“Like most misery, it started with apparent happiness.” – The Book Thief
“The Book Thief,” is a No.1 International Best-selling novel by Markus Zusak. In the two chapters: “The Long walk to Dachau” and “Peace,” the themes of cruelty and kindness are strongly portrayed through many literary techniques and other ways. My analysis on this question is to see how and why these two themes are illustrated in the two chapters, and under what circumstances they chose to behave like that.
Cruelty is a major theme and an apparent issue throughout the novel, due to the fragile situation depicted in the book. One very good example of human kindness is portrayed in the chapter “The Long Walk to Dachau,” in which there is a scene exemplifying the harsh
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After, what is considered by the Nazi’s as an “inhumane” act, some people start to despise hans, just because he helped a Jew. The quote “Silver eyes were pelted then,” really shows how loathed he was by everyone. The word “pelted” shows that he was hurled, attacked and in a way almost beaten up in a physiological way. The color “silver” is used throughout the book to describe various things, such as: Hans’s eyes, Hans’s accordion and The Gravedigger’s Handbook. Therefore, you could say in a way that the color “silver” was foreshadowing events which would unfold later. I find this phrase very unique, as it is trying to say that the kindness in Hans’ eyes were being attacked. “Silver” is usually associated with kindness, and it also refered as that in the book. So to say that “silver eyes were pelted then,” is almost like saying that he was being attacked, his kindness, which if you think, is very absurd and inhuman to the very least. It also mentions “a cart was turned over and paint flowed onto the street.” This is suggesting that people have turned over Hans’s paint cart, because of his behavior. This really illustrates that there was no sincerity in people, and cruelty had to be displayed, even for the most slightest human …show more content…
Hans is in a very hostile position, at that point. His actions are being frowned upon, and yet Rudy and Liesel seem to help him immediately, without even thinking twice. “When Liesel and Rudy made it through and helped Hans to his feet, there were so many voices. Words and sunlight. That’s how she remembered it. The light sparkling on the road and the words like waves, breaking on her back. Only as they walked away did they notice the bread sitting rejected on the street.” This quote symbolizes a very important meaning: no matter how hard you try to be fair and just, you might not always achieve what you want, i think that is what the rejected piece of bread signifies. In a way, the author makes the reader think about their own life for a second, which helps them to better connect with the story. Although, Hans did a kind deed, he had to repent for it. The only thing he got was help from Rudy and Liesel. Although, in the end help from Rudy and Liesel didn’t change things very much, it is not always the outcome that matters, but it is the thought, and in this case Rudy and Liesel definitely had the
In Kingsolvers’ novel,The Poisonwood Bible, the characters are subjected to physical and physiological cruelty due to the actions and imperiousness of the perpetrator and antagonist Nathan Price. The Poisonwood Bible is told in a series of chronological accounts from the women of Price family in which the reader sees the cruelty and misfortune they endure in their everyday life in the Congo. In the end, cruelty pushes the Price family to the breaking point and the whole family decides to leave Nathan in the village as he loses what is little left of his sanity.
That means each man was on the verge of dying from starvation and they saw the few crumbs from the bread as something that could save them from their death beds. However, the man was amused by the men beating each up for the ration because he’s never seen how much of animal man can turn into given the right circumstances. The Nazi’s felt that the Jewish men on the freight cars were already heading to their deaths along with their already deceased friends and family, so they didn’t give them any food due to that aspect. Dehumanization is shown because the ones who lived in fear actually turned into the ones conflicting
“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living in our fears.” (Les Brown). This is observed in numerous instances in The Book Thief. In the novel, fear can cripple indistinguishably as physical injury by subjugating one’s tenets, forcing paranoia down their throats, and ever so carefully whispering the panic. This may result in either a cracking, collapsing whimper or a roaring laughter.
Hatred is an intense feeling of resentment that is usually mutual. Hatred can grow at a rapid pace, it is caused by feelings of disgust, anger, and disposition; however, hatred can be stopped when people stand up and do what is right. In “The Book Thief”, by Markus Zusak, if historical fiction that takes place in the 1940’s when WWII was in its prime it follows a young girl named Liesel who loathes a man named Hitler. Hate can be stopped when people work together for the greater good. Hatred can be stopped when people work to right the wrong they have done; to start,“He was a member of the Nazi Party, but he did not hate the Jews, or anyone else for that matter,”(Zusak, 40).
