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Death states, “Did they deserve any better, these people? How many had actively persecuted others, high on the scent of Hitler’s gaze, repeating his sentences, his paragraphs, his opus?” (Markus Zusak p. 375-76) 1942, was a year known for being the beginning to an unfortunate end. Although some survived the horrific war known as, World War Two, effects rendered and impacted much more than their social lives. Around this time, the Nazis movement took place in Germany and Adolf Hitler, “the fübrer,’ was its leader. This crisis altered the way people saw the world as terror reigned upon them. These changes can be categorized into different types of archetypes. In further detail, an archetype is a typical character, action, symbol, theme, or a situation that is something universal. Markus Zusak’s, The Book Thief is a historical fiction type book that examines and demonstrates many types of archetypes, such as the narration by the death itself, the books and the traits of the main character.
To Begin, the narrator played by the infamous as well as the dreaded behind the scenes character, death, is considered to be a significant theme throughout the storyline. He knows and explains the outcomes of the story through words as well as colors, each describing a specific scene and loss. “ I am all bluster- I am not violent. I am not malicious. I am a result.” (Markus Zusak p. 6), announced Death. According to the characters, death is undoubtedly the antagonist as well as the one to blame, for all shortcomings. However, he could even be considered more humane than most as he clearly portrays many feelings and emotions. Usually, the act or subject of death is classed into darkness and terror, but this novel sheds light on a new and original perspective on this matter. It is noted that the narrator loves his job, picking up bodies, but even so, empathy and grief still manage to haunt him. To add, his final words were nothing if not honest as he pronounced “I am haunted by humans.” (Markus Zusak p. 552) This is quite shocking since the element of mortality is expected to be all mighty and very powerful. In reality, he expresses his one and only weakness, his love for humans. In fact, he held a soft spot for the main character, Liesel Meminger. This is true, because he witnessed every little detail or development made all throughout her life, from start to finish. In most cases, he comes in contact with a soul once in their lifetime, but Liesel was special, he could not help himself. Nevertheless, sadness reached him countless times while taking away the souls which were loved and cared for by her. This act of sympathy has been noticed since the beginning of the novel. It all begun, when he stole her little brother, Werner, from her mother’s lap whilst on the train, on route to Himmel street. To resume, the archetypical theme involving loss develops a unique yet clear understanding of darkness into an odd but humanizing form portrayed by none other than, death itself.
Furthermore, the words and messages seen throughout the novel are a perfect example of a symbolic archetype. More specifically, the books read or stolen by the main character, Liesel, represent different stages of her life as well as her will to learn. In detail, “the word shaker”, stole her first book, “The Gravedigger’s Handbook”, upon leaving her younger brothers funeral. This text represented her first act of rebellion which initiated many more, as she went on to steal far greater than worded stacks of paper. As young Liesel, grew up, she realized the horrors of the world that she was currently living in. During this time, Nazi Germany was at its grandest prime and there was no choice but to obey the laws and rules given. In part four of the novel, Max Vandenburg, “the struggler”, made his way onto the Hubermann household. There, he became friends with the young girl and introduced her to a different side of Hitler that she had never heard about. Those secret conversations shifted her perspective on books as well as their messages since she, later on, developed a strong hatred for such things. She quickly acknowledged that words have the power to bring good and evil, amongst others. This became so very troubling that she truthfully spoke, “The words. Why did they have to exist? Without them, there wouldn’t be any of this. Without words, the Fübrer was nothing (…) what good were the words?” (Markus Zusak p. 521) At that moment it was clear that the book thief had been tremendously hurt by the words written by Hitler.“Mein Kampf” was a popular book written by the Chancellor, which was enforced as an obligatory household item and an emblème of the Nazi ideology. Under those circumstances, this controversial novel had the sole purpose of turning the entire German population against the Jewish community, due to a senseless vendetta. It is noted that, from the beginning, the novels brought a significant amount of joy to the main character, but by the end, it became the opposite. She felt selfish and did not think that she deserved to be happy. The words brought nothing but false hope and empty promises. In summary, the books, as well as the words, symbolize the power that knowledge has on individuals since language is a dangerous weapon when in the wrong hands.
Also, the protagonist, Liesel Meminger, is considered to be an archetype as she resembles the characteristics of an average person. To specify, an everyman archetype is labeled as an ordinary person whose problems and lifestyle is in relation with most. In truth, she is said to be the center of morality and all understanding. Towards the end of the novel, Death revealed one of his desires as she spoke, “ I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her about those things that she didn’t already know? (…) I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious at the same time, and its words and stories so damming and brilliant.” (Markus Zusak p. 550) Surprisingly, death nonetheless had some wise words that he wishes he could have spoken to her. To add, even if any of these messages has not reached the book thief, she had already learned these lessons and facts. This justifies her normality trait, because, in the real world, people often learn the harsh but transparent reality of society, even as children. In detail, she has not had an easy life, as she has lost her brother and her father whilst also being disowned by her real mother at only 9 years of age. Despite being the victim of several difficult situations Liesel has managed to find ways through all of the recurring traumas. Just like most in her shoes, upon her arrival at 33 Himmel street, the young girl had troubles with communication amongst others. This is certainly caused by the feeling of solitude, running within her. She had since learned about the losses and the terrors that her family and friends have faced. This has not only furthered her understanding in relation to her new surroundings but also, changed the way that she valued life. As a result, Liesel became very angry at Hitler and his entire organization, as it affected poorly the ones she loved. She had a strong desire to one day out her feelings, but her will was deemed logically too dangerous. It would be much more preferable if she refrained from speaking on the subject. Similar to how, others would have reacted, Liesel wanted justice for the wrongs who have been committed towards her and her loved ones. In short summary, the main character of the book thief, Liesel Meminger is categorized as an everyman archetype, because she portrays the feelings and emotions of an average person who faces similar situations.
To conclude, Archetypes are labeled as different compartments within themes or situations which represent something universal. The book thief, written in the concise words of Markus Zusak, demonstrates a large number of the previously mentioned archetypes. These symbols are seen through the actions made by the main characters and by the symbolism through books and their messages. It is true that, The Book Thief, portrays many different varieties of the subject. But, while archetypes are most commonly found in novels, they could also be observed in today’s society.
Work Cited
- Zusak , Markus. The Book Thief Based on the Best-Selling Book. Twentieth Century Fox, 2014.
- Zusak, Markus, and Trudy White. The Book Thief. Knopf, 2013.
- Sparknotes.com. (2019). SparkNotes: The Book Thief. [online] Available at:https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/the-book-thief/characters// [Accessed 2 Apr. 2019].
- Shmoop.com. (2019). The Book Thief. [online] Available at:https://www.shmoop.com/book-thief/[Accessed 2 Apr. 2019].
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