Role Of Evil In The Book Thief By Markus Zusak

Envision a world where evil has taken over, simply because decent people are willing to do nothing to oppose the evil that is taking over. The idea is not far off from reality, because many people believe evil is prevails when decent people do nothing. Among these people was Edmund Burke, who once said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” He meant that injustice will continue to take place when good people don’t choose to fight against injustices. Many people agree with Burke, because true events have occurred that support Burke’s statement. Some people disagree, because they believe that even when righteous people intervene, evil will continue to prosper. However, Burke is correct in his statement

because when nothing is done, principled people will become corrupted by evil, and when one just person takes a stand, their example can persuade others to follow their actions.

Evil will triumph because when there is no opposition towards evil, over time even the ethical people will become corrupt. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Death states that Alex Steiner, a German citizen who is a member of the Nazi party, “[had] an itch in his heart, but he made it a point not to scratch it.” (60). Before World War II, Alex Steiner was a man who lived by good morals, however after the rise of Nazism he became corrupted by the Nazi propaganda. The “itch in his heart” reveals that he knows deep inside that his decision to support Hitler, is morally incorrect, however he is so corrupted, that he decides to ignore his subconscious (60). According to an article from The Huffington Post called “Do Good People Turn Evil?” by Adam Grant, it states, “ordinary men would inflict severe pain on others simply because they were asked to do so by an authority figure in an experiment” (Grant). Ordinary people who lived by good morals suddenly decide to cause others pain because someone is instructing them to. When principled people listen to others and let them corrupt their point of view, they make the wrong decision. In the article from The Atlantic called, “When Good People Do Nothing: The Appalling Story of South Carolina's

Prisons,” the author, Andrew Cohen states that, “South Carolina today mistreats these ill people without any evident traces of remorse… No one save a few lonely advocates held a prayer vigil for the ill people who were being treated so poorly… state officials have considered this epic case a mere nuisance” (Cohen). South Carolina’s decent people have chosen to do nothing when the mistreatment of mentally ill prison inmates is occurring, and as an effect, the state officials and the people of South Carolina have had their views on the treatment of mentally ill people corrupted. Since the problem has been ignored for a while now, people in South Carolina don’t even think of these ill inmates as people anymore, because they are quietly accepting the mistreatment of these prison inmates, by not doing anything. Therefore, when there is no opposition towards injustices, people can become corrupted by the unjust events occurring.
Some people may argue that Edmund Burke is incorrect, because even when virtuous men choose to act, nothing will change. In The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, when Hans Hubermann, a man who opposes Hitler, gives a piece of bread to one of the Jews who are being marched to a Nazi concentration camp a nearby soldier, “[takes] the whip from his belt and [begins]. The Jew was whipped six times” (394). When Hans decides to act, by giving the starving Jew something to eat, he actually creates a larger problem, which ends with the Jew being whipped. However these people are mistaken because when one person chooses to act, their example can influence others and bring about a bigger change. The article in The New York Times called “The Lasting Power of Dr. King’s Dream Speech,” states, “Fifty years later, the four words ‘I have a dream’ [is] inspiring activists from Tiananmen Square to Soweto, Eastern Europe to the West Bank” (Kakutani). Martin Luther King Jr. was a person who stood up for racial equality and his actions inspires others to keep advocating against injustices. Wendy McElroy the author of “The Heroism of Dietrich Bonhoeffer,” wrote, “Bonhoeffer reminds us that there are people of conscience and moral courage in every nation” (McElroy). Bonhoeffer’s example of courage inspired others from around the world to stand up against evil, similarly to Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Thus, one ethical person can bring about change by choosing to act, because that person’s actions will influence others.
To finalize, when no one to stands up against injustices, people can become corrupted, but one virtuous person can bring about change by choosing to act because that one person’s actions will influence others. When nobody stood up against Hitler, Germans like Alex Steiner had their views corrupted. Martin Luther King Jr’s. speech also set an example for others, which also influenced them to take a stand. So, when injustices are taking place, it is essential for people to stand up for what is right in order to overcome injustice.