More often than not family is considered as being paramount to humans, but sometimes it’s the force that causes the most strain on the lives of the family members. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a wonderfully crafted historical drama about Liesel Meminger and her life and experiences in Nazi Germany. While Zusak typically depicts family as being a source of contentment, he also describes familial associations as a force that is far from being solely beneficial.
Throughout the story Zusak portrays family as being one of the most pivotal forces on the lives of the characters. One example of family connections being of such grave importance in the novel would have to be the life of Liesel Meminger. Liesel began the story as an adopted child to Rosa and Hans Hubermann, but was practically empty inside due to the loss of her real parents. She soon forms essential connections with Hans and
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Rosa and becomes one with the family. These new family connections were the prime factor in her characters fulfillment. “But there were new comforts now, too. She loved her papa, Hans Hubermann and even her foster-mother” (85). Zusak explicitly shows here how the brand new familial associations were beginning to benefit Liesel and help aid her with her mental and physical state. Zusak was simply trying to portray the passion and aid that comes with family relations and the downright indispensable relations family can provide in times of despair. Family connections and relations in this novel are quite far from being just an accommodating force.
Zusak shows that family is just as detrimental to the lives of the characters as it is fulfilling. The perfect example of uneasy relations is the addition of Max Vandenburg to the Hubermann household. The Hubermanns accepted Max into their family without hesitation, but with this addition tensions increased dramatically within the family. The risks at hand were quite appalling and this took a serious toll on the mental states of the family members. “ The longest three minutes in Hubermann history. Papa sat at the table. Rosa prayed in the corner, mouthing the words. Liesel was cooked: her knee, her chest, the muscles in her arms” (344). Zusak is emphasizing here how family relations don't just lead to high spirits, but also lead to the formation of a serious form of anxiety in the lives of the family members. This addition of a family member led to many satisfying times between the members, but this can be seen as an equal trade-off due to the tension and stress that comes with
it. Markus Zusak expresses that the force of family is one of the most important factors on the state of the characters in this novel. At first glance it seems as if Zusak was just trying to communicate the overall importance of family relations and the benefits that come with family. In reality Zusak describes family as being a double-edged sword. Family is expressed as being crucial to maintain the stable mindsets of the characters, but at the same time it’s expressed as a factor that leads to increased tension and stress in the lives of the members of the family.
Markus Zusak’s novel The Book Thief depicts the life of a certain young German girl named Liesel Meminger during World War II. Her story was told through the eyes of Death, who narrates both the blessings and devastation that occurred during that era. Liesel experiences living with her new foster parents and come across a boy named Rudy Steider who will later on become her best friend. As the story unfolds, Liesel gradually discovers the horrifying truth behind the Nazi regime as her foster parents take refuge of a Jewish man. Despite being in the midst of destruction and recently coping from her traumatic background, she undertakes on a journey of self-discovery and
Family-like relationships are hard to come by but when they do they may be interrupted by bloodshed, changes in identity,as well as advances in modern technology. Although modern technology may help in certain scenarios overall it seems to replace the meaning of family and take over lives instead of enhancing them. This book is a warning to the future so far Bradbury has been spot on, this is your warning weather you listen to it or not is up to you.
“‘Book burning’ refers to the ritual destruction by fire of books or other written materials. Usually carried out in a public context, the burning of books represents an element of censorship and usually proceeds from a cultural, religious, or political opposition to the materials in question.” (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum)
Family can help to build different character traits or it can help to better people. Family is also something that can be relied upon to help with different problems. Many times families and family members will teach a lesson that can be used later in life to help with varied situations. The people that are in the non-fiction literature all have one thing in common: they faced a problem, and were able to overcome it with the help of their family. With the help of family, people can better themselves and the people around them, by using the lessons their family has taught them.
Therefore, family problems can have a great effect on the lives of the people within the family. Kaslik shows this by making Giselle and Holly’s verbal and physical fights, and their creation of imaginary friends. But in the end no matter how you deal with stress, whether by loss of appetite or jumping off a bridge, family is family, and they are always there for each other even if they feel like the family is separated.
Rick Riordan once said, “Families are messy. Immortal families are eternally messy. Sometimes the best we can do is to remind each other that we're related for better or for worse...and try to keep the maiming and killing to a minimum.”. Families are the foundation of a person’s life, and contribute in the molding of how a person turns out for the rest of their life. Families can be very united allowing a person to grow up to do something extraordinary with their life; however they can also be disastrous and separated causing people to face larger issues with themselves in the future. In the novel In Cold Blood written by Truman Capote, one of the themes the author develops is of family life, the novel shows how any family can be destroyed, and is a factor into shaping a person to whom they will be.
