Gabrielle Scott
Category A, Prompt B: Motif
The Book Thief
“Every minute, every hour, there was worry, or more to the point,
paranoia. Criminal activity will do that to a person, especially a child. They
envision a prolific assortment of caughtoutedness.
Some examples: People jumping out of alleys. Schoolteachers suddenly being
aware of every sin you’ve ever committed. Police showing up at the door each
time a leaf turns or a distant gate slams shut.
For Liesel, the paranoia itself became the punishment…”
(pg. 129- The Mayor’s Library)
The title of the book reflects a story about a girl who steals books,
although that is not clear until we learn more about Liesel and when she starts
to steal them. In the usual context of “thief,” this would mean the person is committing
a crime. Even in this passage, her actions are described as “criminal activity,”
and she feels guilty after being caught. The motif of the novel certainly is books,
words, and the stealing of books. Yet Liesel steals them to better herself as
a person. Initially she could not read, and gains a deeper connection to her foster
father through words and reading. She also acquires a friendship with Max, the
Jewish man who the Hubermanns take in to prevent his death during the
Holocaust.
While this novel takes place during the reign of
Hitler, it only showcases the cruelty of the Holocaust to an extent. Granted, there are
details of the Jews being taken away, men being deported for War, and the
burning of books by Hitler. Still, the main
focus throughout the book is Liesel learning to read and the meaning behind her
gaining the ability. Words save three lives in particular: Liesel’s, Hans’ and
Max’s.
Although she is stealing the books from the library of
the Fuhrer himself, and gets caught by Rudy and another child who overhears her
telling Rudy why she is stealing them, they lead to Liesel becoming a writer as
an older woman. Books help her through the rough times that surround her, and
learning to read offers more possibilities for her.
Normally, stealing would be thought of as a sin, but
under the circumstances of the book, readers are more apt to side with Liesel.
Especially because books written by Jews are being burned, therefore limiting
the literature people can read. This complicates the reading of the book
because we are convinced to feel sorry for Liesel. Certainly, the Holocaust and
WWII is extremely atrocious, but the context of the horrendous removal of Jews
is misplaced. While learning about the struggles of Liesel, and how books help
her, then readers may tend to set aside the setting and focus solely on Liesel
and her life.
Liesel's connection to books was interesting to learn about and also to watch develop. Personally, I found it amusing every time Liesel stole a book because I knew it brought her joy, which I think Hans felt the same way about Liesel stealing. However, it was complicated to encourage someone to steal because like you mentioned stealing is associated as a sin. This situation is even more complex considering that it was the middle of a war, her family was struggling to eat and there was no extra money for books, and other situations.
ReplyDeleteI like the juxtaposition of Liesel's "criminal activity" and the Nazis' activity in this post. It really showcases the moral ambiguity of the time where things we think are wrong now like the Nazi book burnings or the destruction of the "road of yellow stars" are considered normal/right in this society while Liesel stealing a book from a fire or visiting a library are considered crimes in the text but are seen as admirable by us as readers. It just goes to show how time and perspective really change what we view to be right and wrong.
ReplyDeleteHi Gabrielle,
ReplyDeleteI would second Colleen's comment that this post draws attention to moral relevancy. Stealing a book from a book burning is a serious punishable crime yet we see it as admirable, reading in a different country and time period. Your argument about what the motif reinforces could be clearer and I think that is because this post actually deals with two motifs: books/words and stealing. Books and writing are one motif that reinforces the importance of language and art. Stealing is another motif that reinforces a theme of moral relevance and empowerment of the disempowered.