Examples Of Irony In The Book Thief

289 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essays on personal experience of irony

Book Thief Essay No. 2 Markus Zusak displays many forms of Irony in his novel “The Book Thief”. Without all of the irony in the book, I fear that it would be quite boring and not very exciting to read. The first example of irony in “The Book Thief” is Liesel’s obsession with stealing books. She came to Munich as an orphan that could not read or even spell her own name, and yet she loves stealing books. Liesel’s reading and writing do advance throughout the novel, but when she could not read, she would steal books for what seemed to be no particular reason. Hans Hubberman thought that she was stealing book just so she could have words near her, while Rosa Hubberman thought she was doing it just to be a menace. Her book stealing all started

Show More
Related

  • Irony In 'How To Read Literature Like A Professor'

    317 Words  | 1 Pages

    “Irony trumps everything”. Thomas C. Foster made this argument in “How to Read Literature like a Professor”, explaining that when an author uses irony in their literary work, standard conventions on interpreting themes are temporarily disregarded (Foster 252). This effect on the reader allows for a different interpretation of the text to occur because the novel's events are contradictory to what one expects. The proficient use of irony in the novel, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” by Margaret Atwood to show the inner desires of Offred, Serena Joy, and the Commander.

    Read More

  • Situational Irony In The Maze Runner

    219 Words  | 1 Pages

    The types of irony I choose were situational irony and dramatic irony.The reason I choose these 2 was because ,I think these are the easiest to do.Irony is the gaiety of reflection and the joy of wisdom.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Irony In Frederick Douglass

    311 Words  | 1 Pages

    Frederick Douglass uses irony to challenge the ideology of slavery when describing some of the overseers in the book. For example he describes Mr. Gore as what is called a first-rate overseer. He is implying that Mr. Gore is a good overseer to those with no sense of justice. One example of irony in the book is , “Indeed, it is not uncommon for slaves to fall out and quarrel among themselves about the relative goodness of their masters, each contending for the superior goodness of his own over that of others,” (62). This is ironic because the slaves are fighting about keeping a good reputation for the masters that treat them horribly. Another example is, “…it is almost an unpardonable offence to teach to teach slaves to read in a Christian

    Read More

  • Symbolism In The Book Thief

    357 Words  | 1 Pages

    ’’Liesel observed the strangeness of her foster father's eyes. They were made of kindness, and silver. Like soft silver…..upon seeing those eyes,she understood Hans Hubermann was worth a lot.’’ (Zusak,34) Liesel saw kindness in Hans Hubermanns eyes which made her feels more comfortable with him rather than Rosa Hubermann.

    Read More

  • Irony In The Book Thief

    601 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Liesel Meminger, an orphaned little girl living in Nazi Germany, evolves partly through her numerous literary thefts. At her younger brother’s gravesite, she steals her first book, The Grave Digger’s Handbook, which teaches her not only the method to physically bury her brother, but also lets her emotionally bury him and move on. The theft of her next book, The Shoulder Shrug, from a book burning marks the start of Liesel’s awareness and resistance to the Nazi regime. As a story with a Jewish protagonist “who [is] tired of letting life pass him by – what he refer[s] to as the shrugging of the shoulders to the problems and pleasures of a person’s time on earth,” this novel prepares her both for resisting the

    Read More

  • Use of Irony in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451

    1188 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, irony is often used to convey information and contribute to the overall theme of the novel. Many parts of the book contain this irony because it works well for fueling either the main antagonist or protagonist actions. Fahrenheit 451 is a book based on the ideals of a “utopian society” where books are illegal and burned if they’re found. Firemen are ordered to burn books and all houses that contain them, versus putting out fires and protecting people. In communities people don’t think, they cannot be ‘intellectuals’, and they are forced become drones of the government’s ideals. In the novel Farenheit 451 irony is used to express the complex ideas of the society, but also gives the book more understanding and meaning by making us think differently, how characters are ironically told not to.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Irony In The Stolen Party

    192 Words  | 1 Pages

    Irony plays a considerable part in “The Stolen Party.” There are many examples that Liliana Heker shows. One of which being how instead of Rosaura receiving a gift at the end of the party, as all of the other kids did, she recieved money. Prior to finishing the story , the reader assumes that Rosaura was welcomed at the party and considered one of the kids, this leads the reader to believe that she will receive a gift resembling   a gift similar to what the other children were given . Rosaura was given money rather than a toy was because she was just thought as the maid’s daughter and she was just paid for the work she was doing for the party. Another example of irony includes how throughout the whole party Rosaura was unknowingly put to work,

