The Book Thief Thesis

Courage is one of the most important character traits a person can have. Robert Francis Kennedy once said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Courage is shown in both the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and the movie The Help directed by Tate Taylor. Both the book and movie’s theme of courage, the ability to do the right thing despite challenges and oppressions, is shown through the characters’ action, symbolism, and dialogue.

In The Book Thief, a work of historical fiction, written by Markus Zusak introduces the main character Liesel Meminger, the reader starts to see how she keeps having many conflicts but always stays positive. Liesel has many conflicts, for example her brother dies early in the book and that shapes the way she is. Later on Liesel steals books and that makes her happy because the first book she stole was the grave digger's handbook and that is how she remembers her brother. Liesel steals and reads books this is how she finds happiness with all the bad things going on around her. In the end of the book most of the people she loves die and it is hard for her to find happiness again. The author uses the setting and point of view to express theme and to make the reader feel sympathy; He uses this because with the theme of finding light in the darkness, deaths perception, and the setting of Germany makes the theme clearer.

3. Hans' compassion sets a strong example for Liesel who is soothed by his presence. He gives bread to a starving prisoner and protects Max.

These acts alone make Hans very brave because of how he persevered in the Great War not only physically by going over the trenches in France and pushing back the opposition but also mentally considering all the dead bodies he must have seen and all his fellow soldiers falling. As well as how even though he was forced to go to the LSE, he saved people, reformed house structures and even when he was injured he still pushed through. In addition to that, the second reason is that Hans Hubermann went out of his way to accept Max Vandenburg into his home and hide him, ‘Max made his way to Munich and Molching, and now he sat in a stranger’s kitchen, asking for the help he craved and suffering the condemnation he felt he deserved. ’(Zusak 196). When Hans and his family were hiding Max, he also stayed very calm and collected when house basements were being checked for air raid shelters, “Papa sat at the

Liesel Meminger is the daughter of Paula Meminger. She is also the sister of late Warren Meminger. Consequently, she steals the first book in the novel, called The Gravedigger's Handbook. Therefore, Death gave her the nickname of “ the book thief” before us knowing that she would become “the book thief”. Liesel Meminger is the hardworking, book-thieving, kind-hearted protagonist of The Book Thief. She loves books so much that she steals them, even before knowing how to read. All of this started because stealing books reminds her of Warren Meminger. This is even she bonds more with Hans Hubermann, her foster father, dedicates his time to teach her how to read. We might be asking, why hasn’t she gotten an education at the age of 10. The answer is not as clear as others, but it definitely has to do with Liesel father’s communist affiliations. He was part of the German Communist Party, that was popular when Hitler took over. This is also the reason why she had to be fostered.

For The Book Thief Essay, the theme The true nature of courage was spectacularly important to the text. This theme relates more to The Book Thief than the other themes do. There are multiple of examples where different characters display courage, when at times they could have shied away. A couple of examples are when Hans paints the over the slurs, or when Rudy and Liesel give the Jews bread. Thesis statement: Having courage is a valuable asset to a person's life, so if you have that type of ability then you are a good person.

Markus Zusak’s novel, The Book Thief, tells the heart-wrenching story of Liesel Meminger, a German girl, as she navigates adolescence in Nazi Germany. With his convincing depiction of the time, it could be said that Zusak worked within the conventions of realistic fiction were it not for his otherworldly narrator—Death. Death traditionally marks the end of a story, so Zusak’s decision to begin his novel with Death’s voice piqued my interest. This interest was intensified by Death’s unique characterization—he is personified, yet retains his inhuman features. This incongruity in conjunction with the aberrant choice in narrator raised the question:

“There's a beauty that rises to the surface only after we’ve experienced pain” Kat Harris. The book Thief is about a girl named Liesel, whose parents died in a car accident. Her story is narrated by her death. After the death of her parents, she had to move in with the Hubermans. Hans Huberman was her new dad, and Rosa Huberman was her new mom.

Often in works of literature, a character encounters a situation that requires courage. In the real fiction novel, The Circuit by Francisco jimenez the main character Francisco is very courageous. Francisco and his family immigrated to Mexico from California had to do many things to making money and had a better life, because they are so poor and they they needed to do a lot things to know about the life. Francisco passed so many thinks that given courageous.

characters exemplified courage the most, and what point Harper Lee, the author, wanted to make through the characters I mentioned in the essay. In the story, courage

Historically, people have used literacy to obtain political power. In the novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, it is evident that books, reading, and words themselves represent power for different characters in different ways. Close analysis of Liesel Meminger and Max Vandenburg reveals that power can be achieved through literacy in a context where literacy is severely limited.

explores her love of books and her thrive to steal she is acquainted with a Jew, who comes to

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak shows through the midst of brutality, beauty can still be shown. The main characters Liesel Meminger, Rudy Steiner and Hans Huberman, prove this statement they are all faced with perilous situations, but still manage to show beauty throughout the situations. Liesel Meminger display beauty during the air raids, as she manages to read to people in the basement. Rudy Steiner displays beauty he jumps in the river to get Liesel’s book. Through Hans Huberman nobel character he displays beauty as he risks his life to hide a Jewish man in his basement.

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.

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.