Theme Of Hope In The Book 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.

8. Hans’ Compassion Liesel witnesses Hans trying to give bread to a Jew. Not only does Hans and the Jew get whipped but now the Nazi’s become suspicious of Hans and search his house. Max is no longer safe in the basement and must leave. Liesel now has another loved one taken away from her.

Over the course of reading The Book Thief, readers will come to know about Markus Zusak’s constant use of descriptive words, figurative language, and character plots throughout the story. In one particular part of the novel, Zusak shows an example of all three of these points to support one of the many central themes he gives us. While Liesel is standing in front of the burnt offerings near the town hall and the square after a Hitler rally, she sees a book underneath all of the hot ash. This moment allows Zusak to go into explicit detail to make a point about the significance of the moment to the reader. In The Book Thief, Zusak uses vocabulary that evokes recklessness and stealthiness, personification about books, and Liesel’s internal

What is the first thing you think about when you hear the word death? In most cases, people fear death but as the narrator in Markus Zusak’s novel, The Book Thief, Death is a compassionate and honorable character.

According to Napoleon Bonaparte, courage isn’t having the strength to go on … it’s going on when you don’t have strength. Liesel, Max and Hans are the main characters in “The Book Thief” that have acts of courage entirely change their lives. This novel takes place during WWII in Germany. Countless Jews are desperately looking for the courage to endure the harsh rule of the Nazis. On the other hand there are some Germans who use their courage to stand against the Nazis in their own exceptional ways. The characters in “The Book Thief’ show acts of courage and this greatly affects the course of their life and relationships with other characters.

Max Vandenburg, who was a very supportive boy of Liesel, always helped her during her worst times and even her best times. Max had missed Liesel’s 12th birthday so he made her a little gift. He took a book called Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler, but made it his own called The Standover Man. He gave this book to Liesel as it symbolizes how people have always stood over him in his life to help him just like Liesel has. “During that week, Max had cut out a collection of pages from Mein Kampf and painted over them in white. He then hung them up with pegs on some string, from one end of the basement to the other … Only then, on the paper that had bubbled and humped under the stress of drying paint, did he begin to write the story. It was done with a small black paintbrush” (Zusak 223). This quote reflects the power of words because Max is doing this for Liesel since they are good friends, and since it's her birthday. This comes to show that Max is about positive words towards his friends, but mainly Liesel.

The book 's importance is explained through Death where ‘“The books meaning 1. The last time she saw her brother. 2. The last time she saw her mother.” Despite Liesel being illiterate, the Gravedigger’s handbook holds significant meaning for the character. Liesel has an overwhelming feeling of loss of control and acts out in rebellion to steal the book that lay beside her brothers grave. By stealing the book, she has a reminder of her small family and it stops her feeling defeated by her ever changing life, which she has no control over. This idea is then reinforced with another action of the character. Liesel then finds out that Hitler was the cause of the suffering and loss of freedom of the people she loved and knew in her life.This second act of rebellion takes place while Liesel visits a Nazi book burning. Liesel soon understands that the Nazi’s burnt books to brainwash citizens of Germany(_____). As a result of this Lisel then understands the importance and power words have, causing her to again acts rebelliously in a protest. “And it was anger and dark hatred that had fueled her desire to steal it.” This passage from the novel shows the emotions of Liesel. As a character who is unable to express herself verbally, her actions speak for her. Liesel 's desire to understand words begins to grow, with her understanding that Nazis burn books in fear of what they may do to society.

Themes are inserted within literature by the author in an attempt to provoke readers to think about the topic provided. In the novel, The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak, many topics are presents, such as, courage, suffering, and human behavior. The most prevalent, however, is the courage possessed by certain individuals. This theme, bravery, is evident throughout the entire course of the novel in Liesel Meminger, the Hubermanns, and Max Vandenburg.

The accordion is taken wherever Hans Hubermann goes, and the fact that he is leaving it to go off to war makes it a more visible symbol. Hubermann is leaving it because one it reminds him of the friend who saved him, and two as a comfort to his wife and adopted daughter. To describe the accordion as a symbol in one word, it would be regret. By Hans going to his second war, he remembers a tragic thing that happened at the first war he fought in. His friend had played the accordion and had volunteered Hans for a job, instead of having him go to the fight they were going to. Because of the friend Hans lived, while everyone who went to fight that day died. The friend had taught Hans to play the accordion, so when it came to taking the accordion

Since infancy, all people have developed fears about various things in the world that varies from clowns to failure. One’s fear can become so significant to them that it causes them to act with sole purpose of avoiding its development; in other words, allow themselves to be motivated by fear. As Psychology Today stated “there are many things that motivate us. But the most powerful motivator of all is FEAR.” It is no secret that humans all around the world are motivated by fear as authors have capitalized on the awareness of it and incorporated it into their novels.

The main theme of The Book Thief is that you must have courage even when it seems impossible to do so. Markus Zusak, the author of The Book Thief, uses many different elements to convey the theme. Zusak uses communicates the theme topic of courage to the reader by through setting, symbolism, and character development.

On the way to a small town called Molching near outside of Germany where Hans and Rosa live, her young baby brother, Werner, dies (assumed from the cold and hunger). The broken family buries him in a snowy grave.

Hans Hubermann's accordion first presents itself as one of Hans Hubermann’s many defining characteristics, along with his kindness to Liesel, and his rolling of cigarettes. It completes his easygoing, well-natured demeanor and makes him likeable to readers. In the bleak, depressing circumstances that bring Liesel to Molching, the accordion symbolizes comfort and a sense of security -- the same feelings that Hans Hubermann brings to the very beginning of the book. As the plot develops, the accordion becomes much more significant to Hans’ story. A memento from his Jewish friend, Erik Vandenburg, who died in Hans’ place during World War I, the accordion is a reminder to Hans Hubermann of the kindness from his friend which saved him from death.

If you believe in yourself and have dedication, pride, and never quit, you will be successful. Markus Zusak, the author of The Book Thief, creates a story of a young orphan named Liesel Meminger, who is living with her new foster family. She learns the wonders of reading from her foster father and grows to love books. During Liesel’s time with her new family, she shows determination through her efforts and kindness with her encounters with other people. Liesel in The Book Thief expresses her traits, such as hardworking, and bravery.

Death brings up the theme that humans enjoy violence in the beginning of the last quarter of the book when he states, “He made three separate formations that led to the same tower of dominoes in the middle. Together, they would watch everything that was so carefully planned collapse, and that would all smile at the beauty of destruction.” I thought this quote was really powerful because it was Rudy and his little siblings that were playing with the dominoes and Death points out that all humans admire destruction, even little kids. This only confuses Death even further because he cannot understand how humans can both be so cruel and so kind.