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Amazon.ca describes this book as a "dark and powerfully absorbing novel, brilliantly executed". It's narrator calls it "just as small story, really." Jump in with both feet and surrender to one of the most gripping, unusual, hilarious books I've read in years. It's a book about books, about hate, about love, and about how words can be our most powerful weapons.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Point of View
Having Death tell this story is what makes it really unique. How does it affect your reading of the novel?
Death as the narrator is very uncomfortable. Death is takeing life with no emotion towards the matter. To much of a good thing and that good thing looses value but bad things just add up to make things worse. It feels like death has lost that "value of emotoin" seen in the death of another from over exposure to it. I dislike the narrator death for that prespective but at the same time feel some pity for death.
Personally, I think Death being the narrator affects the book in a few ways. 1. It makes the book more comical, although Death isn't something funny. The author makes Death sound like a pretty funny dude. (Or chick depending on how you see Death) 2. There is A LOT of foreshadowing
Personally, I like death as the narrator. He (for the sake of calling him something) is very detached from the events that he describes. The focus is not on emotion but detail. on occasion he also shows some dry humour. Death's interest in Liesel seems almost like foreshadowing in and of itself.
With Death being the narrtor affects the way i read the book alot, Death notices things that a person like narrtor would not notice, Death has a big focus on describing the scenerio before telling us the reader what has exactly happened, Death uses detail as a big importance. Althought Death has a big interest in Liesel, Death explains the life around her not just her, in a awkward kind of way it seems like Death is trying to get a big messages across but i have not figured it out yet.
I think that having Death as the narrator is very interesting and the way he talks about life/dying really gets my attention. Death notices and comments on details that otherwise get lost in stories because others don't think they're big or important enough to matter in the outcome. His perception of the war is detached enough to focus on all the detail but there little parts in the book that lets on that Death is upset by all the waste. For instance, when there were many deaths in one city he says that he carried souls in his fingers, hands, even over his shoulder but every child he carried in his arms. I also really like how Death tells the story by zigzagging to parts that he feels are important then backtracking to fill in all the details.
I enjoy death being the narrator. It finally shows how something like death see's hears and interprets things. It makes the book more interesting to read rather than just making up boring voices in your head while trying to picture a person just talking.
As i have continued to read i have changed my opinion about death. At first i was thinking of death, the state of being(he is dead, she is dead,ect.)and that is what made me uncomfortable but after some of deaths comments have gotten a laugh out of me i see death as the personification(a skeleton with a black robe and a scythe). Speaking of the scythe, Deaths comments on that personification of himself is one of the things he said to make me laugh.
In my oppinion death being the narrator makes this book more confusing then it already is. As i am reading the novel i keep coming up with different resonings behind Death but everytime i find a different phrase from Death it changes my oppinion about him...her. Right now my theory is that Death is following Liesel becasue in the novel as you read it seems like camera's all on her like "Liesels life story" I think Death is following her because of her bother that passed away and i do think "Death" is a boy. It's kinda interesring how Death make's everything seem smooth and kinda normal when they are in the middle of a war, like no-one has to fear.
In my opinion, having Death as the narrator adds to the story in the best way possible. I think it is what sets apart this book from other Holocaust novels. Having a viewpoint from such an all-knowing/seeing person makes the story feel real and really involves you in the storyline. I predict that getting to know Death as a person rather than a punishment or bad result will make the loss of any characters in the novel, be seen differently.
I like and dislike Death being the narrator. He has a very insightful view of many things, but also makes things complicated. Often you kind of have to assume what he’s talking about and put some pieces together, which isn’t a bad thing, but it can be annoying. On the other hand, if Liesel was the narrator, she would provide a more clear view of what’s going on like the camera is her eyes. However, if this was the case, a large amount of the books dark personality is lost.
I like death being the narrator; he has a very different perspective on life and death. He sees death every day and probably is not very emotional about it. But on the other hand I think he has learned to cherish life and I think he would be a very good person for Liesel to meet if it was possible
I think what gives Death an interesting point of view is how he is invisable and is nonexistent to those around him, and therefore does not influence the actions of anyone. The only way characters are acting or responding differently because of him is how they are afraid of being killed. They don't realize he has the thoughts and emotions of a person.