    Read More

  • The Book Thief: Literary Analysis

    871 Words  | 2 Pages

    Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief is a tale narrated by Death as he follows nine-year-old Liesel Meminger on her journey through Nazi Germany. Liesel is haunted by Death’s presence from the moment she is introduced to the reader when Death takes away her younger brother, Werner, while travelling to the town of Molching in 1939. She is forced into the home of Rosa and Hans Hubermann, her new foster parents, after being surrendered by her mother since she was no longer capable of taking care of Liesel. After a bad experience at school, Hans helps Liesel learn to read, beginning with The Grave Digger’s Handbook, a book she found at the site where her brother was buried. Liesel quickly becomes absorbed in learning language, which prompts her to steal from a book burning. She is seen by Ilsa Hermann, the mayor’s wife, who encourages Liesel to visit her library. Liesel faces many trials as the story progresses. She discovers that her parents were Communists, which causes many of the other children to neglect her. Liesel also befriends Max Vandenberg, a Jew that the Hubermanns hide in their basement. When Hans is drafted for war, Max helps Liesel write stories

    Read More

  • Examples Of Dramatic Irony In The Ring

    154 Words  | 1 Pages

    The fourth, and final criteria of a modern short story is that the readers have more knowledge of events than the characters through the use of dramatic irony. An example of dramatic irony in “The Ring” is that the readers, and Lise know where the ring is, but Lise pretends not to know. Sigismund, however does not know. He also does not know anything about Lise’s meeting in the woods with the sheep thief, but we, the readers, do. An example of a different type of irony used by Dinesen in “The Ring” is in the line of Lise’s thoughts, “‘What an absurd person he is, with his sheep! What a baby he is! I am a hundred years older than he.’” (page 2, paragraph 2) This is ironic because it is, in fact, Lise who is acting like a child through her jealousy,

    Read More

  • The Use of Foreshadowing, Irony, and Symbolism in The Book Thief

    967 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Book Thief Short Essay: The Use of Foreshadowing, Irony, and Symbolism in The Book Thief

    Read More

  • Examples Of Irony In Joan's '

    129 Words  | 1 Pages

    This book has a lot of tones to it but the ones that stood out a lot were irony and enduring . The first tone I chose was irony because the book has a little bit of ironic statements like “ …. Larissa’s life elsewhere would be quiet and serene as befit the old.. . This is irony because she is given the chance to die and irony is like sarcasm . I also think this book has a little bit of enduring to it because Joan’s sees something in his vision and goes to the top of the hill to get a sled and is trying is hardest to reach the top and he doesn't give up and that’s what enduring means showing braveness and never giving up.

    Read More

  • Irony In The Interlopers By Saki

    688 Words  | 2 Pages

    Just as people find enjoyment in watching suspenseful movies, some also take interest cliffhangers that appear in short stories. “The Interlopers” by Saki, is a suspenseful and appealing story that grabs the reader's attention. The conflict and alluring plot twist is captivating as readers follow the characters into the forest. The use of conflict, direct characterization, and situational irony in the “The Interlopers” make Saki’s story dramatic and exciting to read.

    Read More

  • Techniques In Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron

    913 Words  | 2 Pages

    One example that stood out to me was the fact on how the author described the character Harrison Bergeron and how he is extremely big and tough and dangerous this character is. The part that threw me off was how Bergeron started to dance with the girl on the television show. Most readers reading this story most likely would not see someone as tough as this man was, break out his dancing shoes and tear up the floor. George Bergeron, and his wife Hazel Bergeron, are the parents of Harrison. They are actually watching the T.V. show that their son is on. Hazel, has difficulties remembering certain things. Well, while harrison is dancing with this girl, another character named Diana Moon Glampers, the General, came in and shot Harrison Bergeron and the girl for taking off all their gear with a shotgun. The reason why this is ironic is because of the fact while this was all going down, George stepped out of the room to go grab a drink and missed the whole situation. He came back in the room and noticed his wife was shocked by something but she was unable to remember on what happened. So they are unaware that their son had been shot and killed. One more example of the irony that caught my attention while reading this story was the fact on how Vonnegut explained that Harrison bergeron escaped from prison and is running free with all this heavy metal and different

    Read More

  • Irony In The Cask Of Amontillado

    433 Words  | 1 Pages

    Did you know that irony occurs many times in TV shows, movies, books, and real life? There are three types of irony that occur in real life and literature, and they are verbal irony, dramatic irony, and situational irony. An example of verbal irony is in The Cask of Amontillado, when Montressor asked if Fortunado was ok to keep going down to the Catacombs, even though he didn’t really care. An example of dramatic irony is in The Cask of Amontillado, because we as an audience knows that Montressor wants to get revenge on Fortunado, but he doesn’t know that. An example of situational irony is in The Necklace, when the necklace that Madame Loisel borrowed and lost, had to work 10 years to pay back the money they borrowed to buy the new necklace,

    Read More

  • Examples Of Conflict In The Book Thief

    430 Words  | 1 Pages

    In any literary work, conflict is vital in creating an absorbing, eloquent story. Conflict can be divided into four main categories: man vs man, man vs nature, man vs society, and finally, man vs self. Man vs self is evident when a person is battling himself. Markus Zusak is very familiar with this type of conflict, as it is used often in his novel, The Book Thief. (end paragraph)

    Read More

More about Examples Of Irony In The Book Thief

Open Document