Death in The Thief by Markus Zusak - Book Report/Review Example

Book Report “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak Introduction: Based on the German settings during the World War II, The Book Thief is the debut novel by Markus Zusak. It is the story of a girl Liesel, who with the help of her accordionist foster father, feels the urge to steal books from her neighbors. The novel is narrated by the symbolism of death along with abandonment being one of the major themes of the novel. The story is all about the journey of soul searching by Liesel through the reading of her stolen books, a world introduced to her by the foster father. Set in Nazi Germany, The Book Thief reveals Liesel’s acceptance of reading as an escapist way from her endurance of pain and extreme unhappiness experienced in pre-war and wartime Germany. Death dominates most of The Book Thief as its main theme. The storyline in the novel is narrated by death itself. The setup of the World War II as the background of the novel evidently denotes the fact that death surrounds Liesel from all corners. The deaths of her family members poise as the most frequent nightmares experienced by Liesel throughout the novel. Besides death, the aspect of literature is one the important points made through the novel. The protagonist (Liesel) is introduced to the world of books and reading by her foster father. She realizes the relevance and power of words and reading - after all, it was the power of words through which Hitler and Nazi party controlled the country. The knowledge of books opened a different world for Liesel. At the same time, her practice of reading also indicates the theme of thievery. While surrounded by the deaths of dear ones and the pain emanated from such emotional loss, Liesel also used to consider reading as a way of escaping from her miserable life. Among the other significant topics of The Book Thief, the conflict between man versus society as well as the brutality of humanity are notable. These two key points revolve around the setting of the World War II and particularly, the Nazi Germany. Further, the novel’s events are stimulated by the background of the Jewish Holocaust and the frequent reference of Hitler and the Nazi party. The brutality of humanity is also a dominant point in the novel that is illustrated through the horrors of war and treatment of Jews. It is equally significant that the kindness of humanity is also narrated juxtaposing the brutality of humans. This conflict between positive and negative sides of human nature is a frequent point of introspection in The Book Thief. Author information: Markus Zusak, the author of The Book Thief is an Australian writer. His most acclaimed literary work pieces include novels such as I am the Messenger and The Book Thief. These two novels brought him a global recognition as well as won him several international accolades. Being the son of an Austrian father and a German mother, Zusak grew up hearing the stories of the World War II. As a young boy, he was quite familiar with the war mayhems, including the stories of Nazi Germany, Hitler, the bombing of Munich, the ill-treatment suffered by the Jews. It was these stories and events experienced by Zusak in his younger years that inspired him to pen down The Book Thief. Therefore, the authenticity of the novel cannot be ruled out. Whatever Zusak saw and heard about the Nazi Germany is what comprises the novel. Connections: With the text: The Book Thief is the most known literary work by Markus Zusak. Set in the Nazi Germany of the World War II, the novel wanders through the life of Liesel, the protagonist. As Liesel learns to cope with the new environments, she desires to escape all the pain, despair and nightmares she met with while losing her dear ones. And the biggest escape is her introduction to the world of reading by her foster father. With the brutality and horrors of war increasing every passing day, the protagonist learns to endure the pain of the deaths of her near and dear ones she lost in the course of the war. The conflict between this utter misery of death and the beauty of life is prevalent in the entire novel. Occasional instances of the representation of love and kindness of humans are the significant points the author wants to make through the novel. The conflict of man and society is correlated and always two-dimensional. The positive outlook of this man-society relationship is the fruit of the kindness and social harmony of the communal system created and developed by human beings. Whereas the negative outlook of the relationship provokes hatred and dominance of power as showcased here in the novel as the horror of war. At the same time, the power of words is not being overlooked. Liesel realizes it by developing the habit of reading, a practice introduced to her by her foster father. While the pain of war increases her miseries and losses of her loved ones, it is the books that keep Liesel connected to the beauty of mankind. In other words, the novel successfully connects to all the themes of the wartime Germany. With current events: The horrors of war are still hovering over the present day world. Zusak is successful in striking the right cord with his story in connection with the modern concept of war. The brutality of mankind is still persistent, along with the new modes of war havocs - in terms of the advancement of technology and invention