The Theme Of Fate In The Book Thief, Death

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In The Book Thief, Death bluntly tells the reader, “You are going to die.” The macabe statement grabs the attention of the reader and points to a larger theme: fate rules peoples lives. The theme of fate is present in many popular works of literature. Through the use of literary devices, the authors of The Book Thief, Monkey’s Paw, and The Interlopers convey their common theme that fate is fixed and that humanity can not change the course of their lives.
In The Book Thief, Monkey’s Paw and The Interlopers, imagery is used to further emphasize the author’s belief that fate is set. In The Book Thief, Zusak uses descriptive imagery to emphasize Max’s illness and show how helpless Liesel and the Huberman’s are to stop it. The image of Max’s decline, …show more content…

These symbols of fate further show how fate is in control of people’s lives. In The Monkey’s Paw, the paw itself is a symbol of fate created by a spiritual man “to show that fate ruled people’s lives, and that those who tried to change it would be sorry. He put a spell on it so that three different men could each have three wishes from it” (Jacobs). The paw serves to punish the three men who wish upon it. When Herbert wishes for money it comes in the form of compensation for the death of his son. In “The Interlopers”, the wolves symbolize fate because even when the men have come to a peace with one another they think that they are safe but the wolves come before their men. The parallels between the wolves and fate show how the men are not in control, and that the men are powerless to save each other. Finally in The Book Thief, Zusak puts emphasis on the significance of books. These books can be taken as a symbol of fate because the books have already been written and are not subject to change. The motif of a book’s story is paralleled in the book of Liesel’s life in which it had been written before the story ever started.
By using symbolism the author is able to compare fate to important pieces of the plot and emphasize the role it plays in the

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