Theme Of Compassion In The Book Thief

: This passage is significant to the novel because it reminds the reader that no matter how much pain and suffering Liesel feels, she lives in a safer “world” than characters like Max. But death migrates from Liesel’s pain and travels to Max’s. Max has lost his entire family and faces persecution, but his true pain lies within him. He left his family to die; he is risking another family’s life, and is constantly belittled for being Jewish. This is why this quote is important, it shows the reader not only the physical, but mental pain that the citizens of Germany

In the story The Book Thief, the reader learns how sometimes behind darkness, hatred, and violence, there is love, passion, and connections. The author reveals this theme throughout the story by showing the evil side of people and also showing the careful side of people. For example, we see Liesel and Rudy actions of violence, theft, and hatred throughout the book. For example, we find Liesel and Rudy raiding an apple farm, Liesel getting into fights, thievery of Rudy stealing things from other people, and of course, Liesel thievery of books. But deep down inside, they are amazing people. A great example of this was when Rudy and Liesel risked a beating to leave bread for the Jews that were marching through their neighborhood. For every character

“The consequence of this is that I’m always finding humans at their best and worst. I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both”. Death is the narrator of the novel ‘The Book Thief’. Death implies that there is something ugly and beautiful in every human being he has come across, but yet he doesn’t know how they can co-exist in one person. The Book Thief explores how beauty can co-exist with brutality. Liesel Meminger, Rosa Hubermann and Hans Hubermann are three of the vast majority of characters who show their beauty in the midst of brutality.

By showing death has a human-like nature, Mark Zusak, the author of The Book Thief, exemplifies that death does, in fact, have a soul death feels for the people that he has to take to the afterlife. With World War II occurring in Europe, death tells the story of a life of a particular young girl who piques his interests in the midst of a chaotic time in history. Zusak shows author's style by using personification, symbolism, and foreshadowing of death in The Book Thief.

I have always made a hobby of watching the world go by. In the same way, Liesel watches and waits for things to happen, predicting the unavoidable and preparing yourself for those moments is something I could relate to during this novel. Her love of words, the colourful way she describes situations reminds me of the clumsy sentences I used when I was ten. Just like Liesel, I sought out books and dictionaries to discover more words to add to my vocabulary. Learning how and when to use them turned into an adventure and the inner narrative became a picture of words instead of a written story. For these reasons I understand Liesel’s need for these words. They become a sanctuary of sorts. Something beautiful but neutral to other people so that cannot

Zusak’s use of symbols highlight the shining kindness in the darkness cruelty, which in turn gives man the strength to fight for the existence of humanity. He demonstrates the extreme kindness necessary to accept others, especially enemies, in times of paranoia. Through an act of innocence in the midst of violence, a bubble of warmth, however fragile, is created. “He placed the smiling teddy bear cautiously onto the pilot’s shoulder” (Zusak 490). The teddy bear is symbolic of the human qualities of kindness and purity. It is an object of comfort to children, and children are seen as innocent. Therefore, the teddy bear being given to an enemy pilot is a representation of how Rudy does not see the man as guilty, but rather just a man

‘That [Death] in a way was a metaphor for the idea that this book is about people doing beautiful things in a really ugly time.’ (Zusak, 2010)

To Heal and to Hurt: The Importance of Words in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

A narrative’s point of view refers to who is telling the story. In this case Zusak’s narrator identifies himself as Death. This is evidenced throughout the prologue. He begins the book suddenly with no introduction of who he is and is quite mysterious about himself. “I could introduce myself properly, but it’s not really necessary. You will know me well enough soon enough, depending on a diverse range of variables.” (P4) Death doesn’t reveal who he is in actual words, he gives the reader hints and this puts it into perspective who he is, “At that moment, you will be lying there…You will be caked in your own body. There might be a discovery; a scream with dribble down the air. (P4)

