The Book Thief Fate Essay

Fate’s crucial role on human nature is to predetermine an individual's destiny. Depending on the individual, fate can have both positive and negative outcomes. Humans have no choice over the outcome of their future. Fate has ultimate power which is why there is a reason everything happens in life. In Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, each character's fate is predetermined. Hans’s neat handwriting helped him live through a war where no other man could survive. Liesel was given a black book which forced her to spend time in the Hubermann's basement to prevent her death. Rudy was home on Himmel Street because he was not sent to the Hitler Youth Camp. Instead, he died along with the rest of the Steiners on the night of the bombing. Destiny choosing

Rudys destiny directed the poor decisions made by his parents which would regard his future. These controlled choices were what eventually costed Rudy his life. His family failed to send him to the Hitler Youth Camp; therefore, he passed away during the Himmel Street bombing. The reality of the situation was that if he was sent, then he most likely would have lived. The Gestapo noticed Rudy’s intelligence and athletic ability and requested for him to join their school. Worried for his safety, Rudy's parents made the ultimate decision that he would remain at home. Death then revealed if Rudy would have attended this camp, then he may not have died. Death proved this to be true later on when Rudy’s father, Alex, returned to Himmel after the bombing. Alex exclaimed, “If only I’d let Rudy go to that school”(Zusak 547). Rudy’s parents thought he would be safer in their own home than at the dangerous camp. However, their surmise was incorrect and it costed them their own son's life. An important role of fate is to make the decision of how each person will eventually die. Rudy was not meant to die in the cruelty and hardship the school would have put him through. He could have just as well died in his attendance there than in the bombing. Instead, when it was his time to go he went peacefully in his bed. His gift was that he would not have to be so miserable leading right up to the time of his