The Role Of Self Preservation In Markus Zusak's The Book Thief

To love is to risk. Whether that is risking life, belief, health, or reputation, it is still a risk at any rate to give devotion to another. No era in history knows this better than during the Holocaust. Still, the most unexpected of people would die trying to help Jews escape persecution, they would help others who didn't share the same moral foundation as they did, they would share food rations when they barely had enough for themselves, or they would risk their public standing and forever be labeled as a sympathizer just to help a suffering soul regain his balance. Similarly, Markus Zusak's The Book Thief demonstrates a complete comprehension of how humans act against self preservation and individual comfort when challenged with harrowing situations that appeal to their own personal connections. To portray this concept, Zusak inserts vivid scenes depicting self sacrifice for the betterment of others.
To the detriment of

The Book Thief further develops that idea with characters who sacrifice themselves in order to keep someone else safe from harm. This carries outside of the fictional text as well, as with allies in the fight for LGBT+ rights, supporters during the protests in Ferguson, and the Muslims who had surrounded the Christians during prayer so that they would not get beaten. Every single one of these examples from both the real world and the text involve putting others over themselves and letting their emotions rule for the greater good. They all do this because when humans love, they love with everything they have and will willingly put down their life in order to protect the people they care for so much. Altogether, this shows that in attempts to make personal acquaintances benefit physically and emotionally, people will toss aside personal well-being because they want deem others' happiness over their