Death often allows humans to recognize the overlooked significance that life holds. Marcus Zusak manipulates this concept by skillfully personifying Death and using him to narrate the story of Liesel, a little girl raised in Nazi Germany. Death’s narration, consisting of vivid imagery and foreshadowing, establishes a grim, yet poetic element in the novel and allows the audience to connect with the events. The novel opens with a thorough introduction to Death’s occupation. Through the use of sensory details and second person point of view, the audience is directly put into the scene. “You will know me well enough and soon enough, depending on a range of variables,” Death explains, “your soul will be in my arms…I will carry you away gently”
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Many argue that sarcasm used in a time like this is demeaning and offensive. Death, however, reveals his human-like characteristics through his humorous personality. While Liesel and Hans use their books and accordion respectively to calm the residents of Himmel Street during the bomb raids, Death uses humor as both a comfort for himself and the audience throughout the telling of his story. Lev Grossman recognizes this in his review for Time by labeling Death’s humor as “grim [and] darkly consoling” (Novels, 63). Death assures that his sympathy are genuine regarding the gruesome events towards the end of the book when he says, “[Rudy] does something to me, that boy. Every time. It’s his only detriment. He steps on my heart. He makes me cry” (Zusak, 531). By displaying acts of grief, consolation, and sympathy, Death proves to be more humane than previously thought. The Book Thief proposes a different take on the telling of the Holocaust. With a narrator like Death, and a German protagonist, the book successfully gives the audience insight on the evolution of Nazism, and the assurance that not all Germans were as cruel as their countrymen. By using descriptive imagery and intriguing foreshadow, Zusak is capable of creating a relationship between the novel’s audience and a narrator that they never thought they would want to hear more
Many argue that sarcasm used in a time like this is demeaning and offensive. Death, however, reveals his human-like characteristics through his humorous personality. While Liesel and Hans use their books and accordion respectively to calm the residents of Himmel Street during the bomb raids, Death uses humor as both a comfort for himself and the audience throughout the telling of his story. Lev Grossman recognizes this in his review for Time by labeling Death’s humor as “grim [and] darkly consoling” (Novels, 63). Death assures that his sympathy are genuine regarding the gruesome events towards the end of the book when he says, “[Rudy] does something to me, that boy. Every time. It’s his only detriment. He steps on my heart. He makes me cry” (Zusak, 531). By displaying acts of grief, consolation, and sympathy, Death proves to be more humane than previously thought. The Book Thief proposes a different take on the telling of the Holocaust. With a narrator like Death, and a German protagonist, the book successfully gives the audience insight on the evolution of Nazism, and the assurance that not all Germans were as cruel as their countrymen. By using descriptive imagery and intriguing foreshadow, Zusak is capable of creating a relationship between the novel’s audience and a narrator that they never thought they would want to hear more