In Marcus Zusak’s The Book Thief, the element of narrative tension that stands out the most is anticipation. For example, Zusak uses anticipation at the beginning of part one to keep the readers interested and wanting to read more. In part one, Zusak writes, “There was something black and rectangular lodged in the snow. Only the girl saw it. She bent down and picked it up and held it firmly in her fingers. The book had silver writing on it” (Zusak 24). This shows anticipation because I now know that she found a book in the snow. However, I do not know what she is going to do with it or if she will get in trouble for stealing someone’s book. There are many possibilities of what could happen next and that is why it is anticipation. This makes me want to read more because I want to find out exactly what happens next and I have to continue reading to figure it out.
The author Marcus Zusak uses anticipation in…show more content… An example of this is towards the end of the story when Zusak makes readers wonder what will happen next. Zusak writes, “When a Jew shows up at your place of residence in the early hours of the morning, in the very birthplace of Nazism, you’re likely to experience extreme levels of discomfort. Anxiety, disbelief, paranoia. Each plays its part, and each leads to a sneaking suspicion that a less than heavenly consequence awaits. The fear is shiny. Ruthless in the eyes” (Zusak 199). This causes anticipation because as a reader I know that Liesel’s foster parents are hiding a Jew in their house during World War II when Jew’ were not accepted by the Nazi’s. However, I do not know what happens to Liesel, her foster parents, or the Jew if anything happens at all. Therefore, I am anticipating all the outcomes of this dangerous situation. As you can see Zusak does a great job of using anticipation to make the readers keep reading to find out what happens
