The Book Thief uses World War II as the desolate setting for Liesel’s journey. At the start of this novel, Liesel is innocent and unaware, however it quickly changes with the loss of her brother. This excerpt best forwards the theme that the loss of innocence is simply another casualty among the many of war. The death of her brother is incomprehensible to Liesel, “Still in disbelief, … He couldn’t be dead” demonstrates her inability to face reality. Her childhood has abruptly ended,and has signalled the start of her “adult” life. Using Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “Childhood is the Kingdom Where Nobody Dies” to define innocence, Liesel’s brother is the first of many deaths that chip away at her pure hope and soul. “Her moment had arrived” is
