Words hold great power and when used correctly can influence what people believe and how they act. In Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, many characters develop an understanding of the power of words which results in many characters being negatively impacted by the theme. Characters that are negatively affected by the strength the theme of the power of words carry include Liesel, Hans and Rudy. The power of words can influence many people which results in many characters to be negatively impacted like Liesel. The negative effects of that the theme of the power of words causes Liesel to experience misery throughout her lifetime. Liesel is abandoned by her mother at a young age. “’Is my mother a communist?’ Staring. Straight ahead. ‘They were always asking her things, before I came here.’ … ‘Did the Fuhrer take her away?’ … ‘I knew it.’ The words were thrown at the steps and Liesel could feel the slush of anger stirring hotly in her stomach. ‘I hate the Fuhrer’ she said. ‘I hate him.’” (115) Liesel’s mom leaves her with foster parents because she wishes to protect her from the fate she is enduring. The words Paula, Liesel’s mom, uses go against Hitler because she is a communist which resulted in her being taken away and Liesel to lose her mother and experience the loss of her. This shows Liesel experiences unhappiness because of her mother’s disappearance which is caused by the words she openly uses that contradicts Hitler. Liesel’ classmates make of her because of her lack of reading skills. Fellow classmates in Liesel’s class mock her because she didn’t read the passage he was instructed to read. This shows Liesel experiences unhappiness because of her lack of reading and the power of words. “’Hey Liesel,' he ... ... middle of paper ... ...ything to have been on Himmel Street that night so that Rudy survived rather than himself.” (547) This shows that Alex words that deny Rudy the opportunity to go to the special school caused his death. Rudy would have been alive if Alex words had accepted the opportunity for the special school. Rudy’s lack of knowledge of the power words have causes him to be punished. One may wonder since in The Book Thief many characters are negatively impacted by the power of words if many characters are positively impacted by the power of words. The power of words can influence what people believe and the actions people make. Liesel, Hans and Rudy are characters that are negatively impacted by the power of words. Many characters in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak develop a comprehension of the strength of power woulds possess which causes them to be undesirably affected.
Part One: The first book that Liesel “stole” was The Grave Digger's Handbook. This is ironic because it was the day that her brother died and it was the last time she saw her mother. Himmel Street is ironic because Himmel= Heaven and Himmel Street did
Strong emotions towards another can cause one to act irrationally. This idea is prominent throughout The Book Thief especially through Hans Hubberman. Hans displays his irrationality at many points in the novel. One moment in particular was when he let a Jew he knew and deeply felt sorry for stay in his house. In the setting of the novel, 1940s Nazi Germany, Hans’s action was considered an illegal and punishable crime. On that same night Hans tells his foster daughter Liesel the gravity of their situation. He elaborates on the consequences of anyone divulging their secret. “If you tell anyone about that poor man, they’ll drag that man (max), away and maybe momma and me too” (Zusak 104). Hans explains the potential ramifications of anyone discovering Max in their dwellings. He tells Liesel of all the negative consequences that his decision could provoke. Hans’s decision runs the risk of his arrest, and the separation of his family all for the sake of one man that Hans’s is emotionally attached to. Hans’s strong emotions towards Max influence him to make an irrational decision that threatens the destruction of his family. There are many other instances in the novel where Hans’s strong feelings towards others cloud his judgment. At one point in the novel Hans decides to save the life of a Jewish man even though he realizes that the Nazi officials were watching and they forbade this type of behavior. After h...
Words have a way of changing the way we view the world. They can completely alter our perception of what is true and what is false. Take the tale of Skidmore and Manchester, as dictated in the story ‘The Curse of the Poisoned Pretzel.’ The way the author portrays the character of Skidmore shows just how easily words can change how we see someone by making you believe that Skidmore is guilty of his brother‘s murder, without ever formally saying so.
In this passage, Liesel just stopped beating up Ludwig Schmeikl and Tommy Muller. Liesel is mad because she is learning how to read with Hans but can’t prove it to her classmates that she can read so they think she is stupid. Liesel tries to defend herself not by proving that she’s not stupid but with violence instead, much like how Hitler handled the Jews with killing them and destroying their homes.
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.
