There are several themes found in the, The Book Thief. There are many themes or motifs that represented in this, novel such as; hard ship, friendship, humility, and love. I feel the themes that best represent The Book Thief are courage, and suffering. All the characters in this novel all experienced their own share of suffering, some more than others, but despite the series of unfortunate events they were faced with they continued to be strong & had courage.
Courage is greatly represented in this novel. For example it takes courage for the Hubermann’s to take in Max Vandenberg. Risking a great deal of punishment and even possible death if they were caught hiding a young Jewish man in their home. On Han’s behalf, it takes extreme courage for Max to make the trip to their home in the first place, and to trust them. As the characters grow and change courage becomes a bigger and bigger factor in their lives. When all hope seems to be lost they continue to believe and not give up. Although Mr. Hubermann was looked down upon by many people for not being enlisted in the Nazi Party, even by his own son, he stood for what he believed in and remained immune to the beliefs of the Nazi’s. That shows immense courage. “In 1933, ninety percent of Germans showed unflinching support for Adolph Hitler. That leaves ten percent that didn’t. Hans Hubermann belonged to that ten percent.”
Everywhere you turn there are examples of suffering, especially speaking about the concentration camps and all the horrible things going on the other side of the electric fences. Suffering and guilt over the loss of loved ones is also a major focus in The Book Thief. In chapter one, death speaks about how he hates to see the survivors or the ones that were left behind. Sometimes it seems harder to live with the fact that your loved ones or someone close to you has perished. It seems harder to live with that fact that you can no longer live your life with this person, then to just die too. “I witness the ones that were left behind crumbled among the jigsaw puzzle or realization, despair, and surprise. They have punctured hearts and beaten lungs.”
Humility, hard ship, love, friendship, are all great examples of themes represented in The Book Thief but I chose suffering and courage because I feel those are the most important aspects in long term sustainability. Not only Is courage and suffering greatly represented, but it is also a universal things. Everyone to some extent, has experienced both suffering and courage, which makes the book interesting, and relatable
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
Courage is will not knowledge. I believe that Bodie and Brock Thoene used the setting to set the tone and draw the reader to the book and by doing this they used personification. The book take places in Most of Germany was an awful place to be during this time because of the…
- 507 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
courage. The theme of courage is shown throughout the story, and how all the solders or terrified…
- 973 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
What is courage? According to dictionary.com, courage is the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain etc., without fear; bravery. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, both Atticus and Boo Radley are both courageous through the challenges they are faced with. Both of these men are citizens of Maycomb and create change within their town. Although Atticus and Boo Radley are very different people, they prove to be similar through their acts of courage. Though their acts of courage are similar, they both generate change to different aspects of their lives. Both men change things through their acts of courage, but the changes are drastically different. Atticus’ courage is a long term change, and it will help Maycomb see African Americans as equals and not as inferiors. Boo’s change on their other hand, will be more of a lesson that teaches not to judge a book by its cover.…
- 736 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Courage is fighting for what is right no matter what the cost. Courage is a human concept that involves the very nature of doing something no matter how difficult it is and having the strength to do it. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus and Mrs. Dubose experience difficult situations but still show bravery. Atticus demonstrates courage by fighting for Tom Robinson despite the racist community he is a part of. Mrs. Dubose demonstrates courage when she decides to die without the use of morphine even if it means she’ll live the last bit of her life in pain. Atticus and Mrs. Dubose are courageous because they do what they think is right no matter the consequences.…
- 456 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The “Book Thief” by Markus Zusak follows the story of a 10-year-old girl named, Liesel Meminger. The book takes place during the Holocaust of Adolf Hitler’s ruling in Germany. Throughout the story, the reader meets many courageous characters who showed true signs of courage and bravery. I believe that Hans Hubermann is the character that best illustrates courage. Hans shows a symbol of courage as he gave Max, a jew, a hideout from the Nazis.Hans also shows true sacrifice as he risked his own family’s live to save Max. He also had the courage to give a jew a piece of bread, who was on his way to a concentration camp. This led to him and the jew whipped and Hans was sent to Germany as a punishment for his actions. Hans did all these things because he was…
- 658 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
When reading a novel, there is generally a theme. A theme is the central idea of the novel. Normally, the author of the novel is trying to teach readers a life lesson. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses multiple themes throughout his novel. Steinbeck uses his theme of hopes and dreams to show motivation, unlikeliness, and anger.…
- 657 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
There are lots of character’s traits that I saw in these books but there are those that are more meaningful. Courage was one of them and both characters in both books presented it very well. Example in Huck Finn: When Huck knew that his dad was back, he had to find a his way to escape, which took lots of courage because it’s not everybody that can be able to do that. So as Jim when he figured out they were about to sell him to someone else. Both Huck and Jim had no choice but to go far from everybody who where controlling them. An example from Long Walk to Freedom: Mandela went to prison more than 3 times and there were always people who tried to break him down and deported him. Even when he went to prison the last which lasted…
