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Examples Of Sacrifices In The Book Thief

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Sacrifices are made everyday by people everywhere. You can sacrifice your free time for homework, sacrifice your seat on the metro for an elderly person, sacrifice your money to a charitable organization, or sacrifice your life for your country. All sacrifices show a person’s priorities or what a person values. In the book The Book Thief, several sacrifices of all sizes are made throughout the story. The main character Liesel makes many sacrifices in her life, but one of the most prominent sacrifices throughout the book is her sacrifice of safety and security for her love of books. Liesel steals six books, and each book has a significant impact on her life. When Liesel steals The Shoulder Shrug from the book burning, she puts herself in great danger. She knows that she lives under the rule of Nazi Germany, and if she is caught, she and her family will suffer the consequences. The text makes it evident that she knew she was in danger and sacrificed her security anyway by describing the situation with imagery like “the sick beauty of nerves proved more ghastly with each stride” (Zusak 120). Liesel was so nervous because she was purposely endangering herself just to steal a book from the fire. This sacrifice illustrates …show more content…

One example of how the book shows the importance of words is how Hitler used words. One of the stories that Max makes for Liesel,“The Word Shaker,” highlights how Hitler never used guns or fear to convince an entire country, but that he “ruled the world with words” (Zusak 445). In fact, there are several ways this novel portrays this theme of how important words are. In The Book Thief, words are how Hitler gains power, how Liesel and Papa bond, how Max shows his love and appreciation for Liesel, and how Death learns about Liesel’s story. Books and words truly are the reason this story even exists, and the sacrifices that Liesel makes for these words further highlight their

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