The Power of Words in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

📌Category: Books
📌Words: 986
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 22 June 2021

“The words. Why did they have to exist? Without them, there wouldn’t be any of this” (p. 521). The power of words is a driving force throughout The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It is relevant to modern society in the ability to provoke vulnerability or empower a person or group, with words being so powerful they can influence an entire population to change. The novel follows the life of Liesel Meminger and her journey to find herself in a world of hatred. This theme is explored through the representation of characters and aesthetic features. Specifically, within Liesel’s character development and maturity with words as she grows up, the Nazis spreading hatred through words and the symbolism of the books, which connect to pivotal moments of Liesel’s story. 

Throughout, the audience is positioned to witness Liesel’s character develop simultaneously with her knowledge of words. When the reader is first introduced to Liesel, she does not know how to read or write, leaving her to feel defenceless as she watches her brother die in the snow. As a result, in an irrational act to feel powerful, she steals a handbook on how to dig graves. This incident sparked “the beginning of her illustrious career,” (p. 29) as the book thief, becoming the running motif throughout the novel and her coming-of-age journey. The power of words is evident when Liesel arrives at her new school without the knowledge to even write her name and is ridiculed by her peers. Her personal maturity parallels her immaturity with words. Consequently, when her words fail her she resorts to violence to feel powerful and ends up in a fight with Tommy Müller. It is only after Hans Hubermann teaches Liesel how to read The Gravedigger’s Handbook; she overcomes the palpable feeling of powerlessness and is finally on the road to maturity and identity within herself. As her knowledge and stolen book collection expands, “she felt an innate sense of power” (p.159). Zusak elaborates on this theme through irony, with writing literally saving Liesel’s life. As she is writing The Book Thief in the basement, something that she never believed she could do at the beginning of the novel, a bomb hits Himmel Street, destroying every soul around her. Liesel, as well as the reader, grows to understand the inherent power of words and the ability it has to heal and even save a person.

The Book Thief is set during Nazi Germany in World War II, with the reader immensely feeling the negativity that words can hold.  Death, the narrator, struggles with the concept of the ugliness and beauty of humans. He closely follows the book thief, believing that Liesel’s innocence is one of the few beautiful stories that are produced in that world full of hatred. During the 1940’s, Adolf Hitler rose to power through his ability to persuade people with words. Although he is not directly portrayed in the novel, Zusak represents Hitler as an antagonist who is controlling the narrative with his policies. His ugly words were at the core of Nazi propaganda and responsible for the graves of 7 million people who were persecuted for simply existing. Even Max Vandenberg, a Jew, recognises that “without words, the Führer was nothing,” (p. 521) yet still believes that his life is inferior to the German race and a burden to keep alive in the Hubermann’s basement. Introspectively, Max thought he was “selfish” and punished himself by fighting the words of the Führer in his nightmares for living while he “put [everyone he knew] in danger.” (p. 237). Zusak uses The Book Thief as a vessel to comment on the psychological effects that words, particularly of hatred, can have over a person. Slurs and derogatory language, even in today’s society, are powerful enough to dehumanise a group of people and can result in the devastating and immoral acts of violence that were seen in Nazi Germany. These labels propagate and progressively collect negative connotations, until a single word can convey a thousand words worth of hatred and animosity.

Ironically, Zusak uses the words of the books in Liesel’s life to symbolise monumental moments of the story. Despite the morbid title of the first book that Liesel steals, The Gravedigger’s Handbook, it represents a turning point in both her life and knowledge with words. It is only when she learns to read the book about digging graves; she begins to accept the trauma of losing her mother and brother and is described as a “girl with a mountain to climb” (p. 93). This metaphor highlights the journey that she is on and overcoming her incapability with words. To continue, during the book burning, Liesel steals The Shoulder Shrug as an act of rebellion to portray her “hatred for Hitler” (p124). The burning of books symbolise a destruction of knowledge, yet the fact that books survived the bonfire suggests that, despite how extreme the Nazi Party's actions are in trying to rid the world of the words they do not agree with, they will always have a way of conquering. Moreover, Mein Kampf, Hitler’s anti-Semitic manifesto, is generally considered a hateful book however, Zusak ironically uses it as a symbol of hope to allow for Max, a Jew, to have safe passage into Munich. When Max “erased the pages of Mein Kampf” (p. 357) by painting over them and creating his own story of The Standover Man, it both figuratively and physically “suffocate[es]” (p. 357) words of hate. These two books are weaved in the backdrop of the friendship that Liesel and Max share. Finally, when Liesel writes The Book Thief, it gives her the ultimate power and indirectly saves her life. The motif of books characterises how Liesel and Max used words as a form of escapism from the hate around them.  The aesthetic features that Zusak cultivates throughout the novel illustrates to modern audience’s the power of knowledge and the ability it has to connect people. 

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak explores the danger and beauty of words, through its characters and aesthetic features. As a result of the symbolism of the books in Liesel’s life, Hitler’s ability to spread hate through words and Liesel’s development as she gained more knowledge, the true power of words is evident. Both within the plot and in the novels, Zusak promotes how words, in equally their presence and absence, have tremendous power to influence change. 

+
x
Remember! This is just a sample.

You can order a custom paper by our expert writers

Order now
By clicking “Receive Essay”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. We will occasionally send you account related emails.