s struggle of living in the oppressive Nazi regime, she is able to learn crucial lessons about life and the art of survival- some that follow her to the grave. The most important lesson she learned and the pivotal theme of the novel is that rebellion can be and beneficial in certain situations.

Relationship to meaning: Death is important to the story because he provides a detailed explanation of what is going on with all characters and he isn’t bias towards any specific character.

The novel, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is centered around three main characters, Liesel, a troubled teenage girl, Hans, her foster father, and Rosa, her foster mother. The story illustrates the difficulties of their lives during wartime Nazi Germany. While the plot focus Liesel, it is her caring and thoughtful foster father, Hans, who embodies the most important lessons of the book. Hans shows the reader that kindness, love, and a hard-working spirit are personality traits that endure, even when tested by a war’s hardship and loss. Hans Hubermann is a very hard working man. The first example of this is how Hans comforts Liesel every night when she has her nightmare. Whenever Liesel has her

The acts of human nature can become a very difficult concept to understand. Markus Zusak uses Death throughout the The Book Thief to express the complexity of human nature. Death illustrates how complicated beings humans are and how they hold the capacity to act in both evil and beautiful ways. Throughout the novel Death helps give readers insight to the ignorance displayed and the pain it may cause a person. In the most troublesome and discriminatory times of the Holocaust, Death will point out the beautiful acts of compassion carried out by characters involved in the novel. Sometimes beauty and pain is mixed within the sacrifice some make for those they love and are loyal to.

The characters of the story represent those in the revolution, and they each have key characteristics that each Russian leader or citizens possessed. The events that occur throughout the story correlate with each major event of Soviet history, such as the start of the revolution and the turning point of their societies. The allegory explains the importance of questioning authority and following people blindly. We, as independent thinkers, must always question and examine what others tell us, no matter what position they hold. This applies to both ancient and modern times. There will always be those ignorant to what goes on in society, and by questioning our surroundings, we can prevent corrupt leadership from

Many are familiar with Anne Frank's diary and have even sat down and watched the movie The Diary of Anne Frank. With her diary we learn a lot about Anne and her family, as well as the tragic story of their life, and the lives of many other Jews. However, this is not the only movie that gives us an insight in the life of a young girl during World War II. The Book Thief is in many ways similar to The Diary of Anne Frank in which the viewer is provided the experiences of the war between two very different young girls that have to adapt to a new home and possess an increasing hunger for knowledge.

Since The Book Thief is a historical fiction text, the fictitious characters interact in a realistic WWII setting in Germany. Three characters in the book, Max, Rudy, and Rosa develop their identities within the parameters of the Nazi controlled society. However, if Max, Rudy, and Rosa were characters in today's society, their lives would be different. In this paragraph I will list some of the physical appearances, personality,etc of Max, Rudy, and Rosa.

I usually read action, or horror books and they are mostly about saving someone, or killing someone so reading City of Thieves was a new challenge for me. When I decided to read this book, I was curious and worried at the same time because I know that I’m not good at social study. This book happened in 1942, when the Nazis invaded the Leningrad and I think this book did a amazing job explaining how difficult Russia was during war with the Nazis. Even though the author wasn't there during the war, I was able to picture every single details he wrote about how Leningrad was during the war. This book was kind of challenging for me to read because I’m not that expert at English.

To begin, The Book Thief’s plot and characters overshadow the plot and characters in Brave New World, making it the better option to study in class. The Book Thief’s plot is complete and complex and takes place in an interesting setting. The Book Thief takes place in Nazi Germany during the years 1939-1943 which

War novels are often defined by focusing on small stories and unknown people, and in that regard City of Thieves is no exception. The story places its spotlight on two characters, Lyova Beniov (Lev) and Nikolai Vlasov (Kolya), during the siege of Leningrad. The relationship between these two characters indeed defines the novel and makes it stand out among others in the wartime category. Their comedic back-and-forth, coupled with the absurd mission they embark on together, keeps the reader engaged and helps ease the grim nature of the book’s setting. In that way, the reader benefits the same way Lev and Kolya do (in regards to their constant joking); it helps both parties escape the horrors of the situations they’re engaged in. However, while

The first thief is a young man, possibly a teenager, who is as poor as Antonio. They live in the same kind of public housing complex with walls of stripped-down paint and more bystanders than people who actually work and earn their living. The second thief is Antonio himself, which is dramatic irony. What heightens the irony is that he does not even steal for a living but he almost gets himself imprisoned. In the meantime, the real thieves, as well as their partners in crime, are out in the open, continuing their criminal ways. Throughout the film, Vittorio De Sica captures imageries of poverty, from the crowd looking for work at the unemployment office to the women whose weary faces underline the challenges of taking care of their families and bear the greatest burden when their breadwinners are