With death as the narrarator of this novel, you would assume it makes the story seem dark and scary, but it's almost the opposite. Because Death sees many people die daily, he's less impacted by what is usually very sad and emotional. Not saying that Death does not have emotions, but he's seen it so much that it's just part of his job now. He probably sees the holocaust as just extra work, rather than the terrible time it really was.
In my opinion, I think that Death being the narrator in the story is very interesting because it gives the impression of Death making the story mysterious. Anything could happen. So by doing this, it gives a bigger impression on the idea of making this book seem like it was told in world war 2. World War 2 happened to be very mysterious as well because anything could happen just like the book. So this is why I think that Death being the narrator is a very good idea.
Personally, I enjoy having Death as the narrator. He (and it says that Death is a he several times for anyone who wasn't sure) provides a very interesting perspective to the world, than what it is from someone who's human. He has been through a lot more than any human and has a more mature (as in, older, wiser) outlook and can pick up on certain behaviours that would probably go unnoticed if it was a human narrator. Also, from Death's perspective, we can see what's happening in many people's lives, and see into important pieces in the past that we would have missed if it was from, let's say, Liesel's perspective. Alas, I do not believe that Death is unemotional when he sees people die, instead, he knows the emotion would overcome him, so he chooses instead to look for good, like colours, to ease the pain, to bury it, to make his job bearable.
I've noticed something interesting about Death being the narrator as I've been reading. Though a few people here have commented on the fact that Death sees everything that occurs wherever he happens to be, I've also noticed that Death sees into the minds of the humans; he can hear/understand their thoughts. This is curious to me, because although Death is portrayed as a human-like character, mind reading is clearly not a human-like characteristic.
Ex. (Page 189) Where's the fight? he wondered. Where's the will to hold on? Of course, at thirteen, he was a little excessive in his harshness. He had not looked me in the face. Not yet.
So here we see Death reading the mind of Max Vandenburg, and we're reminded that this is Death's point of view in the last two sentences. Just something interesting I noticed!
Something interesting about death- he notices everything in detail. Unlike other novels that can be sometimes akwardly packed with detail in an attempt for the author to seem more literate, or something, The Book Theif is wonderfully full of words that paint bright scenes in our minds. I think it is not just written so for our enjoyment of the book, but rather the detail, the similies, and the precise choices of words are importiant for the development of the POV in the novel. I think such description lends itself to our understanding of Death and how he views the world. It kind gave me the feeling that Death was aged, like an old man that had been around for so long that he really noticed things around him. We also read that it's a part of Death's job to notice his surrounding, the sky particularly is his example, to take his attention off the troubling world around him. I think that part of us being able to understand Death as a POV is through this description, and we should think of it as that rather than the authors decisions. This makes the novel seem more real to me, as well.
It's really interesting having Death as the narrator because it just makes this story unlike any other. Though I think I've started to think of Death as an actual person as I'm reading the book because he just seems so human and I can't really imagine him as something else. At first, it was so different to me how Death was narrating the story but I've gotten used to it and it seems so normal now but if you think about it, the main character is being watched by Death which would sound really creepy if we weren't reading the book. There are also a lot of phrases in the book that wouldn't be able to be there if not for Death being the narrator. For example, when he says, "I've seen so many young men over the years who think they're running at other young men. They are not. They're running at me." It makes me just stop and think about it for a little bit because no other narrator could say that and have the same effect.
Death as the narrator makes the novel seem very interesting because of his name. For example, a large part of WW2 is death. So to make a character with the name as Death, is pretty interesting especially when a lot of people died in WW2. Also, another reason why this is interesting is because when Death talks about taking souls, he ends their lives or makes them die which as another association with the name Death. Finally, when Death is alive he is telling the story which is quite interesting because it is the exact opposite of his name.
Death uses foreshadowing a lot in the Book Thief and I find that it helps to understand the current events when he lets a few preliminary details slip in from time to time. For instance, almost right from the beginning he tells you that Liesel loses almost everyone she loves. I usually get attached to characters in a book so I was sad at the end when they all actually died, but with Death preparing me for the events in advance it wasn't such a horrible shock to learn the details and hear of Liesel's grief.
Having Death as a narrator in this novel makes it very interesting. The reason being is that you get the views of both the main characters like Liesel and the narrator like Death. For example, at the beginning of the novel, when Death said that a boy died on a train on his way to their new foster home. He made it seem as though he has seen so many deaths before and doesn't really care that much. But in Liesel's view, she thinks that it is very sad because she lost her brother and she will never forget that again. So between these two different views, Death makes it seem like it is just any old death and Liesel thinks that this is very tragic.
