The novel The Book Thief displays a key theme that shows the power of words and language. It is possible to rule the world with words. The Author, Marcus Zusak, uses features of language such as irony, simile, and personification to highlight the power that words contain. The Book Thief fits into the genre of magical realism. This provides a safety net for us because we are slightly removed from the story therefore it’s not as gritty as it would be if it was just realism. Zusak uses the character Death to narrate the novel and show his perspective on the happenings of World War 2 following the story of Liesel Meminger, using this as an example of a magical realism technique. Having a personified Death used as a narrator that feels normal to us while reading The Book Thief shows the effect of magical realism. The humanized Death feels normal to us, even though it is clear we don’t have the character ‘Death’ in our world. Magical realism was a good genre for The Book Thief because it created a perspective of WW2 that we don’t see that often. It made the story interesting, while still providing us with believable and real scenarios. This made us have trust in the book.
There is a strong sense of irony in The Book Thief, which is shown in more than one way. The character Death is a kind being, and doesn’t have evil or malicious intent contrary to humans popular belief. Liesel’s obsession with stealing books is ironic too. It’s as if Liesel is trying to fight an army by herself by stealing back the books that Hitler is murdering one by one. In The Book Thief, Max writes a book for Liesel. In this he uses irony when talking about the Fuhrer. “Yes, the Führer decided that he would rule the world with words. “I will never fire a gun… I will not have to’” This is ironic because it has since been revealed that Hitler shot himself in April 1945. He had decided that he would “rule the world with words.” While that had been true through the war, and he had effectively enforced control over Germany, there had come a time when worlds failed him. It is ironic that he got to the peak of dictatorship without needing to fire a gun, but felt that he had to fire a gun to end his life. He realized that the power of words can go both ways. Marcus Zusak officially got the book thief published by 2005. It is probable that Zusak knew about Hitler’s death and included this in the book that Max wrote because he saw the irony in the situation.
In The Book Thief words are portrayed as Liesel’s rescuer. Marcus Zusak used similie to enhance the power of words, again adding to the magical part of magical realism by making words appear as an object. Figuratively speaking words rescued Liesel, as in they were her comfort while she was struggling with the past few incidents that had brought her pain. “Certainly, her brother had practically died in her arms. Her mother abandoned her. But anything was better than being a Jew.” Liesel had had a rough few years, and even though it was considerably better than being a Jew, she needed a crutch. Her interest in words became that crutch, she became determined to learn how to read and write even though she didn’t yet know how. “Trust me, though, the words were on their way, and when they arrived, Liesel would hold them in her hands like the clouds, and she would wring them out like the rain.” This simile has the insight that words are a physical thing, whereas in our world they are not. Once her reading started becoming more comprehensive she became more confident around the school. “Once, words had rendered Liesel useless, but now… she felt an innate sense of power. It happened every time she deciphered a new word or pieced together a sentence. She was a girl. In Nazi Germany. How fitting that she was discovering the power of words.” However, words also literally saved her. If Liesel hadn’t been writing in her book down in the basement she would have died among the rubble along with everyone else on Himmel street. The personification of the words allows us to believe that words in themselves have the power to save us rather than them just being somewhere we can release our feelings. Although that is powerful in its own right too. They make us feel like we have a purpose because they are important.
The word choice and the personification in The Book Thief shows us that words can be loaded with pain. “The injury of words. Yes, the brutality of words. “ The right word can make you hate, empathize, and mourn for a character all at once. Once Liesel had discovered how to use words, she began to realize that she could use them to her advantage. She didn’t always use them to inflict pain, but when she did they were used like daggers. “…More spiteful and evil than she thought herself capable. The injury of words. Yes, the brutality of words.” When the Mayor’s wife, Ilsa Hermann, informed Liesel that they would no longer be needing Rosa Hubermann’s services, Liesel experienced the true power of words. “Tears grappled with her face.” Marcus Zusak’s use of “grappled” makes us feel like we right there feeling the pain of Liesel when she found Rudy dead on the street. This is an example of how well words were chosen. The personification in these quotes from The Book Thief adds to magical realism seeming realistic. In this instance personification has been used to blur the line between words having their own life, being real and humanized, (magical), and the story of a little girl during the time of WW2 (realism). “…but there would be punishment and pain, and there would be happiness, too. That was writing.”
Marcus Zusak displayed how powerful words are in The Book Thief. Not only are they capable of making us empathize and feel for characters in books that we don’t know, but they also allow us to control everyday life. However, they can be manipulated to do evil. The Fuhrer was an example of that. When they are in the right hands, they have the power to change lives, and they can be very brutal. It is important that we know how much power words contain. If we look at some of the top leaders in the world today, the ones who are most popular are the ones who have used their words. Zusak showed us that words can be used both negatively and positively, however, in the case of the book thief particularly antisemitism we see the negative power of words. We are all able to see the influence of both in the world. “*** THE BOOK THIEF – LAST LINE *** I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.”
There are some very strong ideas in this essay, and you’re supporting these using well-chosen evidence.
The focus of your work now needs to move towards your own written expression. At present, it is variable. In your introduction, you make all the points you need to, but there is a wooden sense of ‘going through the motions’. It’s important to make the same kind of crafting choices that you’re noticing in Zusak’s work. The exemplar on the task outline also gives you some insight into how an essay writer can, say, use a metaphor to elevate their writing.
You touch on Magical Realism in the introduction, but then you seem to drift from there. It’s fine to talk about elements of the text that convey ideas about the power of language – but I think it’s important that you are clear about when you are and when you are not talking about a feature of Magical Realism so that you’re then able to explore why magical realism is a good genre for Zusak’s purposes.
Your writing style also develops as you progress through the piece, so I would also encourage you to turn that confident tone back on the introductory phases. Try to convey a real sense of urgency with your ideas, now that you know they’re valid and sophisticated.
CW