Symbolism Compared and Contrasted
A book. A piece of bread. An accordion. Three entirely different objects, used for entirely different purposes. Yet, in context to The Book Thief written by Markus Zusak, the entities accommodate a manifold of symbolic meanings in between the pages, keys, and crumb.
Hans accordion carries history of a long friendship between him and Erik Vandenburg that dates back to his experiences in World War I. Every time his eyes lay upon the magnificent instrument, or he plays a key, it reminds him of Erik and the debt he owes to him; he saved Hans life which results in himself dying.
At the burial site of Liesel’s brother, as one of the grave diggers walks away an object falls from his coat. “There was something black and rectangular lodged in the snow. Only the girl saw it. She bent down and picked it up and held it firmly in her fingers. The book had silver writing on it” (Zusak 16). When Liesel grabbed the The Gravedigger’s Handbook, it wasn’t her intention to read, she didn’t even know how to read. The book was her way of something that she could hold onto to remember her brother, because that was the last time she would ever see him. Both Han’s accordion and Liesel’s book, The Gravedigger's Handbook, all have symbolic meanings that mean something more to them than the implements purpose. …show more content…
One example of this would be the difference between the bread and books. The majority of Liesel’s books were stolen; many of them were taken from Ilsa Hermann’s library. This is a very selfish action, because she is taking something from someone else without permission, especially since it is something she doesn’t have to have. On the other hand, the bread given to the Jewish prisoner by Hans was an act of unselfishness because the Hubermann’s already do not have a large portion of food, and yet he is giving it
A book. A piece of bread. An accordion. Three entirely different objects, used for entirely different purposes. Yet, in context to The Book Thief written by Markus Zusak, the entities accommodate a manifold of symbolic meanings in between the pages, keys, and crumb.
Hans accordion carries history of a long friendship between him and Erik Vandenburg that dates back to his experiences in World War I. Every time his eyes lay upon the magnificent instrument, or he plays a key, it reminds him of Erik and the debt he owes to him; he saved Hans life which results in himself dying.
At the burial site of Liesel’s brother, as one of the grave diggers walks away an object falls from his coat. “There was something black and rectangular lodged in the snow. Only the girl saw it. She bent down and picked it up and held it firmly in her fingers. The book had silver writing on it” (Zusak 16). When Liesel grabbed the The Gravedigger’s Handbook, it wasn’t her intention to read, she didn’t even know how to read. The book was her way of something that she could hold onto to remember her brother, because that was the last time she would ever see him. Both Han’s accordion and Liesel’s book, The Gravedigger's Handbook, all have symbolic meanings that mean something more to them than the implements purpose. …show more content…
One example of this would be the difference between the bread and books. The majority of Liesel’s books were stolen; many of them were taken from Ilsa Hermann’s library. This is a very selfish action, because she is taking something from someone else without permission, especially since it is something she doesn’t have to have. On the other hand, the bread given to the Jewish prisoner by Hans was an act of unselfishness because the Hubermann’s already do not have a large portion of food, and yet he is giving it