Examples Of Guilt In The Book Thief

Guilt. Noun. The bittersweet aftertaste of regret wrought from sin. Written by Markus Zusak, The Book Thief is narrated by none other than Death itself within Nazi Germany, which sets the stage for tragedy. People die all the time. They die throughout the course of the story, and their deaths fill certain characters not only with grief but with guilt as well. Videlicet, these characters are Hans Hubermann, Max Vandenburg, and Michael Holtzapfel, whom the author uses to question whether or not individuals should feel guilty not dying. To begin with, Hans Hubermann arguably suffers more from the guilt of not dying than anyone else in the story. Before going any further, it must be understood what not dying means to Hans. Just as not leaving is …show more content…
According to Death, Hubermann has avoided its acquaintance twice: once during the First World War and once more during the Second World War. He lived because he was at the right place at the right time while someone else was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Two people had died for Hans Hubermann, the first being Erik Vandenburg, during the First World War. Upon his return to Stuttgart, Hans tracks down the Vandenburg family only to realize the sacrifice Erik had made. “‘You never told me,’ he said to a dead Erik Vandenburg and the Stuttgart skyline. ‘You never told me you had a son (Zusak, 179).’” Vandenburg, who had a family, had died for Hubermann, whom had yet to have one himself. Later on, when Max Vandenburg, his son, sought refuge, Hans Hubermann had no other choice but to welcome him, despite the dangerous fact that, by harboring a Jew in Nazi Germany, he would be placing his own family at considerable risk. The very fact that Hans is willing to do this suggests how guilty he still feels about Erik; he might not have even taken in Max had it not been for this guilt. The other person who died for Hans was Reinhold Zucker, during the Second World War.