Detachment of Families

In the novel
The novel takes place in nazi Germany Lesiel and her brother are being adopted by
another family because their mother can't keep them safe during the start of the war, the
nazi party gains power.
In real life
Every day at the border children are being taken from their families and but into “holding
centers/cells” because of excessive border control by the united states government. A new
york times article writes “More than 11,000 children are now in the custody of HHS,
which holds “unaccompanied children” for an average of 45 days.”
 The Connection
In both ICE detention centers and the novel these families are being ripped apart
because of a government and are forced to do so. As well as Liesel's brother is
being brought to the new family he falls ill and dies and this is the case for the
children in these camps as well. Reports from this one mother state, “I noticed
immediately how many sick children there were in detention, that no effort was
being made to separate the sick from the healthy,” her daughter died because of the
illness they contracted from being held in these cages. Just like how Liesel's
brother died except for the fact that he was not kept in a cage but was forced to
move to another family. These children in these ICE camps are being contained in
such proximity to each other that if one of them dies then why can't all of the
contract the same thing and die. Die and no one care because they are just children
and families trying to seek asylum from a war-torn country.
 Prejudice
In the novel
In the novel, people have such prejudice against Jewish people that they break their
businesses and much worse as the war goes on. “Jewish shops that were still in operation
in Molching. Inside, a small man was stuttering about, crushing the broken glass beneath
his feet as he cleaned up.”(181). This is one example of this prejudice breaking their
property and making them clean it up. Another is how nazis would tag Jewish homes
and businesses with a yellow star and or hate speech.
In real life
Now of days people right hate speech online and mock the people at the border as a sick
joke that is only funny to racists. Or tell POC to go back to their “own country” no
matter where they were born or not especially for immigrants and asylum seekers. This
going so far to the point that border patrol officers were caught on Facebook making
jokes about the deaths of the migrants and asylum seekers.
 The connection
Both of these are caused by prejudice. A prejudice that the government,
media, as well as upbringing, contribute to. Both governments both the nazi
from the novel and the American government demonize. They say that these
people just trying to live safely are “stealing jobs”, “plotting against our
country”, and “are greedy and trying to use your hard work”. These things
being said by the governments to manipulate the people, the working class
into trusting them so they can gain power. These things that create prejudice
actively harm families both in the novel, with Jewish people being slaughtered
and in real life with people, children dying from illnesses and mistreatment.
These prejudices connect the two worlds, and the nazi government in the
novel is based in reality. The second world war happened yet people are still
have not grown to recognize that it is happening again to another minority
group.
Work cited
"What Is Happening At Migrant Detention Centers? Here's What To Know".
Time, 2021,
https://time.com/5623148/migrant-detention-centers-conditions/. Accessed
20 June 2021.

Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006