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What Is The Difference Between Heart Of Darkness And The Book Thief

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What Is The Difference Between Heart Of Darkness And The Book Thief
The main characters in Heart of Darkness and The Book Thief habit eras dominated by powerful ideologies resulting in inequality and persecution. Marlow (Heart of Darkness) growing up in England under colonialism and Liesel (The Book Thief) in Germany under Nazism, are witnesses of traumatic events. Nevertheless, the persistent dedication of both characters allows them to uncover the dark nature of their individual societies. Ultimately, this leads Liesel to discover a moral role for herself within Nazi Germany and Marlow to confront the illusions and cruelties of imperialism.

Growing up in a society dominated by propaganda, Marlow and Liesel attempts to view the world through the lens crafted by their experiences. Marlow has been exposed to
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Therefore, when Marlow goes to sea, he has to confront the discrepancy between what he has learned and what he sees in Africa. By comparison, Liesel has to understand her world through learning and reading. Liesel and her family are victims of Nazi propaganda; therefore, she has to learn to regain some of the power taken by the regime. For example, the Nazis burn literature that opposes their ideologies; however, Liesel writes her own book as her own way of remaining persistent in her own beliefs and rejecting the government’s ideals.

Marlow and Liesel try to find meaning within the moral mist that is the conflict they are in. Both characters encounter the idea of heroism: Nazis as a purifier of the country and imperialist agents as angels offering salvation to the Africans. However, because Liesel and Marlow also observe the consequences of said “Acts of Heroism,” they do not desire to truly embody these ideas. When Liesel is at school,

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