Book Thief Dehumanization

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Words, so simple, yet are the most powerful ways of communication. The weight of words is one of most impactful themes in Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, and is felt throughout the entire novel. The Book Thief is a story that takes place during World War II, and follows the Hubermann family and friendships as the Narrator: Death follows them through their journey of Germany in 1939. Hans Hubermann is one of the greatest supporters of words right next to the Book Thief herself, Liesel Meminger. Words are emphasized through stolen books, spoken conversations, and thoughts of the characters. Hans Hubermann backs Liesel’s desire to read through many long nights, protects Max Vandenburg while in hiding, and consistently stands up against the dehumanization …show more content…

Hans Hubermann was directly described as a lover of Jews, because he did not believe that Jews were being treated fairly, in fact they were treated as less than animals being whipped, malnourished, and forced to work in harsh conditions. Hans treated Jewish people just like everyone else, he showed fairness to everyone, death said, “ He was a man who appreciated fairness” (Zusak 180). He put his life on the line many times trying to stand up for Jews. When there was a parade of Jews walking down the street, the brave Hans Hubermann tried to give one of the Jews a piece of bread, and instead of being applauded for this good deed he he got a flaming whip on his back. Even though Hans was whipped, death said, “If nothing else, the old man would die like a human. Or at least the thought that he was a human” (395). Hans was very secretive about his life during World War I, so without knowing the story about how Erik Vandenburg saved Hans’ life, one would not understand just how much equality and fairness meant to Hans. It was Hans’ fairness, generosity, and loyalty that made Hans different from all of the other characters in The Book Thief, as he remained the same while true to

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