Personification in The Book Thief

Personification in The Book Thief
Category A: Prompt C 

           One useful literary device that Markus Zusak uses in his novel, The Book Thief, is personification. Death itself is personified in the novel, and the whole narrative is recollected by the omniscient collector of souls. While the unusual narrator would typically be feared, Zusak paints Death as a surprisingly compassionate individual that is especially sensitive to the various shades of color displayed in the skies. Death uses many surprising adjectives to describe himself that may strike the reader as contradictory to reality. For example, he calls himself “Agreeable. Affable…nothing if not fair” (Book Thief, 3). Death also reveals that he doesn’t really enjoy his work; it is stressful, and the “leftover humans” cause him despair.

            Employing Death as the narrator of the novel makes the topic of death and dying more accessible/understandable to the young audience for whom this book is printed. By stripping away much of the mystery and aspects of the unknown that surround death, young readers are more readily able to start grasping the complexities of death – which adults still grapple with – or at least are more readily able to talk with parents/teachers about questions or concerns they have. Personification is what allows these mysterious aspects to be stripped away – death is transformed from a remote idea, which many young readers may not have experienced personally yet, into a physical person that shares an intimate story with the reader.

            The personification of death also helps add cohesion to the story by allowing for an omniscient narrator. Death is able to traverse the globe and witness firsthand the horrors that Nazi Germany and WWII wrought on humanity. He can see all of the casualties and atrocities, regardless of which flag is being flown. The omniscient narrator is useful in providing insight into the thoughts and lives of our protagonists, especially Liesel, to whom the title refers.

            Finally, the use of death as a narrator makes the story of Liesel, the book thief, significantly more impactful. Surely our narrator has witnessed more death and history than any reader could imagine. Yet, it was the life and bravery of a young girl living under the oppression of Nazi Germany. Zusak could be suggesting that even death himself would be shocked by the atrocities of the Holocaust; or perhaps he is conveying to the reader the importance of remembering stories like these. 

The Book Thief Motif

Category A, Option B

One motif I have found in The Book Thief is the complexity of humans: that they can be  both so beautiful and ugly, good and evil, loving and hateful at the same time. During WWII many people were reduced to less than people. They were polarized and made into caricatures. The Nazis dehumanized the Jews and saw them first as a threat, and increasingly as an infestation to be exterminated. The Americans saw the Axis powers as pure evil, grouping entire nations into one ideology and one crime. I agree that all Germans alive during the Holocaust have some shared responsibility for the atrocity that took place in their homeland, regardless of whether or not they agreed with the stance of the Nazi party or knew the extent of the violence against the Jewish people.

However, I think even now we tend to falter in our view of history. We want to think of the Nazis as less than people: hateful, evil fascists that we would never come across in our America today. I think this is dangerous. It eliminates our ability to identify with the sins of the Germans in the 1940’s and makes us less prepared to prevent it from occurring again. The Germans of WWII were simply people. Some fully bought into the rhetoric of Adolf Hitler, such as Frau Diller, some reservedly joined the party to protect their family, like Alex Steiner, and some silently fought against his regime with everything they could by housing a Jew secretly, such as Hans Hubermann.

Having death narrate the novel helps provide this perspective. He has been around as long as humans have been dying and he knows what the human race is capable of. He has seen many wars and terrible genocides. At the same time, he still maintains the capacity to be fascinated with them. His perspective spans much wider than our scope of narrowing in on the abomination of WWII. The fact that the story focuses on the lives of the Germans also adds to this. We see the internal struggle of many of the characters in following the pace of their government for their own wellbeing or fighting against what they know to be wrong. This shows the story of the 10% of Germans who did not agree with Adolf Hitler. It also shows the story of reluctant Nazi soldiers. It also does not romanticize the Germans; many minor characters in the novel do show outright hatred and disgust toward the Jewish people. Such as Frau Diller. I think more than anything, it shows how easy it is for the majority of society to buy into ethnocentric rhetoric once it becomes the norm.

The inner complexity of this moral struggle for the average German is highlighted well in the chapter titled “Jesse Owens.” There is an aside to describe “The Contradictory Politics of Alex Steiner,” which describes his discomfort and guilt associated with the discrimination he witnessed, but also a secret relief and guilty gladness he felt at the assured safety of his family and prosperity of his tailoring business. He does everything in his power to keep his family safe in the novel, which becomes tragically ironic in the end when he returns to a desolate Himmel Street.