What I like about Death as the narrator is that he lends the book a darker quality to it. This is not meant to be a happy story and so it seems fitting that death does not fing joy in his job; he only finds ways to make it bearable. This, I think, is a reflection of life at the time. There was little prosperity and people struggled through their lives in a similar way to Death.
I think something importiant to note about the POV is that Death is narrating this in the past tense, as in he's retelling the events as if they've already all occured. We can tell this by his foreshadowing, and simply the tense of the words used by him. An example of this is on page 243, where Death apologizes for spoiling the end of the story after telling us that Rudy will die. So we can see, this is already occured, and Death is simply relaying to us what happened. I wonder whether Death knows he is narrating this for an audience, or simply thinking about it for his own benefit. I sure seems like he is narrating it to an audience, based on things like his constant explination to us of his own self, and his little insertions of text throughout the novel. I wonder if death actually sat down and wrote this book, and that's how we're supposed to see it. Maybe we aren't supposed to understand. I wonder what the author thinks about this.
I don't agree that having Death as the narrator makes the story any more dark or sad. I think the fact that the story is about the Holocaust is what makes the novel less happy. I really don't think Death's personality is dark; I think it's just lonely. The way he talks about the events happening don't make them eerie or frightening, to me, it just sounds as if he does not enjoy his job.
Something I found odd was that Death is telling us Liesel's story by reading her journal. However, he's also interjecting and telling us what he saw during the war and how his "life" paralleled to her's at certain times. You can tell he's reflecting on past events because of all the foreshadowing he does, and how he is guessing/knowing what everyone thinks. In a way he isn't all-knowing/omniscient because on page 303 when Rudy is standing in the river he says, "I think he was afraid." Death does not say I know, but I think. Of course, being Death he has an idea of what to guess and since he's looking back on these events he would have seen into Rudy's soul already. Or whatever it is he does to collect the soul out of a body...
I personally like death being the narrator. I think having death being the narrator makes the book seem more appealing to read at first because you want to see how it will come out. I think death gives the book a more commical feel too. It makes it different from most books. I found it a bit confusing at first but now i find it really interesting once i got used to it.
Having Death as the narrator makes some parts of the book confusing. For example, he would talk about something that is actually going to happen later in the book. Like when he said that Rudy will die. Well Rudy actually dies close to the very end of the novel. So by telling us what is going to happen next makes some parts of the book more confusing than the others. It makes it seem like it already happened when it actually didn't.
I agree with Rebecca that having Death as the narrator makes it seem more appealing than other books because Death gives the feeling of mystery to the book. When you read, you want to keep on going and find out what happens next in the novel. I also agree that it was a bit confusing at first.
Having Death narrate the story makes the book very amusing to read. One reason is because Death usually tells the story in a way that foreshadows the story. He does this by telling us events that are actually going to happen later in the book . For example, Death tells us that the whole world is going to die, and at the very end everyone does. Death gives the reader a good impression of what is going to happen next and makes them wonder if their interpretation of what is going to happen next right or not.
ok. So far to me as I read it seems like Death is a normal person that just describes himself differently and isn't visable. I have changed my mind about Death. I now know foresure that Death is not visible and is following Liesel for some reason that i have not exactly gotten to the point to figures out exactly yet. I have noticed while I was reading that sence men were more dominate than women back then that Death is definitly a man. I have also noticed that Death is becoming to be a bigger part of the book and is becoming more reralistic. I think he is getting more into the story because he is getting ready to build up the conclusion and tell the conclusion because that interested him. I think Death is the narrature because this was his favourite and most memerable story to tell and Liesel was his favourite character in the story, and was one of the last characters to live. Death ask's many questions to himself in the book i think to make us think and question ourself's. I think he brings in colours becasue his character is known as black and he wants to prove that colour doesn't matter just like race doesn't matter. This makes his character strange and uncommon because in the novel he does not describe himself as someone who loves death. A reason to prove this is on page 241 where Death states, 'Rudy did not deserve to die this way."
The way Death foreshadows parts of the book ruins part of it for me. For example, when Max was sick and was in bed, Death commented that he would wake up in 8 days. I personally feel it would have been more interesting had he left it a mystery when and if Max would awake.
