Essay Comparing The Book Theif And To Kill A Mockingbird

Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird are both novels that feature children’s struggles to understand the prejudiced beliefs within the towns in which they live. The Book Thief focuses on Liesel’s love of literature that helps her cope with childhood fear while living in Germany during a period of extreme anti-Semitism. To Kill A Mockingbird emphasizes Jem and Scout’s struggles to recognize racism while living in Alabama during the 1930s. Liesel, Jem, and Scout are shaped by their related struggles and require similar caregivers to guide them. Rosa Hubermann, Liesel’s foster mother, uses a wooden spoon and foul language to prevent Liesel from making foolish decisions that harm her health. Calpurnia, a household servant who is responsible for …show more content…
When Scout criticizes Walter Cunningham’s unusual eating habits without acknowledging his impoverished background, she suffers Calpurnia’s consequence of a “stinging smack” (Lee 33). Calpurnia’s stern nature is shown through her “stinging” punishment for Scout’s mistake. Yet Scout’s ignorance about Walter’s background contributes to the prejudice in Maycomb, which results from the ignorance of its people toward African Americans. Calpurnia’s painful smack bears love through its intentions to protect Scout from the prejudice in her town. With the same purpose as her punishment for Scout, Calpurnia reprimands Jem for watching Tom Robinson’s trial, questioning whether “he got any sense at all” (Lee 277). Calpurnia appears harsh from criticizing Jem’s intelligence because of a single mistake. However, the extreme prejudice Jem witnesses in the trial makes Calpurnia’s harshness necessary to prevent him from viewing similar situations in the future. Calpurnia’s hidden wishes to protect the children in her care display