The Book Thief Vs Fahrenheit 451

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In the novels The Book Thief and Fahrenheit 451, books play a crucial role in the plotline of each story. Both of the main characters go out of their way to possess books, mostly through thievery, and read them even though it may be illegal. The books help open up the eyes of Liesel and Montag and help them see how distorted the world around them really is.
One quote from The Book Thief to show that books are important to the storyline is, “Although something inside told her that this was a crime – after all, her three books were the most precious items she owned – she was compelled to see the thing lit”(Zusak 73). A second quote from The Book Thief to backup my thesis statement is, “I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope …show more content…

In The Book Thief, Liesel learns how to read, and books become a major part of her life. She even goes out of her way to steal them, even if they might be illegal and she could very well get into trouble if she was caught with them. Books and words showed her that the things Hitler was doing were wrong, they helped her when the city was being bombed. She hated words because of how they could be twisted to manipulate people, but she loved them because there was so much more to them that meets the eye. Books helped her learn how to use words, so she could write a book of her own. In Fahrenheit 451, it is evident that nobody had much of any free thinking. People like Beatty believed that all books caused was trouble because there was going to be somebody out there that disagreed with it, so all people would think and be the same. Montag, however, realized this was wrong after they burned the woman with her books- he realized that life wasn’t as great as he thought it was, and he gradually began to realize things that are wrong with the society he lived in. Books caused Montag to change, and for the better. He realized that people have to be bothered once in awhile, and people have to be different. At the end of the story, once the city was destroyed, Montag and Faber begin to build a new society- building something new and better out of the ashes. Books also saved the lives of both Liesel and

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