- 687 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Novels have to be catching to eye; a good book has to possess certain characteristics to allow the reader to be engaged in the novel and to be able to make personal connections or references to their everyday lives. Having a theme gives the novel an edge and creates a better story to read. Three key themes that are portrayed in the novel The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini are betrayal, forgiveness and atonement.…
- 939 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
"Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities...because it is the quality which guarantees all others," (Winston Churchill). There are several different ways t be courageous. Harper Lee, in her 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, uses courage as a main theme. Harper Lee demonstrates that if one can tell the truth, change or remain rooted in their morals, they are a minority among people who lack the ability to do so.…
- 905 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
One of the themes I chose was death and suffering. There was constantly death and suffering happening in the book.My abstact theme is love. Elie is constantly showing love for his father. Both of the themes are demonstrated in the book however love is not very often talked about. I will start with the theme of death and suffering.…
- 648 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Hans Hubermann portrays a brave man for several reasons. First of all, Hans does not want to join the Nazi Party, unlike his son--Hans Junior. Hans Jr. believes his dad is making a mistake, which makes him a ‘coward’. According to what Hans said to his son that day at their house, “Mistakes? I’ve made many mistakes in my life, but not joining the Nazi Party isn’t one of them...”(Zusak 104). It takes courage to oppose the ideas of the people in your life, and to make decisions based on what you think is right. Hans also symbolizes a brave man by standing up for Liesel and her reading towards her mother and son--Rosa and Hans Jr,. Rosa does not think Hans should be teaching her how to read and Hans Jr. thinks Liesel is reading trash; therefore,…
- 250 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
Matt Lamkin’s “A Ban On Brain-Boosting Drugs is Not the Answer” first appeared in Chronicle of Higher Education in 2011. In this essay Lamkin aims to convince his reader not to deter improper conduct with threats, but to encourage students to engage in the practice of education. Lamkin tells us “If colleges believe that enhancing cognition with drugs deprives students of the true value of education, they must encourage students to adapt that value as their own” (642). Appeal to logic, consistency, and compare/contrast are techniques Lamkin skillfully uses to create a strong effective essay.…
- 712 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Everyone in this life has a need of survive. As an immigrant, is very difficult to come to a new country and start a new life from the beginning. In the essay “The Back of the Bus” written by Mary Mebane talks about a bus ride from North Carolina to South Carolina when the segregation laws were still in place. Mebane wrote this piece because she “wanted to show what it was like to live under legal segregation before the civil rights act of 1964” (Mebane, 167). On the other hand, the essay “Like Mexicans” written by Gary Soto, the author expresses how is to growing up in the ‘barrio’ and makes a comparison between two different cultures. Even though: “The Back of the Bus” and “Like Mexicans” are although different because of segregation and differences of cultures, they share the same struggles through racism, stereotype and having no choice.…
- 700 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
To begin with courage is something you can portray when standing up for what you believe in . For instance in the novel Atticus was the rare symbol of courage in maycomb . Atticus defending the Tom Robinson case despite what anyone else in the community had to say . Atticus was not only being courageous by defending the case but because he stood up for what he believed in not only for himself but to set an example for his children . " Because I could never ask you to mind me again scout simply by the nature of the work every lawyer gets at least one case that affects him personally this ones mines I guess. You might hear some ugly talk about it at school , but do one thing for me if you will : you just hold your head high and keep those fists down . No matter what anybody says to you don't .let em get your host try fighting with your head for a change " ( page 76 ) . This quote exhibits Atticus coming to term with the fact that he's going to have to turn the other cheek and not let their foolishness get to him.…
- 668 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Police Brutality has become a serious topic in today’s time being that every time you turn on the TV you see them mention another act of violence from the police and since that were in 2015, cellphone cameras are being used to capture every single second of it, so it won’t become he say, she say evidence. According to Salem Press Encyclopedia, police brutality is abuses of authority that amount to serious and divisive human rights violations involving the excessive use of force that may occur in the apprehension or retention of civilians. Police brutality has become the issue of today’s time with civilians of this country; recent examples of police brutality are Eric Garner, Freddie gray, Sean Bell and it’s sad that’s there even more incidents. Police has been advised that some shootings are unjustified and wrong but they find a loophole, finding the victim to be wrong instead of the police officer. Most of the time it has been minorities that have been the victim in these incidents, and that is why police and minority groups have been having major conflicts that effects the country. I agree with this article that police brutality is a major issue and I believe that it’s wrong and need to be put to an end.…
- 1110 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays