The Book Thief Analysis

There is a part where we watch as humans are so ugly that it is hard for us to imagine that what they had done is possible. Liesel is playing soccer in the park and all of a sudden all the kids stop because of a noise they hear coming down the street. They think it could be a herd of cattle, but that not what it is. It is a group of Jewish people being led, or forced, to the death camps by German soldiers. On there way we watch a man die “He was dead. The man was dead. Just give him five minutes and he would surely fall into the German gutter and die. They would all let him, and they would all watch”(Zusak 393). This is talking about how when a Jewish person would die, the Germans wouldn’t do anything. They wouldn’t care that a man died right in front of them. While the Jews are walking Hans, Liesel adopted father, gives them bread. While Hans is giving this man bread a German soldier notices what is going on. He walks over to the man and, “The Jew was whipped six times. On his back, his heart, and

“The point is, it didn’t really matter what the book was about…[but] what it meant …was more important [because it was] the last time she saw her brother..[and] her mother” (Zusak,38) – Death conveying what the book “The Grave Digger’s Handbook” meant to Liesel.

When a person observes/encounters death their willpower shows determination that helps them survive. The first glimpse we see of this is on page 21. On the train to Munich liesel's brother dies. His name is Werner. He later gets buried at a graveyard just by the train tracks. There was a little ceremony and Liesel and her mother carry on. One thing Liesel takes is the gravedigger's handbook. This is portraying to us on how she will eventually turn into a thief, hence “The Book Thief”. This quote is portrayed by death; “One eye open, one still in a dream. It would be better for a complete dream. I think, but i really have no control over that”. (5, 9) In this quote Liesel believes that the situation that had just occurred was a dream, but she knows that it is not. She learns to read the gravediggers book and it opens up the opportunity of books into her life. Another example of death is when Hans trades cigarettes for Mein Kampf. Hans’ history with Mein Kampf has been a wild one. On Hans’ way back from WWI he

The character of Death has human like empathy rather than just being the supernatural being readers would expect. The narrator tries to give their work more positive meaning by collecting stories and the emotions that come from the people he sees within his work. Such as Liesel, the protagonist from this novel. A “life” of the

The author achieves this by using Death as character but, also as an immortal and all knowing narrator. Zusak uses the omniscient Death to present a character's guilt giving a more objective look into a character's guilt. On the other hand the first person view would give the reader details that wouldn’t produce an accurate showing of the characters remorse. Instead the first person view would be clouded by emotions and filled with the thoughts of the character in the moment instead of the important details need to showcase survivor's guilt. For example when Death tells us about Liesel's nightmare on page 36, “She would wake up...screaming and drowning in the flood of sheets...the bed that was meant for her brother…”. The authors use of Death as a narrator reveals Leisel being haunted by her brothers death, but if it was Liesel's point of view it would be filled with her emotions at the time which doesn't help develop the survivors guilt which comes from more of a contemplative space. This is illustrated again when Liesel kisses Rudy’s dead body on page 536, “She leaned down and...Liesel kissed her best friend...true on his lips.” This helps establish the survivor's guilt by showing how haunted Liesel was by the fact that she never kissed Rudy who tried kissing her multiple times while alive. However if this event wasn’t in Death’s point of view survivor's

Death is so interested in Liesel’s life because she is a survivor and she looks at life through rose colored glasses. Meaning she looks at the good things of bad situations and, she would rather risk her life for her friend, that

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.

The Point of View this book is written from the third person the narrator is death, he explains in great depth the character’s thoughts, conflicts and emotions. In the matter that Death talks a lot about Liesel and her family what she is thinking, her mothers or step mother’s actions as well. Death or the Narrator is Omniscient, he knows everything that’s going to happen in the book for instance the book burning, the Hitler March or the day that Papa teaches Liesel how to read. He also knows the events and history that would take place at that time like Hitler’s birthday, the wars, Hitler had brought on, Liesel's family life her dead brother and enslaved mother. This narrator objective is effective because it allows us the readers to foreshadow the events next in the book .

In 1939 through 1943, Death is hit with an overwhelming number of souls. Throughout the story Death receives more and more souls, mainly because this story is taken place in Germany during World War 2. It all starts with Liesel’s little brother dies on a train, on the way to their new foster house. Death visits Liesel three times throughout this story, each time he sees her the sky is a different color. The first time he visits her he sees red, the second time he sees white, and the last time he sees black. Death is the appropriate narrator for this story, because he is neither a person in the story nor a person outside of the story, he tells the story in third person omniscient or first person.

Everyone is familiar with it or will be at one point. Death explains that he is “a result” (Zusak, 6) of humans. This means that the sole reason he is here, is because we are--a direct link. He simply takes us somewhere when we die, he isn’t the one doing the killing. We are. This novel takes place in Germany before and during World War II, which is when--as Death puts it-- when his “work load increased” (Zusak, 73). It’s not easy to tell at times, but Death is wary of humans. The one thing that so many people are afraid of, is actually in unease because of us. While reading, I found myself wondering why it is that as humans, we are so complex and capable of things wonderful--like comforting children after a nightmare-- and horrendous, like having not one, but two world wars? I agree with Death when he says that “humans like to watch a little destruction” (Zusak, 109). Death’s connection to us is strong in this book; he analyzes us and understands us as a species--and sometimes as individuals--so

Death’s creativity when it comes to distraction is, ultimately what he claims, “keeps him sane.” He “vacations” in colors, making a point to note them in painful situations. An instance of this is whenever he saw Liesel. On each occasion Death came across her, he noted the color of sky, even going so far as to use it to identify which time he saw her. Death’s application of colors implies his compassion. What cynical being needs a distraction from negative human emotion? Death feels pain when watching humans grieve, therefore proving his compassionate nature, even with his negativity towards their

Illustrated through the coming together of people during a time of crisis. The book shows many snippets of death and the way it transforms people’s lives. Death becomes a normal daily occurrence for all people, shown through writings by Liesel, the main character. The Nazi’s take on a God complex by dictating the fate of the Jews oppressing them into poverty. The novel is heart-wrenching due to the detailed horrific deaths loved ones suffer at the hand of the Hitler.

I believe the role of death will be like a narrator throughout the book. You can tell this by how the story is written, as how the voice of death says he will see the girl, Liesel Meminger, later. This hints that the voice of death is telling the interesting story of Liesel through the narrator point of view. For example, "That's the sort of thing I'll never know or comprehend--- what humans are capable of." (Zusak 25) This is showing that death is telling his or her thoughts, sharing what she saw. Where if Liesel had been telling the story, she would of written it in first person. Death is also suggested narrating the story, by the excerpts that are bolded throughout the book. Lastly, death seems to be a shadow around Liesel, because during

Unlike the Nazi’s however, Liesel realizes the pain her words caused. "Blood leaked from her nose and licked at her lips. Her eyes had blackened. Cuts had opened up and a series of wounds were rising to the surface of her skin. All from words. From Liesel's words" (Zuask 253). A child, no more than 12 years old, was telling someone not to cry, that she was being “pathetic.” It was all because of one group of people taking the lives of millions that a young girl believes crying over your loved ones deaths was ridiculous. At one point, Death even compares itself to humanity saying, "You want to know what I truly look like? I'll help you out. Find yourself a mirror while I continue" (Zuask 307).

Because most of the novel Death is telling the story of Liesel, you get to be very familiar with all of her emotions. Even though the novel isn’t in first person from her point of view, you get to see her whole story as Death reads from her book The Book Thief and adds lib about what he was going through with all the deaths during that period. Liesel reminds me of other people her age in my own life, like my brother who is in middle school and just as stubborn as her. Kids their age have minds completely of her own and don’t really understand the effects of all of their actions, whether they are good or bad.