Nonconformities in The Book Thief
Why the book thief? Why not “the food thief or the money thief”? What is the significance of the books? After reading The Book Thief, we are left with many questions relating to the books. Do they mean anything? It is very clear that there is, in fact, a very strong point to the books. The books in the Book Thief are a symbol of nonconformity.
The book thief takes place in Germany from 1939 to 1942. During that time period, Jews were being taken from their homes and thrown into concentration camps where many of them would end up dead and stripped of their humanity. The Jews in Germany and all over Europe were in hiding or behind fences. But not all of them were left out in the open to be rounded up, many …show more content…
For example on pages 125 and 126, on the night of Hitler's birth, we watch as Liesel steals The Shoulder Shrug out of a pile of burning books. The Shoulder Shrug is a book written by a Jew that was one of many Jewish books that was thrown into the fire. During this time in history, Jewish literature was made illegal to read. In fact, most anything not written by the Nazis was burned. Leisel reading Jewish books is a symbol of Liesel breaking free, and forming her own opinions. The Germans did not want people to think for themselves. They wanted people who would just do what they were told, but how could this happen if people were reading and forming their own opinions on the matter of Jews? Liesel would not be restricted by the Fuhrer. This is proved further on in the book on page 223 when Liesel is handed The Standover Man. The book begins with the line “All my life i’ve been scared of men standing over me”, and is written by Max. The book is talking about max’s life and how all his life he has been afraid of someone. The book is a direct symbol of the Nazis, which were the only people during this time in German history who believed that they were over or standing over, the Jews. The books opened doors in Liesel's mind that would have only been opened through the books she …show more content…
On page 116 Hans slaps her and says “You can say that in our house, but never say that on the street or at school, never”. Hans is basically saying that it is okay to believe that, but do not let it kill you, which is very powerful. The Hubermanns faced the threat of being caught on a daily basis because of what they were doing. Their whole family was at risk because they thought for themselves and made illegal decisions independent of the German Government. But they still fought the
Why the book thief? Why not “the food thief or the money thief”? What is the significance of the books? After reading The Book Thief, we are left with many questions relating to the books. Do they mean anything? It is very clear that there is, in fact, a very strong point to the books. The books in the Book Thief are a symbol of nonconformity.
The book thief takes place in Germany from 1939 to 1942. During that time period, Jews were being taken from their homes and thrown into concentration camps where many of them would end up dead and stripped of their humanity. The Jews in Germany and all over Europe were in hiding or behind fences. But not all of them were left out in the open to be rounded up, many …show more content…
For example on pages 125 and 126, on the night of Hitler's birth, we watch as Liesel steals The Shoulder Shrug out of a pile of burning books. The Shoulder Shrug is a book written by a Jew that was one of many Jewish books that was thrown into the fire. During this time in history, Jewish literature was made illegal to read. In fact, most anything not written by the Nazis was burned. Leisel reading Jewish books is a symbol of Liesel breaking free, and forming her own opinions. The Germans did not want people to think for themselves. They wanted people who would just do what they were told, but how could this happen if people were reading and forming their own opinions on the matter of Jews? Liesel would not be restricted by the Fuhrer. This is proved further on in the book on page 223 when Liesel is handed The Standover Man. The book begins with the line “All my life i’ve been scared of men standing over me”, and is written by Max. The book is talking about max’s life and how all his life he has been afraid of someone. The book is a direct symbol of the Nazis, which were the only people during this time in German history who believed that they were over or standing over, the Jews. The books opened doors in Liesel's mind that would have only been opened through the books she …show more content…
On page 116 Hans slaps her and says “You can say that in our house, but never say that on the street or at school, never”. Hans is basically saying that it is okay to believe that, but do not let it kill you, which is very powerful. The Hubermanns faced the threat of being caught on a daily basis because of what they were doing. Their whole family was at risk because they thought for themselves and made illegal decisions independent of the German Government. But they still fought the