A family either plays a positive role in one’s life leading to their success, or a negative role leading to failure. The love and concern from a family is very important in determining the prosperity in life of its members, and without this support, a person will only face adversity. In Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie McDonald, the Piper family, primarily the father, is responsible for the sorrowful life of the Piper daughters. The disappointment in life of Frances, Kathleen and Mercedes is due to lack of love and nurture, inadequate parenting and over protectiveness.
A family can be classified as one of many things. It can be a group of people living under one roof; a group of people of common ancestry; or even a unit of a crime syndicate like the Mafia (Merriam Webster). But to Holden Caulfield, the main character of J.D. Salinger’s novel The Catcher In The Rye, his family was what we as a society normally think of when that word is spoken. There are always variations on a theme, but a typical family consists of two parents and at least one child. During the 1950’s when the novel is set, adoption was virtually unheard of and divorce could be considered a sin where as today these are common practices. But one thing about family that has prevailed through the decades is the family’s affect on a person’s existence. The way a person interacts with their family can affect them for the rest of their lives. And the way a family interacts with a specific person can affect that person for the rest of their life. It is a two way relationship which is often complicated and confusing, especially to Holden.
In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, the reader is brought back in time to Nazi Germany and the family that lives in 33 Himmel Street. Using the interactions between the characters Zusak exhibits how love can bring pain and grief, but ultimately healing and peace. Living in Germany during World War II was a time strife with heartbreak and pain. In opposition to the pain was the healing and peace that was brought forth by the love of the characters family and friends.
“Like most misery, it started with apparent happiness” (84). In the beginning, we are introduced to the narrator by the name of Death. He informs the readers that he has many stories, but only remembers the ones that interest him. The tale of Liesel Meminger is one such tale, as he was always fascinated by her will to live through the most horrible instances. It should be duly noted however, that this story does not have a happy ending. Death makes this clear before we even have a chance to get our hopes up. He tells us that everyone dies; the amount of time that they last is truly the only difference. After this sordid fact is in place, he mentions just Liesel first attracted his attention.
Have you ever stopped and thought about what everybody in the world has in common? Family is a very common thing. It could just be a group of people that you care about and love or it could just be a person. Family is always together and family never falls apart. Family is that one group that you love and worry about and it can be that one person. In the book The Outsiders by S.E Hinton family is a very important thing. Family is the best blessing to have. The theme S.E Hinton talks about is family always sticks together.
Zusak uses his characters and their experiences to demonstrate the theme of the beauty and brutality of human nature in the novel. First, Zusak uses his character, Rudy, to support his theme of the brutality and beauty of human nature. Rudy’s brutality is revealed in a certain moment when he devises a plan to steal food from the priest by causing the delivery boy to wreck on the way to the priest’s house. Rudy’s beauty is also displayed in many things he does for Liesel, such as jumping in the ice-cold river for her book.
And choose wrong?” (P.98). From reading this, I feel that the community was able to control problems such as divorce, rape, teen pregnancy, and AIDS. They all are given a life that is predictable, orderly and painless. Mostly, they have no memory or experience. In reality, we learn from our mistakes to be better each day. Experience is the best teacher in the world; unless one goes through sorrow, he or she will never know how it feels. “Warmth, Jonas replied and happiness. And let me think. Family, that it was a celebration of some sort, a holiday. And something else I can’t get the word for it. Jonas hesitated; I certainly liked the memory, though. I couldn’t quite get the word for the whole feeling of it, The Giver told him the feeling that was so strong in the room is love” (P.125). Family in the novel is described as a group of people that have a unit or bond that they share each day together.
With examples of family, love and friendship, expresses the hope that through the healing power of words, the corruption and hate in the world can come to an end. Even though the style of writing is simple and direct, it does a good job conveying the different themes of the story, including the different conflicts between politics and religion, separation of families, death, etc. The power of words is shown as soon as Liesel learns how to read. Her will for prosperity and curiosity becomes more powerful with every word she learns.
The Olson’s family experienced a shift in their life when John and Susan lost their jobs, and when their 3 year old daughter died in a car crash. According to Smith and Hamon (2012), a family is composed of many members who have their own roles and expectations, and when those roles or expectations are broken, families experience difficulties. (Smith, and Hamon 2012). Based on the Family Systems Theory, families need to be viewed as