The Book Thief Death Essay

Death is something everyone experiences. For example, in many circumstances death is something that is not controllable. For instance, cancer is something that can be controlled if caught early enough, but can also quickly cause death. In Zusak’s novel, The Book Thief, death is shown through numerous characters who have died. Furthermore, various situations which lead to deaths of characters, shows death as a theme. Lastly, the numerous symbols in the novel prove death as a theme. An examination of characters, situations, and symbols, will prove that death is presented in many ways within the novel, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. To begin, in the novel The Book Thief, the characters who died, helped portray a theme of death within the story.

Therefore showing that no matter if we accept it or not, death in certain situations is inevitable. Unfortunately, all the symbols previously mentioned, are symbols of death because they resemble the Jews in some way and extermination of the Jews was one of Adolf Hitler's main priorities. In particular, the situation in which Reinhold died on the truck was a very ironic situation because just before the accident happened Hans had switched seats with Reinhold to avoid a conflict, when the truck crashed and Reinhold died Hans basically watched how he should have died. Lastly, the characters that died in the story were so significant because, death explains how they died and when he had seen them before, this puts so much more meaning into it, then just them dying. Death is something everyone experiences, and cannot control, it is better to take it as a lesson and move forward and cherish the memories then to grieve about it forever. Many people spend too long grieving about people they have lost, instead of remembering all the good times with that person, don’t be sad they are gone, be happy about the time you had with them. “Grieving is a necessary passage and a difficult transition to finally letting go of sorrow - it is not a permanent rest stop,”