Figurative Language In The Book Thief Death Essay

Shrouded in a black cloak and a razor sharp scythe gripped in its callous hands. Feared by the bravest of men. It is the inescapable end met by all. This tends to be the common notion when it comes to death. In Markus Zusak’s extraordinary novel, The Book Thief, death is personified as the narrator. In contrast to the average perception, Death is an intricate and internally conflicted character with a lot to offer. Death’s perspective softens the harshness of the overall subject of the book and contributes a poetic view of the world. Death provides a complex knowledge of the characters and the human psyche, as well as future events and the outside world.

Death frequently uses figurative language to intensify the most mundane or tragic situations. For example, Death describes the large pile of books deemed propaganda at the book

burning: “From further away, it looked like something volcanic. Or something grotesque and alien that had somehow landed miraculously in the middle of town and needed to be snuffed out, and fast” (109). The comparison of the books to something “alien” and “grotesque” emphasized the hateful mindset of the Nazis toward the Jews. Additionally, the book burning was an aspect of the Nazi brainwashing. The destruction of Jewish literature and thoughts would be associated in the German minds with the need for the eradication of all Jews. Jewish material was seen as “volcanic.” In the figurative sense, if the ash and lava spewing into the air were to land on someone’s shoulder, perhaps he might resist the Nazi beliefs. Similarly, Death uses personification as he recounts the train scene when Werner dies. “It felt as though the whole globe was dressed in snow. Like it had pulled it on, the way you pull on a sweater.” (6). This description strengthens imagery by comparing the snowy area to a relatable human behavior. Death provides a vivid image which not only can be seen, but felt.
Death is also a perceptive and omniscient being.

True to his character, Death seems to be able to look right into the souls of the individuals in The Book Thief. After Hans examines The Shoulder Shrug, Death generalizes and predicts Hans reaction: “Like most humans in the grip of revelation, Hans Hubermann stood with a certain numbness. The next words would either be shouted or would not make it past his teeth” (126). This statement implies that Death is quite attuned to human nature. He has clearly witnessed this pattern in people before. In a similar way, as the group of thieves disperse after finishing off the contents of the stolen basket, Death uses human analysis and foreshadowing: “In years to come, [Rudy] would be a giver of bread, not a stealer- proof again of the contradictory human being. So much good, so much evil. Just add water” (164). Using Rudy’s situational irony, Death emphasizes the unpredictability and broad range of human behavior. It is the perplexing concept that people can go from one extreme to the other, altering their personalities and mindsets even just for one moment: the precarious balance of light and

dark.
Not only does Death have a thorough knowledge of humans, he likes to keep things interesting. Death often uses foreshadowing and changes perspective to inform readers about what is happening in the rest of the world, usually relating to the war. For instance, Death prematurely states Rudy’s impending death. Death claims that “[he] doesn’t have much interest in building suspense” and “mystery bores [him]” (243). Instead of diminishing interest, the reveal of Rudy’s death increased the suspense of the novel. It was only told that Rudy was going to die, not when this would occur. By doing this, Death has placed a spotlight on Rudy. The importance and awareness of Rudy’s character is heightened because of the knowledge that he will not make it out of this story alive, the same way more value is placed on the last fleeting days of summer than the previous 100. Additionally, Death takes a detour from the book’s main setting of Molching to observe the recently bombed German city, Cologne: “Fifty thousand others ambled homelessly around the ghostly piles of rubble, trying to work out which way was which, and which slabs of broken home belonged to whom” (336). Though Liesel was, among other things, starving, poor, and dirty, her home had not been bombed. This juxtaposition between Molching and Cologne further intensifies the extent of suffering that took place at that time.
In conclusion, without Death as the narrator, an entire aspect of The Book Thief would be missing. It would be like a cake without icing- good enough to eat, but not as satisfying as it could be. If instead a character such as Liesel had been narrating, the potential depth and range of focus of the story would have be limited. Liesel is just a child, and like all humans, she is stuck inside the confines of her own mind. She has little knowledge or access to the outside world that Death, an omniscient character, has the ability to explore. Ultimately, Death opens the door to experiencing The Book Thief from a side rarely encountered. It is not often that a book can transcend the living and give a glimpse at death.