The Grave Digger's Handbook Essay

The Book Thief is a historical fiction novel by Markus Zusak set in Munich, Germany during the Nazi reign from 1936-1943. The novel incorporates a main character that is, in the beginning, an innocent child who doesn't understand the world and takes her on a journey where she grows up and matures through the hardships and challenges of her life. The story is narrated by the character Death, who is a fresh take on the Grim Reaper, only wearing the black cloak when it's cold and never carries a syte. Death describes the life Liesel Meminger, an orphaned girl who witnesses her brother's death and burial and finds herself being adopted by the benevolent old couple, the Hubermanns. The rest of the story follows Liesel's journey through her incredibly challenging life with the Hubermanns and characters such as Rudy, The mayor's wife, and Max helping her along. Symbolism in The Book Thief deepens the story by conveying many different ideas and emotions that supports the reader's understanding of the story. This is especially apparent with the use of the gravediggers to help the reader remember characters, the use of color to help the reader feel the proper emotions and remember the correct events, and the use of Liesel's changing feelings about Rudy to convey how Liesel grows and matures through the book.

When Liesel went to the Huberman's house, Hans had the ability to speak to her in a way she would not feel rejected or lonely with them. When Hans and Liesel used to practice their reading and writing they start developing a deep bond. Rosa was more strict and she used to get really mad for everything, that is why Liesel did not feel confident whenever she did something or speak to Rosa. After a while Liesel understands the way Rosa was, so they become closer together. When Max arrived to the Huberman’s house is when Rosa and Liesel started to develop their bond because when he woke up after being sick Rosa went to the school and yell at Liesel just to make everyone believe she was mad at Liesel, but in reality she went to give her some great

Liesel’s first encounter with the power of words was when Hans was teaching her how to read. Liesel desperately wanted to learn how to read The Gravedigger’s Handbook. Liesel’s last memory of her brother and mother was when she had to bury his brother after he died. Her brother’s death was the first immense loss of a loved one. Liesel associates the event with the book she picked up off

The Book Thief, is a Death narrated novel by Markus Zusak. The story takes place in Nazi Germany, 1939, where Liesel Meminger arrives on Himmel Street to start a new life with her foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. She lives to a very old age and when Death finally comes to take her away, he wants to tell Liesel about beauty and brutality. But what could he tell her about beauty and brutality that she didn’t know, the Book Thief had lived through it all. The time she saw Max marching to Dachau, the time Rudy went into the Amper River to save The Whistler, and the final moments she spent with Mama. Liesel Meminger’s life had always represent beauty in the wake of brutality.

Liesel, the book thief herself, steals books in times of pain. All six books Liesel steals are metaphors for the feelings of loss and pain during the time of which the book was stolen. She uses the books to grow knowledge of the situations occurring around her, one stolen book in particular is “The Gravedigger’s Handbook” This book is the first of all books Liesel steals, and it is the book that caused her to grow to love words, coincidently, she finds this book in the snow on the day of her brother’s death, which is when she was filled with grief and abandonment. This book is a symbol for Liesel’s grief and as she tries to learn how to read the book, her twisted comfort in the story shows how the words had a powerful effect on her grieving process shown by the quotation, “…Not to mention the morbidity of the subject. As for the girl, there was a sudden desire to read it that she didn't even attempt to understand” (Zusak, 66)

The Book Thief is the story of Liesel Meminger’s life during World War 2 told through the eyes of Death himself. All three writers portray Death as a character who has interactions with those that have or are about to die. However, unlike Zusak’s Death, Collins’ is a malicious puppeteer and Dickinson’s Death is presented as someone who is at peace with what he must do.

