The narrator is explaining Max Vandenburg’s childhood of fighting Walter Kugler and how it changed over time. The text says, “They fought until 1933, when they were seventeen. Grudging respect turned to genuine friendship, and the urge to fight left them.” (Zusak 191.) This quote explains what happens over time between the boys, the ugly feeling of hate evolves into the beautiful feeling of friendship. The author wants the reader to understand how he feels about the relationship between ugliness and beauty to the point where one can change into the other. The article titled “Holocaust Survivors Finally Get Bar Mitzvahs 70 Years After WWII” makes a point that is very similar to Zusak’s. The author of the article Elyse Wanshel makes the point that men and women who had gone through the tragic event that was the Holocaust would never expect their lives to be the same. At the time, none of them had the time, money, or rights to have their own Bar Mitzvahs. Seventy years down the road, however, they finally are able to be recognised. The article states, “After we finished, everyone had a spirit of harmony. Here we are, we have done it,’ Solomon Moshe told CNN. ‘We are here today more complete, and we feel that we got back what was missing,” (Wanshel). The text explains that the Holocaust victims are finally content after reliving what they lost as a child. The author expresses to the …show more content…
But on the other hand, if the beauty in the world was depicted as a single candle, then it would only take a little bit of it to light up the planet. That’s really all it takes in the midst of all the ugliness in the world. It only takes a little beauty to go a long way. In The Book Thief, Zusak is known for portraying beauty in the midst of massive ugliness quite commonly. One of the most profound examples, though, is during part seven of the book. A parade of Jews are walking through Himmel Street, and Papa notices an elderly man that looks to be starving. The text says, “The Jew stood before him, expecting another handful of derision, but he watched with everyone else as Hans Hubermann held his hand out and presented a piece of bread, like magic. When it changed hands, the Jew slid down. He fell to his knees and held Papa’s shins. He buried his face between them and thanked him,” (Zusak 394). This quote explains Hans’s character traits as being selfless and kind to the point where he is willing to risk his life to help someone in need. The author portrays the beauty among the ugliness with the act of giving food to a starving comrade in the midst of a march to tens of thousands of people’s deaths. This picture helps the reader to realize what true beauty is when one will do something for another even though they won’t be awarded for it. This relates to an