By using all three points of view the reader is able to see all the different perspectives and gain an understanding of everyone in the book. It also helps readers be able to see what Zusak is trying to tell them. The different tones allow people to see the different sides of Death and understand how he views the world. “It kills me sometimes, how people die” (464). By using first person confessional people are able to see Death in a new way, it shows his emotions and makes him more humanized. It shows how he suffers every time he needs to collect a body, but he helps them by collecting their souls. He does not wish for people to die but he is the one who needs to deal with the result when they do. It hurts him to see what humans do to other humans, but by going through this suffering, he heals and continues to survive which shows the humanity that is in Death. Zusak also uses third person omniscient to convey the thematic message on suffering in healing. Readers can have a sense of how everyone feels and see how they develop as characters. “They should have come by now and swept through the house, looking for any evidence of Jew loving or treason” (400). Zusak uses third person omniscient with an observant voice to allow readers to understand and connect with each character. The actions of one person not only affect themselves, but others around them. This is seen

Growing up is often a difficult part of life. During adolescence many people struggle with the idea of growing up and moving on. Additionally, many teenagers and struggle with losing their innocence and understanding the consequences and realities of living life on their own. While offering different perspectives on the topic, The Catcher in the Rye and The Book Thief both are both similar because they address the importance of innocence and how it is significant to one’s childhood.

One can see and hear, but what makes our experiences real are the things we actually feel, physically or emotionally. “As she made her second getaway, she could soon see the distant figure of Rudy at the bridge” (Zusak 370). This is an example of how she feels the wind and experiences the getaway for herself. It also shows the beauty and relief in seeing a familiar face after escaping for a long time. The feeling of her reuniting with Rudy is only beautiful, even if the rest had a brutal and mysterious part to it. Another thing is “Before she could answer, the wooden spoon came down on Liesel Meminger's body like the gait of God” (Zusak 99). This is a brutal part of the novel because of the pain and agony that Liesel goes through. The author lets the reader understand what is happening and how brutal the situation is by describing the events using imagery. Lastly, “I am certain he would have loved to see the frightening rubble and the dwelling of the sky on the night he passed away” (Zusak 242) This can be both beautiful and brutal, the fact that he died is the brutality of the situation but the description of the beautiful events that have made it past adds beauty to the story. The reader can relate to both sides, and with the help of imagery based on the sense of feeling, it explains everything

The Book Thief revolves around Hans and Rosa Hubermann, Rudy Steiner, Max Vandenburg, and the infamous ten-year-old book thief, Liesel Meminger. The setting is Himmel Street, Germany during World War II and the narrator is Death, who busily runs to and fro taking souls and stumbles upon the Book Thief’s very own handwritten book. Though Death might not be the narrator someone would think fit to be point of view for the book, he manages to catch and describe the beauty and destruction of war whilst telling the stories of the people living on Himmel Street. Along with Markus Zusak’s captivating writing, he will tell an unforgettable story set during the Holocaust from the views of a Jew on the run and four Germans while a war wages on. Whereas other authors would prefer writing from the victim’s perspective during the war, Markus Zusak gives insight on the Germans that had no choice but to grudgingly obey throughout Hitler’s rule. Though Markus Zusak has written many other good books, The Book Thief is his bestselling book for its outstandingly distinct writing, perspective, and story of love.

In the poem “Because I could not stop for death” by Emily Dickinson, death is described as a person, and the narrator is communicating her journey with death in the afterlife.

Death, which is present as a plot, theme and symbol. It is the most one of the defining elements written in the modern literatures. Death, Sorrow and Isolation are just part of our lives, even though it is the miserable thing that people go through. In the poem “A Dead Rose,” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and the short story “A Rose for Emily,” by William Faulkner there are many similarities and differences. The main similarity that both author’s has developed in their poem or story is the way how characters share the same atmosphere, symbolism of sadness, and isolation. The main difference that has been shown in the story or the poem is the way how characters react to death differently. The author’s use of describing their story or poem helps them personify the journey of life of the main characters and the characters self-reflection.