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The Book Thief Literary Analysis

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The Beautiful and Brutal
Beauty and Brutality can co-exist, and this is something that is very present in The Book Thief. Imagery is used to convey the beauty and brutality. Zuzak uses sight, touch, and sound most often to show what is happening, and help make the beauty and brutality visible. Everything has beauty and brutality, and this is portrayed many times throughout the book. Beauty and Brutality is shown to co-exist when bombings would happen, Hans slapped Liesel, and the bombing of Himmel street happened.
Beauty and Brutality was very prominent during some of the bombings that happened. Michael was a character and he was trying to get his mother to a bomb shelter. He cried to Rosa, Liesel’s step mother, “‘Tell me, Rosa, how can she sit there ready to die while I still want to live?’ The blood thickened. ‘Why do I want to live? I shouldn’t want to, but I do.’ (Zusak 487). He was trying everything to get her to move. He had a desire for life, something his mother lacked. Zuzak was using imagery, by hearing his voice, seeing his mother, and trying to pull her to the shelter. Even though this was brutal, beautiful moments were still happening. On Page 488, we learn of the event of the bomb shelter. “The night was long with bombs and reading. Her mouth was drying, but the book thief worked through fifty-four pages. The majority of children slept and didn’t hear the sirens of renewed safety. (Zusak 488)” In the midst of chaos, there was beauty in the …show more content…
Hans slapped Liesel, Liesel helped peace happen during bombings, and Liesel’s home was basically destroyed. While yes, these are brutal, there are way you can find beauty. You can find beauty in everything, just as well as finding brutality in everything. Nothing is pure, no matter how good or bad it seems. That does not mean that there is nothing in this world that is good, or nothing in the world that is bad, it just means that beauty and brutality will forever

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