Themes In The Book Thief

“I saw the book thief three times” (Zusak 5). This quote shows the theme death is inevitable which overtakes Liesel’s life, the main character in Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, because the narrator of the story is Death. He basically says that Liesel will be around the death of three different people and this is how Death finds her story. Liesel's story begins in a tragic way. On the way to her new home, Liesel shockingly loses her brother. She is now forced to cope with death. Given Liesel's series of unfortunate events, she has to learn how to cope with now learning that death is inevitable. The Book Thief is a 550 page novel that later became a major motion picture which takes place in Molching, Germany during World War II when the Nazi’s

She meets new people and forms bonds with them. As Liesel grows up, she discovers her greatest loves: books and words. The book and the movie both express the importance of death; however, the book and the movie have similar and different ways of conveying the message. Throughout the book, the themes Zusak conveys include death is inevitable. In both the movie and the book, the theme “death is inevitable” is shown similarly and differently through the setting, events, characters and symbols.

In both the movie and the book, the theme “death is inevitable” is shown similarly and differently through the setting. The setting is shown through the war time in Germany and presence of Dachau. To begin, war time is portrayed in the novel when the people of Germany ration their food so that everyone gets food and it doesn’t become scarce during the war. Death says, “It was brought about by one opportunity, and it was driven by one inescapable force-Rudy’s hunger” (Zusak 149). The quote shows that during war time, the sacrifice of the common people,not fighting, are helping the war effort by giving up some of their luxury food items. The people who are rationing are

The symbols are shown through death being the narrator and death seeing in colors. Death writes, “I could introduce myself properly, but it’s not really necessary. You will know me well enough and soon enough, depending on a diverse range of variables” (Zusak 4). The quote introduces death as the narrator proving that death is inevitable because he’s telling the story. The message of death being the narrator is conveyed the same way in the novel and movie by death narrating the story. Another way the theme that death is inevitable is proven in death is in colors. For example, death writes, “I do, however, try to enjoy every color I see - the whole spectrum. It takes the edge off the stress. It helps me relax” (Zusak 4). The quote explains why death likes seeing in colors. Death sees in colors because death knows he is inevitable. Knowing this, death doesn’t like his job so he distracts himself. He distracts himself by seeing what color it is when he takes a soul. This message of death seeing in colors is only portrayed in the novel and not in the movie at all.

In conclusion, in both the movie and the book, the theme “death is inevitable” is shown similarly and differently through the setting, events, characters and symbols. Death is shown through many different aspects of Liesel's life. The people she loves and cares about are dying around her but Leisel doesn’t