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Essays on The Book Thief

Essay examples
Essay topics
General Overview
The Book Thief essay topics would focus on the 2005 historical novel belonging to the Australian writer Markus Zusak. Alternatively, it could also relate to the 2013 movie based on this novel. The Book Thief follows the story of a girl, Liesel, as she settles in the house of her ... new foster parents in Nazi Germany, the same house where later, a Jewish fist-fighter called Max would be offered hiding. Here, Liesel learns to read, discovers the power of language, and starts writing her own story. The Book Thief essay topics is important because it highlights the power of the human spirit and education amidst extreme circumstances. Depending on whether the novel or the film is analyzed, different content and structure are expected.

Good Versus Evil: The Different Facets of Kindness as Shown in "The Book Thief"

1534 words | 3 Pages
Humanity is always engaged in an eternal power struggle between good and evil, and the well being of society often hangs in the balance when such forces collide. This presence of good and evil of humanity is a central theme in Markus Zusak’s The Book...
Topics:
Adolf Hitler, Andreas Wilson, Antisemitism, Ashkenazi Jews, English-language films, Evil, Fascism, Friendship, Germany, Good and evil

The Power Words in Zusak’s The Book Thief

1038 words | 2 Pages
Words are very powerful and one of the most common ways we communicate with each other. The novel, The Book Thief, tells a story of a young girl named Liesel, and certain challenges she faces in Nazi Germany in 1939 through the eyes of death....
Topics:
The Power of Words

The Theme of Guilt in The Novel "The Book Thief"

968 words | 2 Pages
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is set in Nazi Germany in World War II. Narrated by Death, the novel takes as its protagonist Liesel Meminger, a girl who grows up in a foster home where Jews aren’t seen as evil, in a departure from...
Topics:
Adolf Hitler, Andreas Hillgruber, Benito Mussolini, Ernst Röhm, Family, Fascism, Germany, Guilt, Israel, Jews

A Look at The Emotional Journey of Liesel as Shown in "The Book Thief"

2231 words | 5 Pages
“It’s just a small story really, about, among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist fighter, and quite a lot of thievery” (Zusak 5). And of course, there is Death. Set in Nazi Germany during the 1900s, The...
Topics:
Adolf Hitler, Death, Friendship, Markus Zusak, Nazi Germany, Nazi Party, Nazism, The Book Thief, The Power of Words, Time

Death as a Passive Force in The Book Thief

674 words | 1 Page
In The Book Thief, Zusak expounds upon the concept of death as a passive force and not a vengeful creature. Zusak presents the character Death in a manner that is more effectively conceived than the traditional rendition of Death’s personae. This unconventional characterization is validated...
Topics:
Cruelty, Death, English-language films, Life, Malicious Intent, Markus Zusak, Question, Reincarnation, The Book Thief, The Reader

A Look at The Theme of Irony When Reading The Book Thief

1100 words | 2 Pages
The dominating theme of Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief is an ironic one. Here is a novel where a main character is nothing less than the symbol of mortality itself, Death, yet the story continually celebrates the life spirit that is contained within books. Books...
Topics:
Adolf Hitler, Andreas Hillgruber, Beer Hall Putsch, Bruno Ganz, Fiction, Führer, Max, Meaning of life, Mein Kampf, Nazi Germany

Analysis of The Key Scene Depicting Violence in "The Book Thief"

865 words | 2 Pages
In works of great literature, violent scenes often play prominent roles. However, these scenes of violence do not exist for their own sake, but instead add value and depth to the story being told. The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak, is no exception to...
Topics:
Adolf Hitler, Battle of Stalingrad, Compassion, Death, Domestic violence, Guilt, Human, Jews, Judaism, Life

Abuse of Power in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

1236 words | 3 Pages
Theme is defined as the main concepts or underlying meaning of a literary text, which may be stated directly or indirectly. The two types of themes that can appear in literary text are major and minor themes. Abusing power is when somebody in a position...
Topics:
Abuse of power

Analysis of The Novel "The Book Thief"

459 words | 1 Page
In Section II, Liesel moves in with Hans and Rosa Hubermann, who are her foster parents. Rosa is abrasive and abusive, but Hans acts as a true father to her (the only one she’s known). When she has nightmares in the middle of the night,...
Topics:
100 metres, Adolf Hitler, Ato Boldon, Carl Lewis, Death, Dorian Harewood, Hitler Youth, Jesse Owens, Nazi Party, Personification

