There is no doubt that the presence of dreams and dreaming are prominent in Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. The analysis of these dreams reveal that they are extremely important in the role of connecting characters, revealing characters’ traits, and helping emphasize the symbolic power of words. Dreams are key in the development of relationships between a few major characters in The Book Thief. The only way Liesel can have any form of relationship with her brother in the novel, other than in her memory, is if she imagines him. (At the beginning of the novel Werner Meminger dies and leaves his sister Liesel Meminger behind so the reader cannot see much connection between the two siblings after his death.) She sees him quite frequently …show more content…
An example of dreams stressing powerful words is when Liesel gives Ilsa Hermann, the mayor’s wife, a beating with her words. When Rosa Hubermann’s last client, Ilsa, fires her, Liesel (slightly blinded by anger) decides to give Ilsa a piece of her mind. She throws down her first round of hateful words at Ilsa and “[t]he mayor’s wife’s arms. They hung. Her face slipped.” (263). As Liesel continues, the narrator talks about “[t]he injury” (262) and “the brutality of words” (262). She goes on with her spiteful rant and when she finishes, Liesel imagines the injury she causes Ilsa. She could see that “[Ilsa] [is] battered and beaten up … Liesel [can] see it on her face. Blood [leaks] from her nose and [licks] at her lips. Her eyes [were] [blackening]. Cuts [opened] up and a series of wounds [are] rising to the surface of her skin. All from the words. From Liesel’s words” (263). Liesel picturing the wounds on Ilsa emphasize how powerful and hurtful words can be when used in the right manner. Liesel envisioning her brother in the presence of words also helps to emphasize the symbolic power of words. In her angry outburst of brutal words towards Ilsa Hermann, she mentions the mayor’s wife’s son, who is dead, and it reminds her of Werner and “her brother was next to her” (262). She can hear him “whisper for her to stop” (263) but she does not think he is worth listening to because “he, too, [is] dead” (263). She continues but when she finishes “[h]er brother, holding his knee, disappear[s]” (263). Words have the power to make Liesel envision Werner, and they definitely have the power to make her feel guilty. A few stealing incidents later, he makes a reappearance when Liesel goes back to 8 Grande Strasse with a letter from Ilsa full of forgiving words. He encourages her to knock on the door to patch things up. His knee symbolizes the relationship between Liesel and Ilsa and
Through ‘The Book Thief’, Markus Zusak has demonstrated his writing to be poignant, poetic, and profound. He is a writer of brilliance, a poet, the Picasso of words, a literary marvel.
In The Book Thief, author Markus Zusak communicates an over-arching topic. This topic is; all objects convey dark tones. The idea is transmitted into the writing subtly throughout the excerpt, as well as the story.
Throughout life many people face difficulties. Depending on the person’s strength some will get through tough times, but some will fail to overcome them. Two books where characters have to face many challenges include: Their Eyes Were Watching God and The Book Thief. These two stories deal with people overcoming the difficulties faced throughout everyday life. Some difficulties include racism, religious discrimination, and dealing with others’ cruelness or kindness. Examples from these books prove that the characters have challenges throughout the stories to overcome. In the face of adversity what causes some individuals to fail while others prevail?
Our dreams are commonly known as the subconscious manifestations of our inner desires. Creative writing, like dreams, can represent an outlet, a method of pseudo-fulfillment for those unrealized wishes or fears. In the case of much fiction, especially poetry, these hidden triumphs are often so subtle that the reader may not recognize the achievement or the repressed emotion to which it relates.
In The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, beauty and brutality is seen in many of the characters. Rudy, Liesel, and Rosa display examples of beauty and brutality often without realizing what exactly they are doing, because it is a part of their human nature. Zusak not only uses his characters, but also the setting of the novel in Nazi Germany to allude to his theme of the beauty and brutality of human nature. The time in which the novel is set, during World War II, displays great examples of beauty and brutality, such as the mistreatment of the Jews. As a result of this time period, the characters have to go through troubling times, which reveals their beautiful and brutal nature in certain circumstances. Zusak uses his characters and their experiences to demonstrate the theme of the beauty and brutality of human nature in the novel.
Words have the power to save lives or ruin lives. The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak, is about a foster girl named Liesel Meminger who loves to read and steal books, who lives in Molching, Germany, right in the middle of Nazi Germany. With many adventures with friends and family, words are constantly there, and death comes in and out of her life. Books were very important to Liesel. She stole them, received them as Christmas presents, and even wrote her own. The power of words and Liesel’s relationship with them changes throughout the novel into a more complex relationship.
The novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak contains a handful of moments where the reader experiences heart-rending and joyful feelings towards the characters in the story. Each and every character is significant in the novel, and has their own way of showing how they care for one another. The relationships between these characters are what make the story memorable in its own individual way. The characters Hans, Rosa, Liesel, and Max all play remarkable parts in making the book memorable as a whole.
Being carried away by her past Liesel conveys her emotions through anger towards others. At first, Liesel is overwhelmed by how much her life changes in such a short period of time. Whenever an unfortunate event would occur, Liesel would express her feelings through anger. When Ilsa Hermann tells Liesel that she will no longer be in need of Rosa’s services, Liesel’s, “anger was thick and unnerving, but she toiled through it. She worked himself up even further, to the point where she needed to wipe the tears from her eyes” (252). Liesel had felt as though there was a connection between her and Ilsa. Unfortunately, times were getting harder and the Hermanns need to set an example for those living in Molching. This bring Liesel back to losing her brother as she had lost a friend. She allows the feelings and memories of loss to control and now the feelings are exemplified because she is once again losing. Liesel may have reacted differently if she had been thinking about her present life, and maybe her relationship with Ilsa would
Another critical scene in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is, when Liesel and Rosa Hubermann (foster mom) got into an argument and Rosa abuses Liesel.
The trauma and tragedy of Liesel’s life is evident from the very beginning of the novel. In the first chapter she watches her brother die and then be buried in a cold, anonyms field. Soon after only to be give to foster parents, leaving a resounding feeling of abandonment. “The car moved on, with Liesel dreading the last, lethal turn.” (P27, L9). This quote captures a moment in Liesel’s head while she is in the car driving away from her mother and towards unknown foster parents, an unknown town and essentially an unknown way of life. Consequently, it exhibits her dread for the situation and hints that she thinks that taking this step into the unknown will be deadly. However, Liesel finds ways to blossom in the face of such adversity. Max joins her in the Hubermann household, and soon is forced to hide away in the icy, dark basement. Their friendship flourishes none the less, and one afternoon when Liesel descends the stairs into the basement to boast to Max of her soccer
Words are more influential than thoughts. They are crafted and woven around the lives of every individual. Words have a powerful impact on how one interprets things, feels, and how one person can lead another person to feel. Written by Markus Zusak, "The Book Thief" is about a foster girl, Liesel Meminger, who lives in Nazi Germany and "scratches out a meagre existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she cannot resist: books" (Goodreads). As she matures and becomes a more critical thinker, she comes to understand that language can be both a dangerous weapon of control, as with the Nazi propaganda, and a gift that enables her to broaden her worldview. She evolves from a powerless to a powerful character that deeply empathizes with the voiceless through the books she steals, reads, and writes. Expressing the central theme of the novel, Zusak reveals the power of words “its beauty and ugliness“ through its impact on the characters, especially on Liesel.
Dreams have long been a topic of intrigue for artists of all forms. In the literary sense, authors have explored the world of dreams in a plethora of manners, ranging from depicting nonsensical, imaginary worlds to crafting scenes that depict the inner workings of the subconscious mind. In both Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Artist of the Beautiful, the world of dreams is explored through the eyes and thoughts of two curious characters. While Carroll exposes the illogical, absurd elements present in dreams, Hawthorne focuses on the personal, meaningful aspects existing in subconscious thoughts.
Dreams play a major role in the story, and, throughout the history of literature, sleep has often been consid...
From a toddler’s first steps to a senior graduating high school, dreams have been embedded within an individual for their entire lifetime. It is these dreams that drive an individual to take certain risks and struggle periodically in order to achieve their ultimate desires. It is these dreams that bring individuals to challenge their capabilities to higher standards. It is these dreams that would help one’s well being, and inspires others to perform better as well. The formation and creation of dreams have inspired fictional characters such as Santiago of The Alchemist written by Paulo Coelho. It also applied to the real life Mirabal sisters of In the Time of the Butterflies written
Sigmund Freud’s dream theory states that our behaviors are rooted in childhood experiences. Throughout her past, Tereza was humiliated by her mother for being modest and unsettled with the human body. This experience led her to behave in a more prudent and restrictive manner. The dream theory introduced by my classmate clarifies Tereza’s frequent dreams of peculiar natures. In one dream, she