“The Book Thief” presented a story filled with various themes that comprised a powerful plot line. Although there were many themes in the story, there was one that stood out to me more than others. In the process of reading the book, the theme of suffering affected me the most. The definition of the word suffer is to experience or be subjected to something bad or unpleasant. Different characters within the story are subjected to dreadful feelings and are therefore suffering. Through my analyzation, I observed the three different types of suffering that the characters experienced: guilt, feelings of emptiness, and anxiety. The characters of “The Book Thief” experience these three types of suffering in different ways.
(Weisel 101). In this quote, the Jews are being transported within cattle cars when they stop in a German town, the citizens begin to throw bread into the cars, causing the Jews to fight and kill each other like animals. This event exercises both themes of death (the killing of a man) and dehumanization (the treating of them like animals). Now, this relates to the theme statement earlier: “Evil and death
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, is a story of ups and downs. At one point, Liesel is in complete misery and then another she is happy. She starts to realize that there is a universal balance of good and bad. However, she did not always understand this balance. Markus Zusak uses figurative language and structure to develop the theme that there is balance in the universe of good and bad.
Adolf Hitler is a prime example of the cruelty in humans in The Book Thief. Hitler fed the German people lies, conned them into his accepting his beliefs and then completely destroyed all hope throughout the entire country. He made people feel terrified for living lives guided by their own beliefs, and that they shouldn’t feel comfortable in their own bodies if their features were different than what Hitler said was acceptable. Liesel couldn’t even feel safe with herself because she had brown eyes. If a Nazi soldier were to see her and look into her eyes, it would be an automatic trip to death camp. When Liesel first meets Rudy, he shows her the road of yellow stars (Zusak 51). The road of yellow stars
Words are everywhere, words make up books, and the power of words make The Book Thief which will never be able to be improved upon. Words help us communicate with others, but mainly they have positive and negative sides to them. In the novel, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Death narrates the story while Liesel Meminger also tells her story of living in Nazi, Germany. We will discuss how there are many people such as Max Vandenburg and Liesel Meminger who choose to use to use their power of words in the positive way. We will also discuss how people also like to use their power of words in the negative way such as Adolf Hitler. The power of words are very effective especially in Markus Zusak’s writing, and we’ll discuss the main parts of the book which have been effected with the power of words.
In the real world everyone loses their innocence at some point and decides to grow up, others are either childish for their life or are forced to grow up. In section two of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, the author’s message about loss of innocence is that being forced to grow up and do things on your own is difficult, especially at such a young age.
Through all of the irony and vivid coloring, The Book Thief is more easily understood after acquiring knowledge of reading literature with greater care and meticulousness. Applying chapters of How to Read Literature like a Professor can better enhance a reader’s awareness of hidden messages and symbols within certain works of literature. In Chapter Two, Foster explains how meals suggest a communion between all parties involved in it. Markus Zusak also uses meals and food to bring families together in The Book Thief. Foster also explains, in Chapter Eleven, how violence in literature usually stands for more than just violence.
we as readers learn by reading this novel the way in which the people should live together in harmony and peace through a primary moral attitude which is respect and accept each other despite
The acts of human nature can become a very difficult concept to understand. Markus Zusak uses Death throughout the The Book Thief to express the complexity of human nature. Death illustrates how complicated beings humans are and how they hold the capacity to act in both evil and beautiful ways. Throughout the novel Death helps give readers insight to the ignorance displayed and the pain it may cause a person. In the most troublesome and discriminatory times of the Holocaust, Death will point out the beautiful acts of compassion carried out by characters involved in the novel. Sometimes beauty and pain is mixed within the sacrifice some make for those they love and are loyal to.
Mahatma Gandhi once said “An unjust law is itself a species of violence. Arrest for its breach is more so. Now the law of nonviolence says that violence should be resisted not by counter-violence but by nonviolence. This I do by breaking the law and by peacefully submitting to arrest and imprisonment.” Markus Zusak’s novel, The Book Thief clearly demonstrates the positive outcome from acts of resistance through exchanges between characters. For instance, Hans displays resistance through his acts of kindness. In addition, Max’s courageous actions portray defiance. Lastly, Liesel uses the power of books and words to defy the Fascistic beliefs. Through exchanges between characters, acts of resistance against the Nazi regime are performed.
In the story The Book Thief, Markus Zusak introduces the theme that, many times relationships and connections may influence an individual's decision and could result in change of that individual's life. For example, towards the middle of the book after Rudy and Liesel have started stealing food from the town, one job in particular has Liesel questioning “Don’t you feel bad?” to Rudy after they stole food from Otto (Zusak 164). This shows that Liesel is still slightly guilty for what they did because she knows it's wrong, but later in the book it states that five days later they steal from a farmer; this time Liesel doesn't think twice about saying yes. From this, one can interpret that Liesel's relationship with Rudy has caused her to become