When I first began reading this novel and it was mostly just about death I did not like the book because it seemed really dark and scary. As I continued reading though, the book became more appealing to me. I personally think that having death as the narrator changes the way I read it. He knows so much more than anyone else because he has seen so much happen in his lifetime. Knowing that it’s not exactly a person narrating the book and it’s actually like a creature of some sort is also interesting to me. It’s weird because you would think that death would be a dark and cruel thing, but reading through the book, you get to know him better. And having him as the narrator makes you have to stop and think every few pages because you have to remember it’s not a person talking, it’s death. I actually really like having death as the narrator.
I think that Death's foreshadowing is meant to ruin the uncertainty of what will happen next so that the author can direct the readers focus. I don't think that the author wants the reader to focus on Liesel so much as on what is happening to the world and people around her.
One thing that confused me about Death's narrative was when Max was hiding in a wall and he was telling what was happening to him as if Death was in his mind relaying it to us. If Max had told Liesel about his time before he came to be in her basement and she had written it down, it would make sense that Death would know roughly what happened. But what if Liesel didn't put that in her journal? Does that mean that Death is actually omniscient and KNOWS what each character is thinking? Although, since he's Death it shouldn't be surprising to me that he could read minds.
i find it weird that death can "read peoples minds" but yet he still needs the journal to tell liesel's story and also he has been alive ever since people started dying so he should have already known the journal story without having to read it
Adding on to Billy's comment, I think that the author set Death to read the journal instead of memorizing it because the author wants to show or foreshadow that Liesel like to read as well. So to show Death reading and have Liesel read at almost the same time probably has some kind of comparison in between.
I find that I have to repeatedly remind myself that Death is not a person and that he is not experiencing the situation as a human being. For some reason, I continually read the narrator in Liesel's voice, and I think that is because they seem to both have similar personalities- both Death and Liesel seem to be put into situations they do not have control over, and must make the best out of what is happening in their lives. I also think they have both accepted the way events are unfolding and aren't upset about it, but just go along with what is happening.
I agree with Natalie. I think because Liesel is one of the main characters too, it is easy for us to read the novel as if it was through Liesels perspective. I do find that I have to remind myself sometimes that the narrator is death.
I like having Death as the narrator because he adds humor to an otherwise quite tragic story. I think it was a good move for the author to make because if the narration didn't have the bittersweet twisted humor it does, the story wouldn't be half so enjoyable, in my view. I guess the humor is kind of like Death's coping mechanism for all the horrible things he sees every hour, every minute of the day. The most amusing part for me, was reading the little captions like:
***HERE IS A SMALL FACT*** You are going to die.
The author did a good job incorporating them into the rest of the storyline and I thought that they gave an impression or subtle image of Death as if he was in between the lines, reading to us from Liesel's journal.
I think that Death has a bigger message than what comes at the end, just like Shakespear did in Romeo and Juliet. There are large portions of the book that have been revealed in earlier parts, but if he's doing that it probably means that he wants our focus to be on something else in the novel, something bigger than Max waking up or everyone dying at the end or whatever else he told about happening before it happened. I think there are important messages that he wants us to recognize, so he just tells us what happens so we won't be wondering and miss things we might've otherwise. It's similar to the second time you watch a movie. You watch it the first time around, wondering about the ending. The second time you know what happens so you notice more details. I believe this is what Death is doing when he foreshadows so much.
I still like Death being the narrator, when I remember it still is though. I'm finding I guess because Death has been stuck by Liesel for awhile when ever I read I forget who is actually talking and explaining what's going on.
Having death as the narrator makes the story much more grim. You often forget about the war going on when you’re reading about Liesle’s life and her adventures. As soon as you get comfortable in a nice peaceful story, Death is there reminding you of everyone’s coming fate. I think that is the point the author wants to get across he doesn’t want you to get to comfortable with a nice peaceful story, the book is about the Holocaust after all.
Having Death as the narrator makes the story very unique. Most narrators of a story just narrate, hence the name, but death likes to talk about himself throughout the story. The book is just as much about him as it is any other character. He also likes to go back and forth between past and present. For example talking about Liesle’s summer and then Hans’s service in World War 1.
Having Death as the narrtor is different but sometimes over tells the story. An example of this is when Death tells us about Rudy dying , but odes not tells us anything before that it's just a chapter of Rudy and Leisel by a lake having nothing to do with the chapter before. Death makes the story different but also confuses me and makes the story harder to read.
