The Book Thief Themes

The novel, The Book Thief, shows the destruction of literature and writing, as dramatized by the burning of Jewish creative and intellectual products in a book burning to commemorate Adolph Hitler’s birthday. From learning how to read, Liesel has come to discover many things she never knew before, such like how important it is to express oneself. It seems like words are basically the main thing that keeps her alive in the bleak world and that keeps her to encourage others in this chaos caused by warfare.

When everything in her life is messed up, reading and writing takes her out of this world. Maybe that’s part of the reason why she is so attracted to books. Even more than bread.

‘”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.”

The quote clearly shows that the power of words is portrayed in The Book Thief.

As I ponder the power of the word to incite and divide, to calm and connect, or to create and effect change, I am ever more cautious in what I say and how I listen to the words around me.