Catcher In The Rye And The Book Thief

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The use of themes, such as losing innocence and the power of words, are used in The Book Thief and in The Catcher in the Rye to better show the main character's life journey. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, is a story narrated by Death, of a young girl, Liesel, and her journey through life in Germany, 1939. the author, J.D. Salinger wrote the Catcher in the Rye with Holden as the narrator. Holden is a sixteen year old boy who has been kicked out of several private schools, cuts classes whenever he doesn’t feel like going, and he only does his homework assignments when he wants to. Holden is a keen example of the typical rebellious teen cliche. Holden tells the story as a flashback to the time when he was battling with depression, in New York, …show more content…
Markus Zusak expresses that words have power by displaying the way they connect people. For Liesel, Hans, Max, and Rudy, words and stories hold tremendous value in the novel. Words are the most direct and powerful way people can connect with each other. In the story, there are several moments when the words connect people. Words can hurt and words can heal. Throughout The Book Thief, Markus Zusak expresses that words have power through the literary device personification. Words are given a personality and physical characteristics in the novel. “Beneath her shirt, a book was eating her up” (21). Liesel's love for books is very apparent in this moment, after she's stolen the smoldering The Shoulder Shrug from the book burning. She'd rather let it burn her skin than abandon it. It tells that the words are physically hurting her, but they mean so much to her that she wants to keep them hers. Words have the power to cause her physical pain. This quote showcases the power that words have on Liesel. Although it is not expressed as deeply, The Book Thief also tells how words have the power to spread thoughts and ideas. the power of words can be dangerous, just as Max tells Liesel that Hitler used words to persuade the world, instead of violence. In his book, he

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