Cruelty In The Book Thief

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Cruelty and kindness are both features apparent in humankind today and have been over the years. Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief explores the varying extents of human cruelty and kindness. In the novel, bread is developed as a symbol of empathy. Overtime, words have a powerful influence on individuals. Finally, how the characters’ used Hitler’s powerful book Mein Kampf. Therefore, through giving bread, the powerful influence words have on individuals, and Hitler’s powerful book Mein Kampf. Zusak develops the theme that humans have the ability to be both cruel and kind.
Foremost, offering bread is an action of selflessness in the novel, and it represents the empathy that humans are capable of. When Max hid in the storeroom on the “Night of the Broken Glass”, Walter Kugler [Max’s good friend] visited him with bread. The fact that it is a challenge for him to do so, because if they were caught they would likely be severely punished. Walter offering bread to Max …show more content…
The copy of Hitler’s biography is a powerful weapon of nazism and hatred. At the train station, Max Vandenburg hides a fake identity card in a copy of the book Mein Kampf, which he pretends to read. He pretends to read the book on the train to avoid detection as a Jew. This shows that Mein Kampf is a weapon of resistance and it protects Max from being identified as a Jew. Hans Hubermann also uses Mein Kampf to protect himself. By buying the book, Hans appears as a Hitler supporter although he is not. This shows that Mein Kampf is a weapon of resistance and it makes Hans appear as a Hitler supporter. Later, Max reuses Mein Kampf by painting over the pages of the book and writing his own stories over Hitler’s hate words. This shows that Mein Kampf, a book promoting hate can be changed completely into a tool of peace. The characters illustrates that Mein Kampf can bring comfort and it can be transformed into a peaceful

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