The Book Thief Movie And Book Comparison Essay

Words are more than just accompanied by their definition. When the right words are put together, the result is a connection unlike no other. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak follows Liesel Meminger, a young girl whose passion for words leads her to stealing books. Her life changes dramatically the moment her frozen fingertips clutched her first stolen book. Curious minds can journey with Leisel in two different ways, by the original book, and by the movie. Both demonstrate similarities, such as the mood, but also share differences as well, such as the ending.
To begin with, the novel was very detailed, which made it a whole lot more intriguing to read. Zusak’s time in describing the characters paid off, as the readers can vividly imagine the characters physical attributes, as well as their behaviors. As an illustration, “He was eight months older than Leisel and had bony legs,

sharp teeth, gangly blue eyes, and hair the color of a lemon.” (Zusak, 48). These descriptions were told the majority of the time in third-person, but when it was told in first-person, the readers were getting Death’s thoughts on the situation. His point of view was distinct but engaging at the same time. Now, as for the movie, it was satisfactory, but the actors portrayed their characters well, which made the movie more interesting to watch. It was essentially a faster-paced version of the book, but nonetheless similar to the book in it’s own ways.
First of all, the movie followed the same storyline as the book, and it’s order of events were about the same, so it wasn’t confusing at all.

The movie started with the train car, then to Leisel’s arrival on Himmel Street, and everything leading up to Max’s appearance. Also, in the course of the movie and reading the book, the mood was the same. Both had a sad and dark mood, considering the setting, which was in Germany during World War 2. It was undoubtedly a hard time, and they both emphasize it quite well. Continuing on, the actors and actresses chosen for the film were alike to how the reader would imagine them. However, there is one similarity that came off a bit negative, which was the use of narration in the movie. Both contain a narrator, but the narrator in the the movie simply didn’t fit. It did not seem necessary and even when used, it just did not have the same effect. Death in the book seemed more relatable, like one could make a connection with him, but in the movie, it was purely just a man talking. Speaking of negatives, the differences between the two were rather

unfavorable.
In particular, the ending and the general absence of detail was different, and it took away from the experience overall. For the lacking of detail, the movie missed a lot of events that were otherwise included in the book. Of course, the movie would be too long and consuming if every aspect of the novel was included, yet there were still notable parts of the book left ignored. For example, Max, the Jew living in the Hubermann’s basement, as well as a great friend of Leisel’s, was supposed to write a book and later on, Rosa would present the book to her. That part was specifically important, due to the fact that it solidified their friendship. Such events left out made the relationships in the movie less concrete. The film seemed to accent Leisel’s and Rudy’s relationship slightly more. On the subject of Rudy, his death in the movie was very disappointing. The description that the author provided was as followed: “He lay with yellow hair and closed eyes, and the book thief ran toward him and fell down.” (Zusak, 535). This illustrates that her best friend was already dead when she saw him, but the movie decided to take another, more cheesy approach. The scene was Leisel discovering Rudy’s body - and he was on the verge of death, but still alive. The yellow-haired boy managed to croak out his last words to her, “I... Love... Y-”, but Death did not allow him finish his sentence. This was truly heart-shattering, but the scene Zusak composed in the book was directly woven with a gun-shot to the heart. Since the discovery of his lifeless body was immediate, it had more of an impact on the reader. Not to forget, there is yet another difference between the movie and the book. The use of foreshadowing that Zusak has implemented within the book was rather excellent. It was clever to use such amount of foreshadowing, as Death already knows the fate of each character. Near the beginning, readers might be shocked why the author would write, “A small announcement about Rudy Steiner: He didn’t deserve to die the way he did.” (Zusak, 241). This clearly states that Rudy is going to die, but why not leave that as a surprise? It was a bit odd, but inquisitive readers would keep reading to find out perhaps how he died. The movie surely didn’t have foreshadowing, so it was more bland in that sense, but the movie in general was done well nonetheless.
Overall, millions of stories of World War 2 have inspired many, and Marcus Zusak was one of the inspired. His brilliant story of a passionate, young girl during the war will definitely make readers rethink words and their meanings. After all, what better way to express the power of words than through a book itself. The movie is merely for others who dare not to read, but also for those who have read to journey through once more. Of course, both are well made and share their proper similarities and differences, but either way, The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak will continue to shine it’s message through.