The Demonstration of the Power of Words in The Book Thief
The Book Thief is a fictional novel set in the era of the Nazi regime in Germany, a significant historical event in which a young girl, Liesel Meminger, discovers the potential positive and negative effects of the power of words. Through the actions of the characters, Markus Zusak demonstrates that words have the power to express emotions, and ultimately to destroy or to heal. Under those circumstances, the expressions of human emotions and their consequences as a result will be emphasized to understand the powerful effects that words are capable of and how the world is shaped by its usage.
There many ways to express human emotions: through art, music, symbols, body movements, but most …show more content…
Adolf Hitler, a significant orator, used his abilities to influence the masses of Germany to express hatred against the Jewish people in Europe, which eventually led to the Holocaust. To illustrate, Hitler penned the Mein Kampf, in which he established the ideological belief that Jews are “filths”; as a result, Germans like Hans Junior, the son of Hans Hurbermann, became a strong participant of Nazism. Owing to this influence Hitler had on young men, Hans Junior illustrated enormous disrespect for his father, who accepted painting jobs offered by Jewish shop owners: “ ‘Der Jurden Maler’ – The Jew painter – … Everyone knew you weren’t supposed to paint over slurs written on Jewish shop front ” (104). By Hans Hubermann painting the houses of the Jews, Hans Junior expressed immense disappointment and called him a coward due to the fact that the father and son established two opposite sides in regards to the Jewish question. Besides having the powerful ability the influence young adults with words, Hitler also used propaganda to convince German business owners that the removal of Jewish competitors will bring economic stability to their communities. Despite getting rid of the Jewish competitors, Alex Steiner, who owned a tailor shop on Himmel street, had also lost business with the disappearance of his Jewish customers. One day Rudy Steiner, the son of Alex Steiner, covered …show more content…
Liesel was nine years old when she discovered the true power words possessed when she had stolen a variety of books. The most significant example was the shock she experienced on the 20th of April in 1940, when she saw the banned books written by Jewish authors were being thrown into the bonfire. She noticed three books, but she was only able to save one: “The heat was still strong enough to warm her when she stood at the foot of the ash heap. When she reached her hand in, she was bitten, but on the second attempt, she made sure she was fast enough. She latched onto the closest of the books” (120). Her actions saving The Shoulder Shrug demonstrated the fear for words being exterminated from the hatred expressed by the Nazis. Besides appreciating endangered literature, Liesel also used books to heal people. A perfect example would be reading every day two chapters of The Dream Carrier to Max, a book she had stolen from Isla Hermann’s library: “It became her mission. She gave the Dream Carrier to Max as if words alone could nourish him. On Tuesday, she thought there was a movement. She could have sworn his eyes had opened” (328). Max Vandenburg, a twenty-four year old Jewish fist fighter hidden in the basement, became ill and was near to death; ultimately by reading this book, Liesel had established love and care for Max. Consequently as Max
The Book Thief is a fictional novel set in the era of the Nazi regime in Germany, a significant historical event in which a young girl, Liesel Meminger, discovers the potential positive and negative effects of the power of words. Through the actions of the characters, Markus Zusak demonstrates that words have the power to express emotions, and ultimately to destroy or to heal. Under those circumstances, the expressions of human emotions and their consequences as a result will be emphasized to understand the powerful effects that words are capable of and how the world is shaped by its usage.
There many ways to express human emotions: through art, music, symbols, body movements, but most …show more content…
Adolf Hitler, a significant orator, used his abilities to influence the masses of Germany to express hatred against the Jewish people in Europe, which eventually led to the Holocaust. To illustrate, Hitler penned the Mein Kampf, in which he established the ideological belief that Jews are “filths”; as a result, Germans like Hans Junior, the son of Hans Hurbermann, became a strong participant of Nazism. Owing to this influence Hitler had on young men, Hans Junior illustrated enormous disrespect for his father, who accepted painting jobs offered by Jewish shop owners: “ ‘Der Jurden Maler’ – The Jew painter – … Everyone knew you weren’t supposed to paint over slurs written on Jewish shop front ” (104). By Hans Hubermann painting the houses of the Jews, Hans Junior expressed immense disappointment and called him a coward due to the fact that the father and son established two opposite sides in regards to the Jewish question. Besides having the powerful ability the influence young adults with words, Hitler also used propaganda to convince German business owners that the removal of Jewish competitors will bring economic stability to their communities. Despite getting rid of the Jewish competitors, Alex Steiner, who owned a tailor shop on Himmel street, had also lost business with the disappearance of his Jewish customers. One day Rudy Steiner, the son of Alex Steiner, covered …show more content…
Liesel was nine years old when she discovered the true power words possessed when she had stolen a variety of books. The most significant example was the shock she experienced on the 20th of April in 1940, when she saw the banned books written by Jewish authors were being thrown into the bonfire. She noticed three books, but she was only able to save one: “The heat was still strong enough to warm her when she stood at the foot of the ash heap. When she reached her hand in, she was bitten, but on the second attempt, she made sure she was fast enough. She latched onto the closest of the books” (120). Her actions saving The Shoulder Shrug demonstrated the fear for words being exterminated from the hatred expressed by the Nazis. Besides appreciating endangered literature, Liesel also used books to heal people. A perfect example would be reading every day two chapters of The Dream Carrier to Max, a book she had stolen from Isla Hermann’s library: “It became her mission. She gave the Dream Carrier to Max as if words alone could nourish him. On Tuesday, she thought there was a movement. She could have sworn his eyes had opened” (328). Max Vandenburg, a twenty-four year old Jewish fist fighter hidden in the basement, became ill and was near to death; ultimately by reading this book, Liesel had established love and care for Max. Consequently as Max