Book Thief Theme

The Book Thief Essay

Markus Zusak is the author of The Book Thief and it’s theme that Markus Zusak tries to convey to the reader is “ the power of words”. He shows how words can affect people’s lives in a positive and negative way. He used the characters to interpret and develop the theme of this book. By analyzing what the text conveys about the power of words, The reader can tell that Markus Zusak develops the theme of this novel by, how does power manifest itself in the novel, and who possesses power and how they acquire power through words and language not only positively but also negatively.

One of these characters that Markus Zusak uses to interpret and develop the theme of this book is Liesel Meminger. Liesel is a little girl

that was given up by her mother to the Hubermann family. On her way to the family, her brother dies of a sickness and she does her first act of book thieving. She is a perfect example of a character that Markus Zusak uses to interpret the theme because she first did not know how to read, but later in the book she learns how to read and write. When she learns how to do these things, she not only impacts herself, but she also gives hope and inspiration to the people around her: “ she didn’t dare...crime scene.” (Zusak, 381) In this example, it shows how everyone was scared and anxious for the bombs that were going on outside. But then Liesel comes in and reads the book “The Whistler” to the people inside the shelter. It evens says that “the youngest kids were soothed by her voice.” (Zusak, 381). She helped distract the thoughts of fear and anxiety and instead made them visualize the action that is Liesel is reading. As the reader can tell, Liesel used words in an efficacious manner.

Another character that Markus Zusak used was Max Vandenburg. Max is a Jewish fist-fighter who runs to the Hubermanns for protection and shelter. He is another example of how Markus Zusak transmits the theme because Max uses words in a constructive way to inspire and give hope not only to himself but to the people around him too, including Liesel. In The Book Thief Max is a compassionate Jew who was in hiding because of the persecution that was being accomplished by Hitler and his Nazi’s. Before Max gets to the Hubermanns, Hans gives Max the book Mein Kampf to protect him on his way so nobody would question him or look at him twice because he has the book meaning that he is a “supporter” of Hitler. This shows the theme of the power of words and how one book can save a life. Also during his hiding, Max writes two inspiring books for Liesel. One of them is called The Standover Man and it illustrates and symbolizes their friendship. These two books were not only to his pastime but also to make Liesel and the reader realize that not only the power of words is can be used as comfort and compassion but also influential and compelling.

Markus Zusak not only used fictional characters in his novel, he also used original characters. To convey his theme to the reader, he also used Hitler as an example of how people can use words in a negative manner. Hitler used words to change the German people’s thoughts, ideas, and feelings. He used propaganda and his book, Mein Kampf, to gain the people’s confidence and convince the people of Germany that his ideas are excellent and right. With just a book and words, he was able to control the country and take over other countries. With his speeches, he was able to use rhetoric to convey the people to do his bid and fuel hatred in everyone. It was a very skillful and vicious at the same time. Skillful because it was well planned out and played, it was a very clever and slick way of convincing and capturing his audience. Vicious because although it was clever it was also cruel and atrocious. The evil in his words was dark and bitter disguised by chocolates and sugar. Meaning that he used and said words that people wanted to hear so that it could convince them that Hitler is right and just. Therefore the people would follow him blindly while he does barbaric atrocities. Markus Zusak shows the reader that not only can words be used for comfort and happiness but also for malicious and pernicious purposes.

Lastly, Markus Zusak uses the short story inside The Book Thief to transmit the theme of this historical fiction novel.

He uses a short story that Max made for Liesel called The Word Shaker. In The Word Shaker it talks about a “strange small man” ( Zusak, ) who would rule the country without having to shoot a gun, he would use words to rule. So he plants seeds and grows a forest of trees. The strange small man represents Hitler, the seeds represent the words and propaganda he used to manipulate people’s thoughts and feelings, and the forest of trees represent Germany and the results of his words and propaganda. The trees represent the emotions and feeling of the people that believed in the propaganda and words that Hitler was serving. But there was also a little girl who was also a word shaker and she had a seed too. She meets a man and became friends with him. But when he grew ill she cried on that seed and it grew into the biggest tree of the forest. The little girl represents Liesel, the man represents Max, and the little girl crying on the seed represents Liesel crying for Max when he got sick. The big tree represents her compassion and kind heart. Then, Hitler gets mad and orders ax men to cut it down but nobody could until one ax-man came and dug nails inside the tree and went up to stayed with the girl. Then he takes her down and the tree falls, crushing most of the forest. The ax men represent Hitler’s Nazi’s, the one ax-man represents Max, and the act of letting the tree fall to destroy most of the forest represents Liesel “releasing” her power and fights with words of compassion and kindness which defeats hatred and arrogance. This short story is really direct and wants to show the reader that words do have power, it reflects the theme by talking about how Hitler used and planted hateful words in people’s minds. But it also shows the reader how Liesel used comforting and positive words to abolish the hateful words that Hitler

planted.