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Examples Of Guilt In The Book Thief

Decent Essays

Regretful, ashamed, and sorry. Feeling responsible for a specified wrongdoing. Guilt. Have you ever felt guilty? Do you ever blame yourself, or wish you could turn back time to change just the smallest of details, knowing that your life will be so much better because of it? Yes or no, or whatever your answer may be, many people, and many characters have. The Book Thief is a prime example in which many of its characters experience guilt. They blame themselves for the fact that someone died while they are still alive, yet they find many ways to deal with this guilt. Throughout The Book Thief, the author demonstrates how survivor’s guilt continues to provide motivation for the characters to alter their lives in many ways. Hans Hubermann is a character in The Book Theif who experiences a large amount of survivor’s guilt. Hans fought in the Great War along with his friend Erik Vandenburg. On a day that everyone else was sent into battle, Hans was not, due to the fact that Erik nominated him to stay and write letters for their sargeant. He stayed while everyone else went off to fight. “None of them came back” (Zusak, 178). Hans escaped death while the others in battle were not as fortunate. It was because of Erik Vandenburg that Hans was still alive, and his feeling of guilt was overwhelming. Because of this, he went to see Erik’s family. “He saved my life… If there is anything you ever need…” (Zusak, 179). Hans knew that his offer was no comparison to Erik’s saving his life

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