However, I think the passage in the novel that I think most accurately sums up this motif is on the last page. Death and Leisel are sitting on a park bench and Death has an internal monologue about their situation:

“A few cars drove by, each way. Their drivers were Hitlers and Hubermanns, and Maxes, killers, Dillers, and Steiners …

I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her about those things that she didn’t already know? I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating the human race - that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant.”

The drastic ambiguity of people is displayed here so aptly as he describes humans as beautiful and brutal, ugly and glorious. It shows that maybe we aren’t all so different after all. He describes the drivers passing by as “Hitlers and Hubermanns, and Maxes and killers, Dillers and Steiners.” He juxtaposes each of these vastly different characters side by side to emphasize their shared humanity.

The Book Thief Soundtrack: "Dear Wormwood"

The Book Thief Blog Response: Category B, Prompt D



"When I was a child, I didn't hear a single word you said
The things I was afraid of, they were all confined beneath my bed
But the years have been long, and you have taught me well to hide away
The things that I believed in, you've taught me to call them all escapes

I know who you are now

There before the threshold, I saw a brighter world beyond myself
And in my hour of weakness, you were there to see my courage fail
For the years have been long, and you have taught me well to sit and wait
Planning without acting, steadily becoming what I hate


I know who you are now


I have always known you, you have always been there in my mind
But now I understand you, and I will not be part of your designs


I know who I am now
And all that you've made of me
I know who you are now
And I name you my enemy


I know who I am now
I know who I want to be
I want to be more than this devil inside of me"


*****

I chose the song "Dear Wormwood" by the Oh Hellos while reflecting on two important passages in the book. The first is near the beginning, when Death makes this observation: "When it came down to it, one of them called the shots. The other did what he was told. The question is, what if the other is a lot more than one?” First and foremost, this quote poses the question, if more people had stood up to Hitler and tried to stop the horrors he committed, would the Holocaust still have happened? It's a tough question to think about because it makes us uncomfortable, that we as a united human race did not stop the injustices occurring, first under our nose, and then blatantly to our face. I think that's a question Hans and Liesel and many other characters pondered themselves. They were faced with a choice: do what's best for themselves, or do what's best for the victims around them. Liesel the book thief did her best to choose the latter, even as she watched those she loved die around her. Liesel has a fire within her to fight the monstrosities Hitler is committing. The first book burning she experiences on Hitler's birthday fascinates her, horrifies her, and wakes her up to the world around her. Gone is the veil placed in front of her by childhood innocence, replaced by a strong distaste for injustice and a disposition for rebellion. I think this song reflects that transformation really well. Liesel goes from a small, scared child, haunted by the death of her brother and silently attending Hitler Youth, to a fiery, motivated young woman who steals books from burning heaps. The first stanza reflects her childhood ("When I was a child, I didn't hear a single word you said // The things I was afraid of, they were all confined beneath my bed"), the bridge represents her waking up to Hitler's wrongs, a sort of coming of age ("I know who you are now"), and the some of the last verses represent her refusal to comply with Hitler's "business as usual." Much like Hans, Liesel wanted no part of Hitler's evil deeds ("I have always known you, you have always been there in my mind // But now I understand you, and I will not be part of your designs... // I know who you are now // And I name you my enemy"). Although the song begins timidly, it builds strength and power throughout it, much like Liesel does in the novel. Although her revolts are small, Liesel's quiet convictions reflect her strong-willed personality, her resilience, and her refusal to accept injustice.