Despite her limited involvement in his life, Grendel’s mother indubitably impacts her son. Because she cannot speak to Grendel in a way that he understands, Grendel becomes very lonely. He wonders, “Why can’t I have someone to talk to” (Gardner 53)? This lack of communication causes Grendel to feel very distant from his own mother. As a result of his increased solitary time, he begins to isolate himself and becomes alienated. Grendel cries, “I shake my head, muttering darkly on shaded paths, holding conversation with the only friend and comfort this world affords, my shadow” (Gardner 8). Rather than looking to his mother for advice, the outcast is forced to rely on himself, thus, making him more independent and free to do as he pleases. One time Grendel asked his mother, “Why are we here” (Gardner 11)? His mother’s blank response enabled him to formulate his own austere answer to the question, resulting in his adverse and destructive ways of
The characters such as Otto and Anna Quangel battle in a silent, yet powerful way to demonstrate their dignity, as well as individuals of a better Germany. The author Hans Fallada added symbolism and depth to demonstrate the maltreatment that not only Jews, but also German citizen’s received as well. With Hans Fallada being one of them, it seems evident that he added a vast proportion of his personal experiences into the novel, through the characters actions, voices, and experiences. In the society Fallada had once lived, it was impossible to say how one truly felt, so it seems possible to be able to express opinion through fictional writing. Fallada claimed, "A novel has its own laws and can not follow in all of reality" (Groschupt, 2011) which is substantial proof that this author expresses his internal thoughts and personal life in this novel, amongst many other
“She sprayed her words directly into the woman’s eyes.” This sentence shows that Liesel intends to harm Ilsa with the insults she was using. Liesel thought that words were the only way she could harm Ilsa after she and her husband cut off the laundry service that Rosa provided, which was one of their few sources of income. Liesel was very angry and cruelly took it out on Frau Hermann.
In the beginning of the book, Liesel gets adopted after she has recently lost her brother; "Still in disbelief, she started to dig. He couldn't be dead. He couldn't be dead. He couldn't" (23). In the article, Mental Health and Growing Up, by the Royal College of Psychiatrists the article explains that a death in the family may cause sadness, anger, anxiety, lack of sleep, and the feeling of lost safety. In the novel, Liesel has just recently moved into the Hubermanns where she shows signs of a death such as, loss of safety and abandonment. The death of her brother ends up bringing Liesel and Hans hubermann closer together. Later in the novel, the sister nun at her school disregards Liesel and has no interest in her reading in front of her class, so Rudy, her best friend in the novel tries to stand up for her; “Sister Maria, I think you forgot Liesel.”. Rudy's reaction helps shape Liesel to become more
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.
Throughout the novel Liesel reaches new highs and new lows, overcoming her fears and succumbing to her anger. Liesel's sudden outburst at Ilsa Hermann after Ilsa asking to stop the laundry services caused her to finally accept her brother's death and even helped Ilsa accept her son's death as well. Ilsa's guilt consumed her and caused her to become a house ridden woman overcome by her grief while Liesel overcame her guilt and grief by learning how to read and write not allowing them to overcome her. "“It’s about time,” she [Liesel] informed her, “that you do your own stinking washing anyway. It’s about time you faced the fact that your son is dead. He got killed! He got strangled and cut up more than twenty years ago! Or did he freeze to death? Either way, he’s dead! He’s dead and it’s pathetic that you sit here shivering in your own house to suffer for it. You think you’re the only one?” Immediately. Her brother was next to her. He whispered for her to stop, but he, too, was dead, and not worth listening to. He died in a train. They buried him in the snow. […] “This book,” she went on. She shoved the boy down the steps, making him fall. “I don’t want it.” The words were quieter now, but still just as hot. She threw The Whistler at the woman’s slippered feet, hearing the clack of it as it landed on the cement. “I don’t want your miserable book. ”[…] her brother holding his
It is quite astonishing how varying combinations of letters and characters have such power. They have moved and shaped the course of history and touched our lives in every aspect. Words can hurt us, they can make us feel love, hate, and any emotion in between. These tiny units of language breathe life into the people and things around us and shall do so for eternity.
Grendel feels like an outcast in the society he lives in causing him to have a hard time finding himself in the chaotic world. He struggles because the lack of communication between he and his mother. The lack of communication puts Grendel in a state of depression. However, Grendel comes in contact with several characters with different philosophical beliefs, which allows his to see his significance in life. Their views on life influence Grendel to see the world in a meaningful way.
The power of words is immeasurable. Words help people to voice their opinions and express their thoughts and feelings. Our everyday lives are shaped by communication and in general language. A persons language can often influence success and happiness. America is viewed as a melting pot for numerous different people and their respective languages. Language is so vital in our society that a person of diverse ethnic background can face many tribulations throughout their everyday life.
Even though the relationships differ from story to story, there is a dominant and inferior relationship that is present within each. Many would suggest being the dominant character would hold its benefits; however within each story the dominant suffers some kind of loss as a result of their behavior or actions. Since emotions begin to play a large part in decision making, the contradictions of behaviors between the two tend to push the relationship to a breaking point causing a downfall for one of the characters. As we continue to study the effects of relationships within these literary works we are given the opportunity to learn the precursors of character flaw so we may avoid such decisions ourselves, thus eliminating the chance of history repeating itself.