Main Events in The Novel "The Book Thief"

552 words | 1 Page
Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief is a story about family. Liesel Meminger loses her first family, her brother dying and her parents giving her away. Her second family is the Hubermanns, Hans and Rosa. Partway through the story, Max Vandenburg also joins the family. Throughout...
Topics:
A Story, Family, Friendship, Harvey Korman, Markus Zusak, Michael L. Printz Award, Sleep, The Book Thief

Theme of Courage in The Book Thief

734 words | 2 Pages
Throughout the years, humans have been known to stand up for what they believe in. As many people know, history tends to repeat itself. In the novel The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak, he uses characters to repetitively show acts of courage in the...
Topics:
Courage

A Review of 'The Book Thief' by Markus Zusak

649 words | 1 Page
Markus Zusak`s historical novel, The Book Thief opens exceptionally, with the narrator, who turns out to be Death. The Book Thief tells a touching story of Liesel Meminger who suffers from the death of her brother and separation from her mother. She experiences great suffering...
Topics:
Courage, Death

The Responsibility of German Citizens to Protect Jews in The Book Thief

1159 words | 2 Pages
Does following orders and laws justify allowing the mass persecution of a race? Is protecting one’s family a viable reason to tolerate the mistreatment of the Jews? During the Nuremberg trials, judges ruled simply following orders was an insubstantial reason to condone the actions of...
Topics:
Adolf Hitler, Antisemitism, Ashkenazi Jews, Auschwitz concentration camp, Extermination camp, Germany, Hermann Göring, Hitler Youth, Hungary, Israel

Similar Ideas in Film "Billy Elliot" and "The Book Thief"

1327 words | 3 Pages
An individual’s transition into new phases of life or social contexts offers an opportunity to grasp renewed perceptions, dictated by experiences that may be confronting for themselves and their formative milieu. Such transitions occur beyond the individual’s comfort zone, where they must overcome both personal...
Topics:
Ballet, Billy Elliot, Billy Elliot the Musical, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Catalysis, Gender role, Life, Markus Zusak, Michael L. Printz Award, Phase

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date
Date

2005

plot
Author

Markus Zusak

genre
Genre

Novel-Historical Fiction

characters
Characters

Liesel Meminger, Rudy Steiner, Hans Hubermann, Rosa Hubermann, Max Vandenburg

date
Date and Author

2005, by Markus Zusak

genre
Genre

Historical Fiction

plot
Plot

Narrated by Death, the story follows Liesel Meminger, a young girl living with foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, in Nazi Germany during World War II. Liesel settles down into her new home and during her time there, she is exposed to the horrors of the war and politics. Hans, who has developed a close relationship with Liesel, teaches her to read during this time. Recognizing the power of writing and sharing the written word, Liesel not only begins to steal books that the politicians are seeking to destroy, but also writes her own story.

symbols-motives
Theme

A theme that stands out from the beginning is literacy and power. While language initially is a struggle for the main character, Liesel, it becomes one that empowers her and allows her to quietly rebel against Hitler's regime. Other major themes include kindness, and cruelty of humans, reading and writing, the duality of the Nazi era, mortality, and love.

based-on
Style

The Book Thief features innovative stylistic techniques. The most obvious innovation is narrator Death's use of boldface text to relay certain information. The mood of "The Book Thief" is defiantly a somber time, and fear is in the air in Nazi Germany.

characters
Characters

Liesel Meminger, Death, Hans Hubermann (Papa), Rosa Hubermann (Mama), Rudy Steiner, Max Vandenburg, Ilsa Hermann, Werner Meminger, Paula Meminger (Liesel's Mother), Hans Jr (Hans' and Rosa's son)

influence
Popularity

Published in 2005, The Book Thief became an international bestseller and was translated into 63 languages and sold 16 million copies. It was adapted into the 2013 feature film, The Book Thief. The novel has also win several awards, such as Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book, Michael L. Printz Honor Book, Best Books for Young Adults (American Library Association).

quotes
Quotes

“The only thing worse than a boy who hates you: a boy that loves you.”
“I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.”
“Even death has a heart.”
“Imagine smiling after a slap in the face. Then think of doing it twenty-four hours a day.”

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