Death as Narrator in The Book Thief

In The Book Theif Death is the narrator. Death was reflecting on the life of Liesel during Hitler’s reign. Because he was reflecting on the past he used a lot of foreshadowing. One of the most prominent examples was when Death says Rudy, “didn’t deserve to die the way he did.” He then elaborated by implying that a bomb blast had killed him and Leisel finally kissed him. Death’s foreshadowing signified a distinct change in the reader’s perception of the book. Leisel’s life up to that point was mostly happy and constantly improving. She was learning to read and becoming more comfortable with her foster parents; especially papa. The reader was hopeful about Leisel’s life and happiness. The foreshadowing apprised the reader of the horrors to come. It made every instance of happiness that followed a lot more potent and meaningful. Every time Leisel ventured out to play soccer with her friends again there was a sense of combined happiness and dread. Every time Leisel refused to kiss Rudy instead of seeming playful, as it did before, it seemed cruel. Death sucked the hope out of the novel. The foreshadowing also introduced a new period in the novel that dealt more with the negative affect the Nazi’s had on the character’s lives and the more serious situations Leisel would have to face. Her papa brought a Jew to their home and hid him in their basement. She was confronted with the horrors that led him to her home. She played less with her friends and was confronted with Max’s mortality. Her friends, Rudy and Tommy, were mistreated by the Hitler Youth. She had to prepare for bombings and hide in shelters. She watched the Jewish march and her father get whipped simply for being kind. Leisel’s innocence and childhood was systematically battered and eventually lost. Death showed her loss of innocence and childhood even more with his descriptions of her writings where she reflects on her experiences. In the end, Leisel lost almost everyone that meant anything to her. Death’s mention of the loss of Rudy was just the beginning of her road to loss.

An Instagram for Rudy (The Book Thief)

For this post, I created Rudy Steiner's Instagram account.

I chose his profile picture to be of him smiling and holding a soccer ball because for the most part, Rudy is a cheerful neighborhood kid who is undoubtedly obsessed with sports. This is also why I chose to put a Jesse Owens quote in his bio, which serves the purpose of demonstrating just how much Rudy admires Jesse Owens but also showcasing Rudy's capacity to dream big and work hard to achieve.

The first post is indicative of Rudy's life before Liesel, which was mostly concerned with winning sports competitions. I chose to write the caption with an arrogant sort of tone because Rudy's belief in himself and his abilities are strong and voiced several times in the text.

The second is a celebration of his friendship with Liesel. She inspires him to do things that he wouldn't do on his own and because he loves her so much, it would make sense that he would post such a sweet thing on his Instagram.

The third post takes a slightly somber tone by commenting on Rudy's father, Alex, being taken away and sent to work in an army hospital in Vienna. Rudy is openly upset by this, even to go so far as to threaten to kill the Führer and would most likely post something emotional online to remedy his inner turmoil.

National Identity in The BookThief

            Nationality is an interesting concept to look at in Marcus Zusack’s The Book Thief.  The main character is Liesel; a young girl who is growing up in Nazi ruled Germany and everyone knows that nationality was extremely important to the Nazis.   Citizens of Germany were either supported or believed in Germany, the Nazis, and Adolph Hitler, or they were against him and an enemy of Germany. Liesel and her foster parents oppose Hitler and the Nazis, but they still have to keep up the appearance of support the government they oppose, especially when there is already suspicion around Hans for not being a member of the Nazi party.  Liesel and her family must appear to support Hitler or their lives may become endangered as well.  I think that this false sense of nationality that was forced upon Liesel and her family is portrayed in the scene where Hans slaps Liesel for saying that she hated Hitler.

            Hans slapped Liesel because she disclaims that she hates Hitler in public.  Liesel has just come to the realization that her mother was a communist and that Hitler’s reign on Germany may have been part of the reason her mother had to give her up.  Disclaiming hatred for Hitler in public at this time period risked not only for Liesel but her family as well.  Instead of trying to convince Liesel into following Hitler’s plan for Germany, he enforces the idea that opposing Hitler is dangerous and that she needed to be a “Good German”.  Hans reinforces the idea that it is okay to say that sort of thing in his house, but outside it is dangerous and unwise.  He teaches the importance of appearing to be a good German to Liesel early on in her life.  For the most part, Liesel appears to be a good German and supports Hitler.  She “Heil Hitlers” when asked, she attends the special club and meetings she has to go to, and respects the Nazi soldiers she encounters.  However, this is where the struggle between her identities begins.

