Kindness In The Book Thief

The abstraction behind the term empathy is easily argued as one of society’s greatest misconceptions, actively acting as a redoubtable paragon of delusion. Much of this idea is founded upon the belief that the general collective are inherently good people. However, the concept, through its delusive facade, is repeatedly betrayed in the media as well as in various works of classical and modernized literature. As effectively portrayed in the novel, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, as well as in the film, The Boy in Striped Pyjamas directed by Mark Herman, this self gratifying concept created by society is recurrently illustrated and personified through the events of the holocaust. The basis of this argument is engendered by the belief that relationships— amatory or platonic— are radically based off the findings of common interests, more specifically those developed between the protagonist and supporting characters of each given story. This concept of empathy, although perceived in leading roles, is a non existent trait among humans that is recreated purely in the interest of convenience further demonstrating its delusory nature. Through friendships formed by elements of relatability, the struggle-some attempts at being sympathetically rounded, and prompted acts of benevolence that work in the favour of self image, this quality of empathy as argued inherent in humans is proven to be nothing more than an inventive trait idealized in fictitious characters.

In Marai's book Embers, two great friends, Henrik and Konrad, meet together for the first time in over 40 years and reminisce together about their past. As they are discussing past memories, their conversation unravels in which hidden confessions of each other's true thoughts finally become revealed after so many years. Despite the hatred they had towards each other, their friendship was always able to sustain itself because their friendship was very well founded.

In “The Book Thief” written by Marcus Zusak, Liesel is a small, resourceful girl, who Death says “Has a mountain to climb”. It is not a physical mountain that Liesel has to climb, rather a emotional mountain full of rocks that tumble down the steep slopes trying to knock her off every time she stops moving forward. All her life she has gone without and been abandoned, but that never stopped her from climbing. Liesel is a very lucky girl to have so many “climbing partners” so to speak, such as Hans, Rosa, Max, and Rudy. Without her partners to help anchor her to the mountain, I am sure she would have perished long ago. Her journey started when she was just a small girl living in poverty with her mother and brother.

A single person has the power to demonstrate courage and make an impact on someone else's lives if only have the courage to try. Many people in crisis have the courage to stand out and become an upstander inside of a bystander, this is one example. In the novel, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak creates a small family trying to survive their lives in Nazi Germany when Hitler rises to power. A young girl named Liesel reminder was adopted by Hans and Rosa Hubermann and formed a very close bound. Hans Huberman was a painter and wasn't in the upper class and yet still made a difference in so many people's lives. He defied Hitler not only in his own home when bringing a Jew to live in their basement, but also defied Hitler in public when “The Jew stood before him, expecting another handful of derision, but he watched with every everyone else and Hans Hubermann held his hand out and presented a piece of bread, like magic”(Zusak .394).

According to Napoleon Bonaparte, courage isn’t having the strength to go on … it’s going on when you don’t have strength. Liesel, Max and Hans are the main characters in “The Book Thief” that have acts of courage entirely change their lives. This novel takes place during WWII in Germany. Countless Jews are desperately looking for the courage to endure the harsh rule of the Nazis. On the other hand there are some Germans who use their courage to stand against the Nazis in their own exceptional ways. The characters in “The Book Thief’ show acts of courage and this greatly affects the course of their life and relationships with other characters.

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage,” Lao Tzu. Courage is the choice to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Physical is when you show bravery in the face of death, pain, or threats, while mental courage is when somebody makes a right decision while opposing someone or something else. Some people do not have a choice to be courageous, and are forced to be courageous, while others have a choice to be courageous.

In Markus Zusak’s, The Book Thief, adversity is an important factor in shaping character. Liesel, Max, Rosa and Hans Hubermann all face hardships that help their character develop.The Book Thief is set in Germany during the time of WW2 when Hitler, the Fuhrer, rose to power. This was a hard time for Rosa and Hans because of their struggle to raise a foster child. It was also tough for Liesel because she had to get accustomed to a new place with different rules, but out of everyone, Max definitely faced a lot of problems.

Would you risk your life for someone else’s? Would you give up the only thing keeping you warm to keep someone else warm? If you had little food would you give some to keep someone else from being hungry? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, you are compassionate. According to Webster's Dictionary, compassion is defined as literally, suffering with another; a sensation of sorrow excited by the distress or misfortunes of another; pity; commiseration (Webster's Dictionary). Throughout the novel The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak, the personality trait compassion was magnified. During the toughest of times, Markus Zusak showed that hope and goodness could still be displayed while the worst of people were being

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).

Do good deeds go unpunished? Normally, you are taught by your parents to be selfless, compassionate, as the common saying goes “no good deed goes unpunished.” In the Book Thief this saying is especially true. A majority of the time when a character in the book does a good deed, or a compassionate act they get punished for it.

In the beginning of The Book Thief, the reader meets Liesel Meminger, her mother, and her brother, Werner Meminger. The father is never introduced. It is only said that he is a communist. Werner dies on the train to Himmel Street, the place that Liesel is left with a couple, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Liesel’s mother is never seen again, but the reader assumes that she was taken away for being one of the Nazi’s targets. According to The Book Thief, “What came to her then was the dustiness of the floor, the feeling that her clothes were more next to her than on her, and the sudden realization that this would all be for nothing—that her mother would never write back and she would never see her again.” Nazis were the epitome of evil. They tore families apart and killed millions of innocent people.

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.

Hope and courage are two feelings that are only powerful when used together. To be courageous and not hopeful is a suicide mission; on the other hand, having hope and no courage will never give one the urge to oppose the problem. In Markus Zusak’s novel The Book Thief, the whole story is the epitome of courage and hope. During the second world war, the young Liesel Meminger is adopted by the Hubermann family, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, who teach her the power of words, as well as the importance of kindness. Moreover, one of the themes of this novel is the creation of hope from courage, and it is shown through the author’s use of symbolism, allegory, as well as irony.

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.

Death states 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” (Zusak 491). This book shows us human doing things that weren’t even imaginable before this point. Many people give into ideas that were lies. But, we also watch a few people go out of their way and sacrifice everything for a man they barely even know. They do everything they can to keep him safe and alive. They work harder, the get another job, and they even steal. In Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, death examines the ugliness and the beauty of humans.