I think the way Death tells the story is very interesting because at the beginning of the book he almost gives us a negative tone vibe by sounding lonely and depressed and making it sound like important people are going to pass away. Until the middle of the book his tone starts becoming positive towards telling the story by Liesel learning how to read and write and making a new friend Rudy. So when it kind of hits towards end of the book he starts creating a negative tone again by telling us how sad Liesel is because her father goes to the war and Max leaves.
Also during the progressing of the book Death is foreshadowing which to me kind of ruins the book for me like when he tells us that Rudy passes away which to me sort of ruined the ending of the book.
Something that intrigues me about the novel is the little Bold Notes that Death leaves behind, some are to like, tell us about like german words that we dont know. and tell us sometimes what some people are thinking, it makes the book a little more fun to read, and soooo much easier to understand
I sometimes forget about Death being the narrator, but then he says something about the sky, or foreshadows something and it suddenly comes back that hes there.
The way Death describes the scenes of the sky, or the feelings of a person, or the scenery, its very descriptive, Death seems like someone who is old, and wise. Him telling Liesels story just makes it all the more interesting.
I think that if someone else were to tell the story and be the narrator the story wouldn't be as good and interesting. The way Death talks and speaks makes the novel have some kind of twist. Because he is what happens when someone dies, he sees a different kind of humour and he shows that in the way he tells the story. If Liesel was telling her own story instead of Death, I think it would be more sad because she would be upset with the turnout but since death is used to people dying the story isn't as upset and death makes things seem brighter on the other side. Also, if Liesel was telling the story, we wouldn't know about Hans' experience in the military as well and it would be less detailed. We also wouldn't hear about all the other people that have died that Death tells us about. The book would not be the same if someone else was telling the story; Death made it a different kind of novel because he is a different kind of narrator.
I think that having Death narrate the novel is a very unique way to narrate the novel. I don’t think I have ever read a book where Death is the narrator so it gives the novel an interesting spin. At the beginning of the novel, Death shares with us that when someone passes away, a colour will cover the sky. During this time in the book Death seems very lonely, and bored, but as the novel goes on it almost seems like Death is changing his perspective and he becomes more positive and focuses more on Leisel and her story. The one thing that confuses me however is that Death seems to be telling Leisel’s story, which is fine, but does that mean he is still doing his job? This is however his main “character” or “role” in the novel in the first place!
Having Death as the narrator makes the story more intriguing because he always puts an interesting spin on what's happening, interjecting with his thoughts during a situation, or foreshadowing a particular part. I like that he provides definitions of things, and comments on people or their behaviour. Also, although death itself is a rather morbid subject, the character Death makes the idea of dying less...disturbing. Frightening. Depressing. Whatever the negative word, he just makes it seem like dying isn't so bad, even though it gives him more work. I like that just when we're getting comfortable with a situation or a person, he provides a bit of reality to keep us interested, and to remind us that the war wasn't a good thing, and just when a situation seems very sad or like it can't get better, he reminds us of the good things that go on with the characters.
I agree with ominousforeshadowingassassin. I think the story is more interesting because death is the narrator. I like also that he/she gives definitons of things that we didn't understand before. Also Death makes the book more humorous when he/she comments on the characters and what they do. I wouldn't say death makes dying less scary, frightening, ect. rather than he/she puts a brighter look at it. But when Death talks about taking souls away, it still sounds depressing to me.
Death as a narrator has a very different way of telling a story. His side notes were quite informative and helped you to understand what was going on at the time. Some of his side notes also consisted of for foreshadowing although this foreshadowing is much different from other books. Most of the time Death will just tell you what is going to happen instead of hinting at it. For example when he mentioned Rudy’s death.
As death as the narrator he has the ability of foreshadowing through the book. He reveals the fates and outcomes (survivor or death) of individual characters, but does not ruin the book but instead keeps readers interested in the story. When death describes a death or the outcome of a certain character he also describes certain small details which make you wonder what/how they happened which also intrigues me to keep reading. I think that death is the perfect character for this part because he is the only “person” who could actually know the future.