When a person observes/encounters death their willpower shows determination that helps them survive. The first glimpse we see of this is on page 21. On the train to Munich liesel's brother dies. His name is Werner. He later gets buried at a graveyard just by the train tracks. There was a little ceremony and Liesel and her mother carry on. One thing Liesel takes is the gravedigger's handbook. This is portraying to us on how she will eventually turn into a thief, hence “The Book Thief”. This quote is portrayed by death; “One eye open, one still in a dream. It would be better for a complete dream. I think, but i really have no control over that”. (5, 9) In this quote Liesel believes that the situation that had just occurred was a dream, but she knows that it is not. She learns to read the gravediggers book and it opens up the opportunity of books into her life. Another example of death is when Hans trades cigarettes for Mein Kampf. Hans’ history with Mein Kampf has been a wild one. On Hans’ way back from WWI he

Death. To many, it is the end of life and start of a new beginning from this world, but in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Death is our narrator. He is the one who guides us through the life of a young German girl named Liesel during Nazi Germany. Death manages to see her three times, and soon enough, becomes fascinated by her and the trials she must face in her life. Liesel manages to change Death’s character, surprising him in a way he thought humans never could and changing his viewpoint on them forever.

With the fast-paced globalization together with the heightening political economic issues of the world, it has brought forth the illegal immigrants to cross the Sonoran Desert of Southern Arizona, or as the anthropologist, Jason De León describes it, The Land of the Open Graves. However, there is more to unauthorized immigration than what meets the eye. Scratching the surface of the case of undocumented migrants reveals that it rooted from the intensifying global inequality and crisis of the world. Accordingly, the author’s decision to vividly depict the brutality beyond words the undocumented migrants had suffered while crossing the borders allows the readers to see the bigger picture behind illegal immigration, preventing further unnecessary deaths of the innocents.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak tells the story of Liesel Meminger and her life during World War II. It is told from the point of view of Death through his interactions near her and others in her life. Zusak uses imagery, language, and tone to share his theme of the beauty of humans.

Death who is the narrator of this book is mesmerized by humans. He is intrigued by all that the world has but what he has trouble with is understanding how humans can commit so much cruelties and hideous action but at the same time have others who are so nice and make the world a much better place to live in. One thing that death tries to accomplish is to treasure new ways that he could make his job and his work more purposeful. One of the ways he attempts to do this is by compiling stories that he finds of brave human beings. He stumbles upon one fascinating story of human named Liesel. He believes that Liesel is like none other than he has ever seen before. He thinks that stories are truly beautiful. He is intrigued in her because of who

The first picture I drew was of Liesel Meminger finding The Gravedigger's Handbook, located next to her brother's grave. Liesel's brother, Werner Meminger, died on the train when their mother, Paula Meminger, was taking them to their foster family, the Hubermann's. The Gravedigger's Handbook belonged to a young apprentice who dropped the book and Liesel picked it up and kept it. The importance of The Gravedigger's Handbook was that it was the first book which Liesel steals, leading to her learning how to read, and to steal more books later on. It is her only tangible memento of her brother, and also of her mother. The second picture I drew was of Liesel arriving at the Hubermann's house located on 33 Himmel Street. She is introduced to her foster mother, Rosa Hubermann and her foster father, Hans Hubermann. She takes an immediate liking into Hans, but was not so sure about Rosa.

In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak we learn about Death, who is someone you wouldn't expect Death to be, our storyteller. He tells us about Liesel, her journey. He tells us about all of her losses, and victories. Most of all he tells us that she is no ordinary person, she is The Book Thief. There are many ways that she is the book thief, but the most obvious way is she steals books, but another way is that “Sometimes people are beautiful, not in looks, just they way they are.” And that is another way she steals, she steals the way you look at life.

The Book Thief recounts the treacherous time of Nazi Germany through the years of 1939 and 1943 during World War II. The narrator, Death personified, tells the readers of the journey of Liesel Meminger during this time. The story begins with Liesel, her mother and her brother, Werner, riding on a train to Molching; a small town just outside of Munich, Germany. The plan was that once they got to Molching, Liesel and Werner were to live with foster parents named Hans and Rosa Hubermann. However, before they can reach Molching, Werner dies.

The Gravedigger’s Handbook is the first book Liesel steals. For Liesel, the book represents great loss, sorrow and her feelings of abandonment because of her brother’s death and her mother’s abandonment.