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The Book Thief Critical Analysis

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When unpleasant things happen in the world, people often get too wrapped up in themselves that they forget the problems others endure. This occurs in both of the books Night and The Book Thief. During both novels, the authors use tone and dialogue to emphasize how the struggles of others can be overlooked by selfishness. In The Book Thief, Zusak portrays this problem through Ilsa Hermann and Liesel as the Hubermann family gets fired. Not knowing how to respond politely, Liesel lashes out at the mayor’s wife and exclaims, “While you sit here in your mansion?... you think you’re the only one” (Zusak 262). Liesel, in the sassy but almost desperate tone, insults Ilsa by letting her know that numerous people have worse problems than her. Liesel …show more content…

After reflecting upon the young boy he was and upon all his anguishing memories, he speaks, “And then I explained to him how naive we were, that the world did know and remain silent” (Nobel Peace Prize, Weisel). Elie Wiesel, along with millions of others, suffered through the Holocaust more than anyone today can possibly imagine. The brutality of it was so extreme, and Wiesel was lucky to live past it and to be able to share his story. But during that time of oppression, no country stood out as being one to go above and beyond for helping the Jewish people. Wiesel’s tone shows it too. While reading his speech, it is almost possible to hear his morose and still voice. By speaking to the substantial audience about his fight during the Holocaust, Wiesel portrays this theme through his depressed and let down tone of voice. The effect of his tone is significant because the audience can get some type of feeling of what he really encountered. Most people today cannot relate to his stories directly, so his tone is important to pass on his

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