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Book Thief Themes

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In a world ruled by Nazi Germany, individuals with ideas deemed unacceptable were silenced and ignored. As a result, many people had to express their thoughts through written words on paper. The novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak reflects on the experiences of living in Nazi Germany. Zusak explores the significance of books by portraying the various opportunities that come with them. For instance, books bring forward the opportunity to gain new perspectives, having the power to shape a character's mind. Moreover, books resemble the gain of privilege, as the ability to read and write provides privileges to some characters. Thus, the act of stealing books by Liesel symbolises the theft of knowledge, which is a crucial element in developing the key theme of how words hold power and privilege. …show more content…

In the novel, the Nazi Party and German citizens organize book burnings to destroy books containing knowledge deemed as "poisonous" to the German ideology. The citizens do this to demonstrate their loyalty to Hitler's beliefs. The act is exemplified in the text when it reads, " 'Not only is it our great leader's birthday—but we also stop our enemies once again. We stop them reaching into our minds' ” (Zusak 74). The quote indicates that the book burning took place on Hitler's birthday, displaying the extent of oppression in Germany during that period. Furthermore, by acknowledging the viewpoints presented in books as "enemies," it suggests that any ideologies that contradicted Hitler's beliefs were considered a threat to the German population. Additionally, the quote mentions stopping "them" from reaching into their minds, implying that the foreign information within the books could have an influence on the minds of the German citizens. Therefore, it is evident that the words within a book have the power to leave a lasting impression on one's

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