Mortality In The Book Thief By Markus Zusak

As Markus Zusak once said through the words of his character, Death, “* * * HERE IS A SMALL FACT * * * You are going to die,” (Zusak 3). While this may seem like a jarring statement to suddenly hear while going about life, in reality, everyone in his or her right mind knows that death will eventually come. Each and every life will reach an end at some point in time or another, and our kindred will be the ones left to deal with the aftermath. There is no eluding death. Even though some may try to overlook this actuality, mortality is not vague at all, especially for characters living in the world of The Book Thief. This New York Times best-seller and award winning novel is set in 1939, Nazi Germany and follows the main character, Liesel Meminger,

through the eyes of Death. Times are dangerous, and danger is only elevated when Liesel’s family hides a Jew, Max Vandenburg, in their basement. The author’s writing style is alluringly captivating, and hidden meaning lives in every page. In The Book Thief, Markus Zusak effectively uses the characterization of Hans Hubermann, Max Vandenburg, Liesel Meminger, and Michael Holzapfel, to convey that many survivors of horrific events suffer from identity and life effecting guilt, specifically from continuing to live while their loved ones do not. Some through betrayal, or survival, and some from thievery, and loss; guilt is a reoccurring emotion that alters peoples’ personalities and lives.
Due to the fact that numerous characters in the The Book Thief have lost close friends or family members, several wrestle with the guilt of remaining alive and physically untouched by death.

However, as sentient beings, they are dramatically affected emotionally and mentally. Specifically, persona Hans Hubermann is left feeling that he owes his life to Erik Vandenburg, who died in World War I after incidentally saving his life. As a repercussion of his guilt, Hans surmises that he is responsible to aid Erik’s family in any way they may entail. 20 years later, Hans’ proposed deal is finally undertaken when Max Vandenburg, a Jew, seeks refuge in the Hubermann residence during the Holocaust. This situation exhibits the motif that guilt is life affecting because of how Hans is willing to put his entire life and family at risk in order to pay his self-imposed debt to Erik Vandenburg. Similarily, Hans also aches from guilt when Max is forced to depart ways after Hans offers a piece of bread to a Jew during a march to Dachau. Hans was then overwhelmed with self-condemnation, and “he waited for the Gestapo, the soldiers, the police – for anyone – to take him away, as he felt he deserved,” (Zusak 399). Hans repeatedly questioned himself for what he did, and he was flabbergasted at the mistake he made. Ergo, the characterization of Hans exemplifies how guilt can take a large toll on your identity. However, Hans is not the only character experiencing guilt throughout the

novel.
On the other end of the spectrum, Max Vandenburg suffers from his own disposition of guilt throughout the story as well.

The beginning of Max’s shame develops from the point he leaves his family behind when his German friend, Walter Kugler, comes to save him during Kristallnacht. Afterwards, Max is overwhelmed with the remorse of abandoning his family, even though it was his only chance of survival. This leads nightmares about Max ‘betraying’ his family to plague his sleep. “If only he’d turned for one last look at his family as he left the apartment. Perhaps then the guilt would not have been so heavy. No final goodbye,” (Zusak 193), a quote from Death, impeccably epitomizes the severity of Max’s guilt. Max knew that his family would have next-to-no chance of survival, and his guilt of being the only one to live cogently illustrates the theme that survivors’ guilt can considerably impact someone’s personality and life. Furthermore, Max also experiences a great extent of guilt when living with the Hubermann’s. "I'm so selfish," explained Max, "leaving my people behind. Coming here. Putting all of you in danger… I’m sorry. Do you believe me? I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry," (Zusak 218). This quote patently shows how Max feels like he is a burden to the family. He believes that he should have died years ago and that he doesn’t even deserve the poor conditions in which he lives because of how he is putting the family at such great risk. Evidently, this additionally exemplifies the

detriment that guilt can have on a person.
Meanwhile, Max isn’t the only character afflicted with bedeviling nightmares. Meet Liesel Meminger, the book-stealing star of the novel. In The Book Thief, Liesel experiences guilt over stealing, the death of her loved ones, surviving when others do not, and ultimately losing everything and everyone she cares about. Firstly, Liesel’s brother, Werner, dies while on the train to their new home. Liesel feels tremendous guilt over the death of her brother since she lived and he did not. Consequently, she then goes on to have nightmares of her brother every time she falls asleep. During one nightmare, Liesel dreamt “with one eye open, one still in a dream, the book thief, also known as Liesel Meminger could see […] that her younger brother, Werner, was now sideways and dead. His blue eyes stared at the floor. Seeing nothing,” (Zusak ). This image of her dying brother haunts Liesel for years to come, and continuously shows up in her sleep. The guilt that Liesel feels is very traumatic and shapes her life in many ways.
Throughout The Book Thief, Markus Zusak conclusively characterizes Liesel to show how guilt affects people’s personalities and lives.