            While Liesel does not agree with beliefs of Hitler and the Nazi soldiers, she still is identified as German.  To some extent, she has to keep up this identity in order to protect herself.  However, by portraying this type of nationality she also betraying her personal beliefs.  Liesel has many reasons to hate Hitler and his movement.  These reasons include being abandoned by her mother and Max being forced to not only hide and isolate himself in her home, but later on flee from her home.  However, there is a point where Liesel does not want to succumb to how Germans are treating Jews.  One example of this being shown is when Liesel and Rudy leave bread for the Jewish prisoners.  It is an act against their nationality, but at the same time since they are not caught, they still have the appearance of being loyal Germans. 

            Overall, I feel like nationality played a huge role in this novel, but at the same time it did not play a role at all.  Nationality was present throughout The Book Thief but at the same time, it was all an act in order to survive by many different characters.  Liesel participated in saying “Heil Hitler” when necessary; attending the sponsored events, and much more that was expected from her as being a girl growing up Germany.  However, this was only a public face of Liesel and not her true identity.  Liesel’s true identity was much more complex than one would believe.   This portrayal of nationality could allow Liesel’s identities to struggle about what was or was not the right thing to do. 

Identity in The Book Thief

One passage that comes to mind in this novel about the nature of identity is on page 161 when Leisel and Ma’x situations are being compared. The quote is as follows: “You could argue that Liesel Meminger had it easy. She did have it easy according to Max Vandenburg. Certainly, her brother practically dies in her arms. Her mother abandoned her. But anything was better than being a Jew.” Liesel and Max both live contrasting lives, and Max makes the best of his isolation in the basement of the Hubermann house by keeping himself entertained by living out his fantasies about fighting Hitler and his Nazis. Max lives his life in constant fear, while Leisel goes out and goes to school and lives the life of a girl as normal as war-time Germany can give. Max seems to be constantly fighting something, if it isn’t survival, its boredom, and he never tires of the thought of leaving the Hubermann’s basement and making their lives easier. He feels that his identity is making the lives of Hans and Rosa Hubermann difficult, and rightfully so. But they are doing it out of the kindness of their heart, and Hans feels a connection to the son of his wartime constituent.  Many Jews died of thie things that Max survived, mainly the crippling coma that he was in and nearly died of, but also the fact that the basement gets inspected by Nazi soldiers and they don’t manage to find Max. He has the realities of sickness and death at his doorstep, but he has the added burden of dealing with them in a great deal of isolation, where Liesel becomes his only solace and his only reason to stop fighting and relax for a bit.  Liesel can go freely and steal books and Max has to stay in hiding alone when the bombing raids begin and the neighborhood people had to hide separately. Max lives his life in solitude because of the identity placed on him at birth, and as a result of the Nazi regime and his need to go into hiding, he has to spend a lot of time alone, pretending to fight off the very people that are oppressing him, and trying to take what he has been given, both in sickness and in his time at Dachau, and live his life despite all the odds being stacked against him.

An Instagram for Death (The Book Thief)

Da Hae Han

“The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak

Category: B, Prompt: A

Instagram: @just_call_me_death

For this assignment, I created an Instagram account for the narrator of Markus Zusak’s novel, “The Book Thief.” The reasoning behind why I chose these specific images is because personally I feel they accurately encapsulate powerful quotes made from the narrator, Death, himself throughout the novel.

1^st Post: “You want to know what I truly look like? I’ll help you out. Find yourself a mirror while I continue” (Zusak 307).

2^nd Post: “The last time I saw her was red. The sky was like soup, boiling and stirring.

3^rd Post: “At some point in time, I will be standing over you, as genially as possible. Your soul will be in my arms. A color will be perched on my shoulder. I will carry you gently away. The question is, what color will everything be at that moment when I come for you? What will the sky be saying?” (Zusak 4).

I chose these images because they portray the universality of the concept in which the narrator represents. In the end, death is inevitably the great unifier, and it plays a major role in humanity. Regardless, many people typically approach the end in various alternate ways, whether that involves their understanding of the concept, their acceptance of it, or the manner in which they pass. These many manners are all represented by the color of the sky. Some such instances of these murky dark colors are waxy yellows, cloud-spat blues, and dark chocolate. It is simultaneously evident through the various colors, which are present throughout each death, that there is a very compassionate, gentle side to death, despite the haunting pain one may suffer through prior to it, as it appears as if there is an embracing of it by those who seek to understand it or the one who is in the state of passing.

The Books Motif in The Book Thief

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.