The Book Thief

The Book Thief, written by an Australian author, Markus Zusak, is a devastatingly powerful historical-fiction novel that bears several re-readings. Being one of the greatest, most divinely-written epilogues in my school library, The Book Thief, is a soul-shattering, thought-provoking story that undoubtedly can be recommended to the young and old alike. This poignant, prolonged, but achingly sad book, is the pinnacle of contemporary historical-fiction, poised to become a classic. Phenomenally breathtaking, and inspiring, bringing nothing but anticipatory dread, this lyrical, surreal book, though depressingly morbid at times, was my “gateway” to historical-fiction. The tribulations and trials provided in the novel, had inevitable passion, perspective

Where there is life, there is death. Writers around the world have tried to define death; to give it meaning and explain its impact. A common literary device known as personification is often used to attribute human-like characteristics to death in an attempt to show their interpretations of death. Personification allows us to “use insight about ourselves to help us comprehend such things as forces of nature, common events, abstract concepts, and inanimate objects” (qtd. Quinn). In Billy Collins’ “My Number”, Emily Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop For Death”, and Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, Death has been personified into characters that range from civil to malicious and content to discontent. “My Number” is about a man who is fearful of what he believes to be a cunning and cruel Death.

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.

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.

Liesel Meminger is the daughter of Paula Meminger. She is also the sister of late Warren Meminger. Consequently, she steals the first book in the novel, called The Gravedigger's Handbook. Therefore, Death gave her the nickname of “ the book thief” before us knowing that she would become “the book thief”. Liesel Meminger is the hardworking, book-thieving, kind-hearted protagonist of The Book Thief. She loves books so much that she steals them, even before knowing how to read. All of this started because stealing books reminds her of Warren Meminger. This is even she bonds more with Hans Hubermann, her foster father, dedicates his time to teach her how to read. We might be asking, why hasn’t she gotten an education at the age of 10. The answer is not as clear as others, but it definitely has to do with Liesel father’s communist affiliations. He was part of the German Communist Party, that was popular when Hitler took over. This is also the reason why she had to be fostered.

Liesel most definitely could have trusted Rudy with the secret of having Max hidden in her basement. Rudy was clearly Liesel’s best friend and partner in crime when Liesel was doing her acts of thievery stealing the books from the mayor’s wife bookself. The devotion to Liesel Rudy also had was strong and I believe Liesel could have trusted Rudy.

“The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it,” said comedian Roseanne Barr. A leader can overpower people; she can take control of what one can or cannot do, but only oneself can control how she treats others. In The Book Thief, Hitler is overpowering the Jews; Liesel, who is living with a foster family, and her family shelters Max, a Jewish man, during the Holocaust. Marcus Zusak’s characters, Liesel, Rosa, and Hans, explain their struggle of staying true to their core beliefs during Hitler’s reign in Nazi, Germany, showing the importance of making the correct decisions even when faced with a difficult situation.

The concept of death is one of great significance in Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief and in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Both works include a strong focus on death and the consequences that arise from it. While the two authors approach the same conclusions surrounding death, some of the techniques they use to go about it differ. Zusak and Rowling both personify death as a character in their respective stories. The Book Thief focuses on Death and how its personification can make it seem less frightening and more like a character with deep humanity. Death is presented as a fact of life that everyone should accept. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows does much the same but instead does so by constantly referring to death as a concept which should be understood and accepted, rather than by transforming it into a living entity. However, despite the differences, both books concentrate on the significance of death in the lives of both the characters and the readers of the story. Zusak and Rowling both transform the abstract concept of death into a being that is less abstract and, as a result, more real. In doing this, they create a connection and a sense of familiarity and acceptance between death, the characters, and the readers.

After detectives arrested the man for burglarizing a jewelry store, they discovered that the thief was actually a woman dressed as a man. Although they informed (1) ____ she didn’t have to (2) ____ them anything, the woman confessed (3) ____ she had committed the crime (4) ____ her family because they were penniless and hungry.

Now this is the story of how Liesel’s life got flipped, turned upside-down. And I’d like to take a minute; just sit right there. I’ll tell you how she became a princess in a town called Molching. Ok, the story is way too dark to be making Fresh Prince of Bel Air references.

Anne Frank spoke these words, “Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart”. These words were spoken while she was in hiding during the holocaust. Anne Frank, her family, and also another family were forced into hiding during the holocaust. The holocaust was a time when many nazis killed millions of jews and took them from their homes and businesses. Even though the holocaust was something that started from evil people, I disagree.

“I am haunted by humans.”- Markus Zusak, The Book Thief. Humanity has encountered multiple occurrences of tragedies, joy, oblivious to things occurring in our world. In Markus Zusak’s novel, The Book Thief, he discusses a tale of humanity in one of the darkest moments in our history; The Holocaust. The novel is centered around a young girl, Liesel Meminger, who witnesses all the horrific events that are occurring during the Holocaust. Liesel is a victim to her own illiteracy - to her inability to read and understand what is happening in the world. The themes that Liseal encounters work together in the novel to tell a tale of humanity. The power of words affecting people, the kindness and cruelty of humanity, and the mortality of

Human mentality is always changing due to emotions and expressions. From that in many literature, it demonstrates to the reader how powerful certain perceptions can be and truly the importance of it. In the novel, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, he cleverly displays important insights that teach readers the impact of the three main attributes in the book. Set during WWII in Nazi Germany where a young girl is building into a breathtaking character that creates an influence throughout adolescents who is reading the book. Escort by other characters whom adds depth to the story by contributing to the overall insight is making a revolutionary novel in society today. The three main insights the characters conduct is perseverance, friendship and sacrifice.

In fact, mere sentences into the story, Death states “Here is a small fact — you are going to die.” (p.1) But, we are also reminded of the harsh reality of dying in other ways. Death constantly presents us with the faces and numbers of those dying, making sure we cannot forget who they are. We know we will die because everyone dies one day.

As the Book Thief comes to an end, a new book thief is revealed. It is death, or the narrator that has been following Liesel around for most of her life. The book she steals is called the Book Thief and it was by Liesel Meminger. Death finds this book being thrown in the back of a garbage truck, but she saves it. The book got there when it was forgotten on the road after Liesel saw her mama, papa, and Rudy lying there dead. The book was picked up by a man and thrown in the back of the truck. The whole book that was just read was death reading the book she had stolen and adding what she had seen during some of the parts. Liesel wrote the book as an autobiography and told of how she had stolen, her life, but when death tells the story it