of new weapons of mass destruction. In other words, wars bring out considerable amount of damages to mankind and society even today. In this context, The Book Thief by Zusak retells the story of war and destruction of mankind in precise description. Moreover, the differences between man and society have become increasingly conflicting in today’s world. This conflict is evidently present and quite dominant in the novel of Zusak. Above all, Zusak illustrates the most dominant theme in conflict and war - that is, the element of death - as the main topic and narrator of the novel. Throughout the novel, the discussion of deaths and dying tends to take the centre stage. Death being the narrator of The Book Thief, also experiences difficulties with the absolute amount of brutality. Besides, the background of the World War II also makes strong indication of death all around the lead character of the novel. The relation of death with war is quite mutual. The conflict between man and society also results in the ultimate goal, that is death. Zusak never misses a single opportunity in the novel to show this relation between death and war. Besides, the distinction between life and death is a thin line that can be joined or broken at any point of time. Zusak shows this difference through frequent instances of brutality as well as beauty of mankind. With other readings: Fatherland by English journalist Robert Harris is another best-seller novel based on the Nazi Germany. The novel belongs to the genre of thriller fiction. The story of the novel revolves around the premise of a world in which Nazi Germany was winning in the World War II. The novel includes series of events related to Hitler and the Nazi party, the Holocaust, and all other important links associated with the World War II. The novel makes a striking connection with The Book Thief by Markus Zusak in terms of the broad categorization of the wartime mayhems during the period of the Nazi Germany. The demonstration of the significant events of the Nazi Germany during the World War II itself is a strong point of confluence between The Book Thief and Fatherland. With the help of the thriller element of World war II, Harris describes a complete picture of the Nazi Germany in Fatherland including the most important historical events such as the concentration camp details, political upheavals of the war, conditions of the Jews, political scandals of the Nazi party officials, and so on. The primary background of Fatherland thus makes a striking connection to that of The Book Thief by Zusak. Hitler’s Nazi party was known for the ill treatments happened to the Jews in the concentration camps. The war brought out the horror of deaths and miseries to all who experienced it first hand. Life and death walked hand-in-hand in the Nazi Germany. Again, it is this conflicting concept of beauty and brutality of humans that makes a prominent remark on the themes of both the novels. The Book Thief tells an emotional and intriguing story of Liesel on the backdrop of the Nazi Germany. While the war is destroying kindness of humans, it is the words and books that sustain the protagonist even after facing deaths of her dear ones. Criticism and recommendations: The Book Thief tells the story of Liesel, her losses in the war, some fanatical Germans, conflicting ideas of the horrors of war, the introduction of reading as escape from pains, and quite a lot of thievery. The consequences of war are horrifying. The deaths of the loved ones often haunt Liesel. It is reading that shows the protagonist a new way to live even among the world of deaths. The novel efficiently demonstrates Liesel’s courage, honesty and vulnerability that make her a true heroine of The Book Thief. The novel carries out various characterization representing the good and bad faces of humanity with regard to the events of the war. The narrator (Death) is quite direct in depicting the war events with reference to myriad human feelings. The conflict of man versus society is also quite prominent in the novel. The complications between these two aspects contribute to the development of hate, fear and misunderstanding which finally lead to ultimate destruction of mankind. This is what the novel broadly speaks about, through the protagonist’s eyes. The Book Thief is a must read for both young and old alike. For the young and old readers, the novel offers comfort in many ways in order to face the end of life without fear or any kind of hesitation. The protagonist personalizes our inner struggle to counter all pains of life including death itself. The young readers should go through the book at least once to understand the importance and strength of this inner struggle. Conclusion: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a wonderful read for those who want to understand the conflicting ideas involving brutality and beauty of humankind, man versus society, and the very aspect of death. The novel is successful in provoking us to ponder over the horrors of war and destruction. The power of words is strong enough to control a country. But the proper utilization of that knowledge comes only when humanity is established on the basis of faith, mutual understanding and communal harmony among mankind. This is the greatest learning from the novel. Reference: Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. Melbourne: Pan Macmillan Australia Pty. Ltd., 2008. Read More