Gretel Caballero

Literary Analysis

The Book Thief Literary Analysis

Language holds a big influence in life, to ourselves and others. Language of is one of the most
powerful ways for people to connect. They can be used in ways of comfort. They can be used in
political ways to mislead. They can be used as a savior or a ruin. Throughout The Book Thief,
Markus Zusak uses the power of language to heal, to save, and to fight against the injustice of the
Holocaust. Liesel, an orphan, learns throughout the novel that language holds a remarkable
power. Han teaches her how to read and they form a deep bond. She uses her newly acquire skills
to provide comfort during the air raids by distracting them with a story. Liesel becomes friends
with Max, an escaped Jew, who she gives descriptions of the weather outside to and also help to
establish a bond between them. Later, Max writes a story for Liesel The Word Shaker. In it, he
says that words are the most powerful force there is, indicating that Hitler used language and not
guns or money to mislead people and take over the world during the time
From the beginning the book thief- also known as Liesel Meminger- always dreamt about Adolf
Hitler. In the dream, she was attending a rally. she was listening contentedly to the torrent of
words spilling from his mouth. His sentences glowed in the light (Zusak 20). During the time
period of Liesel's life, Adolf Hitler was in power. Hitler used the power of words to influence
people, and he used that power for evil, to deceive and outsmart people to survive. But Liesel,
who loves language purely, is able to resist Hitler through reading and writing her own words.
The first few months of being in a new home were the hardest for Liesel. Hans came in to
comfort her at night when she had nightmares. Possibly the only good to come out of these
nightmares was that it brought Hans Hubermann, her new papa, into the room, to soothe her, to
love her. He came in every night and sat with her.a few nights after that, he whispered, Shhh,
Im here, its all right (Zusak 36).Hans assurances help her to fall asleep. Liesel begins to trust
Hans throughout the stay in her new home.
Once Hans noticed that Liesel did not know how to read they would have midnight classes in the
basement to teach her how. The oversupply of paint in the basement became useful to Liesels
learning because Hans would say a word and she would have to spell it out and then paint on the
wall. Sitting in the water, she imagined the smell of it, mapped out on her papas clothes. More

Gretel Caballero
Literary Analysis
than anything, it was the smell of friendship, and she could find it on herself, too. Liesel loved
that smell (Zusak 72). As Liesels midnight classes go on each night she begins to see a
connection, a friendship with Hans. The use of the paint to create the words on the wall is what
gives them a bond.
For a while, she had nothing said nothing, but then she had to ask Hans. Is my mother a
communist?...did the Fuhrer take her away?...he said, I think he might have, yes. I knew it. The
words were thrown at the steps and Liesel could feel the slush of anger, stirring in her stomach. I
hate the Fuhrer (Zusak 115). Despite of her knowing the Hitler was the one that took her
mother away just because she was a communist. That one word has ruined her an eleven-yearold girl.
This had been the moment when Liesel had stolen the book The Shoulder Shrug from the book
burning held by Adolf Hitler. They began to leave the scene of the crime, and the book was
well and truly burning her now.beneath her shirt, a book was eating her up (Zusak 122).
Hitler went through with the book burning in WWII so he could get rid of ideas that did not
match his own, therefore making him more powerful because people could not read about other
ideas. Liesel's love for books is very apparent in this moment because she had just began to learn
how to read so shed rather let it burn her skin than abandon it.
When Max, the Jew, was sick Liesel used words to keep him awake which helped with his
survival. Then Ill read to you. And ill slap your face if you start dozing off. Ill close the book
and shake you till you wake up. That afternoon, well into the night, Liesel read to Max
Vandenburg. He sat in bed and absorbed the words (Zusak 334). And perhaps if Hans had not
taught her how to read, then she could not have read to Max while he was dying. Liesel may
have helped him recover through the power of the words she read to Max and gave him the will
to live. Perhaps her talking to him revived him.
During the air raids use words to calm and comfort those in the in the basement. Hans
Hubermann came closer and called out, and soon, a quietness started bleeding through the
crowded basement. By page three, everyone was silent but Liesel.out of respect, the adults
kept everyone quiet, and Liesel finished chapter one of the Whistler (Zusak 381). By then,
Liesel was becoming "the word shaker." She began to find ways to use words for good, like here,

Gretel Caballero
Literary Analysis
when she comforts the people during the air raids in the bomb shelter by reading to them.
Liesel's words were strong enough to silence.
After encountering Max being forced on the way to a concentration camp she was lost and did
not know what to do. Ilsa Hermann, her foster mother, gives her a blank book and encourages
her to write; Liesel writes the story of her life, containing both tragedy and beauty, at a fevered
pace. I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right (Zusak
528). Liesel becomes hopeless and disdainful of the written word, seeing Hitler's words as the
source of her suffering. Liesel has come to the realization that words can cause both violence and
comfort, and she strives to make them "right" by combating vicious propaganda with writing that
emanates from selflessness and love.
Monica on www.summerchs.blogspot.com says, The power of words is shown as Liesel learns
to read them. She seems to become more powerful with every new word she learns. As you can
see by the end of the book it shows how much power she has in her. Monica also says, Liesel
also discovered the power that words have in saving a life. When she received the little black
book to write her story in, she began writing immediately.
Shelby on www.summerchs.blogspot.com tells how Zusak, the author, introduces the view on the
power of words. Shelby says, Zusak presents the idea of words are power by showing how they
could be used by people who desire them the most. Who want to learn about them and how to
use them? Such as Liesel whose journey of learning this concept when she first stole The Grave
Digger's Handbook.
Throughout the book, Liesel has learned that the power of words had not only impacted her life
mentally because she began not knowing how to read, but also emotionally because on how she
found out that the man that ruled the world with words was the one who took her mother away
and killed her brother. But Liesel also learned how to become her own person. While people
followed behind Adolf Hitler and his use of words for evil, while Liesel founds ways to use the
power of words for good in her own words. But although, the power of words holds a big
purpose in life you should always want to use words for good and not evil like Liesel did.
Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006.

Gretel Caballero
Literary Analysis
Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Book Thief Theme of Mortality." Shmoop.com. Shmoop
University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008.
"CHS Honors and AP English Blog.": Book Thief--Power of Words. Mr. Pruett, Mr. Webb, Mr.
Friesen, 9 June 2008.