The Book Thief Rhetorical Analysis

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.

These behaviors impact the way many view Germany during this time period. The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak, also takes place during this time. It focuses on a girl named Liesel, her family, her friend Rudy, a Jew named Max, and Death. The author personifies Death as the narrator of Liesel’s story, living in Nazi Germany during WWII.

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.

Foreshadowing is a major technique Zusak uses in The Book Thief to portray the power of words. Within the first pages of the novel, the narrator gives the audience a glimpse into the novel’s content. This not only adds intrigue and encourages the audience to continue reading; it also foreshadows central themes – ‘some words’, ‘quite a lot of thievery’, and central characters, ‘an accordionist’, ‘a Jewish fist fighter’. The meaning and importance of these small phrases are not revealed until much later in the novel. ‘A Jewish fist fighter’ refers to Max Vandenburg, and foreshadows his appearance. His presence highlights the brutality of Nazi Germany, the immediacy of war, and the kindness and compassion of humans. Max is also an instrumental

What is the first thing you think about when you hear the word death? In most cases, people fear death but as the narrator in Markus Zusak’s novel, The Book Thief, Death is a compassionate and honorable character.

Death often foreshadows, or even just tells the reader, what will happen in the future of the book. This prepares the reader for what will happen in the future, making the book even more unique than it already is. It is not often that a reader learns of the death of a character before it actually happens (Cooley, Steffen). This is quite the opposite of what happens in The Book Thief. Death, as a narrator, knows what will happen and to whom it will happen to (Cooley, Steffen). One of the most extreme cases of this is the foreshadowing of Rudy Steiner’s  death. On page 241 Death openly says:”A SMALL ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT RUDY STEINER. He didn’t deserve to die the way he did” (Zusak). This tells the reader that Rudy will die, but not telling the reader when he dies, adding more suspense to the book. Death also

In the middle of the book death says, “He didn’t deserve to die the way he did...on the night he passed away. He’d have cried and turned and smiled if only he could have seen the book thief on her hands and knees, next to his lifeless body.” Through this hint the narrator, death prepares the reader in advance for Rudy’s death. Maybe for some people this is helpful, but for some others it will ruin the story. In another instance where we get a hint of things to come is evidenced in, “Of those ten, six were stolen, one showed up at the kitchen table, two were made for her by a hidden Jew, and one was delivered by a soft, yellow-dressed afternoon.” This tells me how Liesel got all her books and it took the surprise away from the fact that a Jew was going to live in their basement. Even these hints hold a sad fact in them of human beings having to hide in basements or losing their loved

In the first few chapters of the story, Death described himself a little and talked a little about Liesel. One of the things that makes Death so fascinated with Liesel Meminger, the book thief, is that she manages to escape over and over. He says that 1942 was a busy year for him, because of the people who died from the World War II. He saw them dying painfully one by one and carried millions of their souls away during the war, and he truly understood the ugliness of humans; on the other hand, he also understood that there are some people who still has a beautiful

The “Climax” is the moment of greatest emotional intensity and/or the turning point in the story for the main character. The climax of The Book Thief is when the planes bombed Himmel Street while everyone was still asleep. It was the moment of greatest emotional intensity because Liesel had that kindness that spread around with those she meets, she cared deeply for Hans, Rosa, and Rudy, and when they died, you could feel the emotion that Liesel had, it was all too much. “In disbelief, Liesel buried her head into Rudy’s chest. She held his limp body, trying to keep him from lolling back, until she needed to return him to the butchered ground.” “She took a step and didn’t want to take any more, but she did. Slowly, Liesel walked to her mama and

In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Death, the narrator is trying to understand humans. To accomplish this, he follows the life of a little girl named Liesel Meminger. Throughout the book, he learns from her and others that humans can be both beautiful and ugly. He sees both the goodness of Liesel and others, and he sees the evils brought about by Hitler and the Nazi party. Throughout the book, Death’s understanding of humans and their ways is heightened by his study of Liesel and of other 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.

Her knees entered the ground. Her moment had arrived. Still in disbelief, she started to dig. He couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t- Within seconds, snow was carved

In conclusion, by choosing death as the narrator Markus Zusak provides the reader with the information that Liesel does not know and death knows but also describes Liesel, her life and how she feels about the things that are happening in her life. Also, by choosing death as the narrator it allows Zusak to describe the other characters and their thoughts which is effective because it does not create confusion and makes the reader eager to read more. For example, “AN ATTRIBUTIVE OF ROSA HUBERMANN She was a good woman for a crisis”. This is written in bold which means that it has been used as a distraction and to give information about the characters who death is talking about and it also provides the reader with the opinion of

In the novel The Book Thief Markus Zusak uses many different characters, experiences, and control factors to greatly illustrate the life of a young girl and her book living experience through the Holocaust.

As I sat at the desk reading my copy of Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, I was transported to a different world. How can a mere book take one to a different place? The question may never be answered, but Markus Zusak found a way to take his readers on an unforgettable and life changing journey. The Book Thief, not only can change the reader’s viewpoints on the world, it can change the way they think from the inside. Markus Zusak’s novel is work of art, a masterpiece and what I would consider the book of the century.