I think that having Death as the narrator plays the biggest role in how interesting this novel is. Showing the life of a German family during the Holocaust as apposed to a Jewish family is unique, but having an entire book told by something that can't be seen or heard is a really new idea. If this story was told, say, in Liesel's point of view, I think interest would have been lost. Not only is it more interesting, but Death's personality really brings a lot more humour and excitement to a rather sad story.
Death as a character was a very creative idea by the author and I quite enjoyed it. I think it was great because it provided us (the readers) with so much information, because Death was all knowing.
1st or 3rd person point of view would be alot less interesting because they would either focus on one person and how they feel (1st) or focus more on detail and the setting on the story because we wouldn't know how the character's feelings.
With death as a narrator, the author was able to focus not only on the details and setting, but also how describing the characters' thoughts about every event. I think this is what made Markus Zusak's book so popular and just so incredible and touching.
I think the reason why the author choose Death as a narrator was because for Liesel's story to make sense to the reader, Death needed to tell us about what's going on in other parts of Europe during WW2, to provide us with details Liesel would have no way of knowing at the time she's writing her book. Death was able to provide us with info about that as well as other people.
There are times when I don't like how Death narrates the novel though. When he told us that Rudy was going to die that actually made me mad because I really liked Rudy and knowing that he was going to die kept making me think that at every little close encounter, he was going to die. Then again though, the times when he told us about bombs to come, or when something bad was going to happen in the future were kind of useful. Knowing that something bad was going to happen prepared me for what was going to come and it made the actual event less tragic. The little warnings he gave us actually were nice but telling us when people were going to die, mostly Rudy, was not something I liked about Death's narrating.
I also agree with Vedran, Death was the best choice for the narrator because during war times death was the biggest thing besides Hitler. And putting Death as the narrator made the most sense and helped to tell Liesel's story better.
I also agree with Vedran that Death was a good choice as the narrator. It helped us understand what was going on during WWII better. If we read the book through Liesels point of view, it would be really confusing as to why Max was living with the Hubermanns, and other things that went on. Having Death as the narrator lets us get to know the background stories to the characters in the novel.
I really enjoy having Death as the narrator because of the darker edge it adds to the book. Usually I'm all for happy books or a really mysterious or sad book, but The Book Thief has a perfect balance. Some characters like Rosa, Rudy, and Hans bring light into the book with their quirky personalities but the author balanced that out with the tragic setting and having Death as the narrator. That perfect balance makes this book perfect for anyone to enjoy.
I thought death was a great narrator because of who death really is. hes not afraid to potentially ruin the book for you at some points and telling you that everybody is going to die or someones going to pay for what they did 5 months later. he adds the kind of suspense and cliff hanger it the most inappropriate places that just fire you nerves and no matter what you have to keep reading because you know that if you do not find out what death was talking about its going to bug you for EVER!!!!
I really like Death, being the narrature because Death at this time of year was the most important character in war. Death is the only one in the story who is honest and could tell the story with many different unique sides and did not judge one side of the argument. I think having Death as the narrature made a huge impact in the story becasue first off he saw everything that was happening and told us, but he brought himself into the story by getting us to guese and figure Death out. I think Death made many oppotunity's to foreshadow and for us to ask us, ourselves questions based on the information he had given us. I love having a "non" human as the narrature becasue it makes this story so much more interesting and detailed. Death opens up my eye in all new perspectives, whether its questioning the abilities one person can have and give to another. Like Death gives us questionable information he also makes me question my own abilities and how far can I go till I finally see what death can bring for me. Although death can be very hard to deal with and hard to understand, without him I would lose most of my focus on this novel.
On reflection, one of the best things about Death as the narrator is that he has no bias towards either the Axis or the Allies. That is extremely rare in WWII stories. Mostly, books talk about the evil that was Nazi germany or sometimes the challenges of being german. The Book Thief is different because it talks about the experience of living in those times, rather than focusing on the horrible things that one side did to another. It casts an equally bad light on both Germany and the Allies, a perspective that is much closer to the truth.
An interesting statement that death makes is that everyone will die. I think that Death fits in very well because in this way, he is the final thing that every character in the story sees and the only one who gets the oppertunity to truly glance into their souls.
the way Markus zusak portrays death in his novel as a veteran or a wise sage that happens to have a job of being in charge of overlooking human death and collecting their souls. death brings a sophisticated and abstract aspect to the book when death give you little tidbits and info he makes you think in a stupid but smart way if that's possible and in my opinion nobody else best suits this type of book better than death. very ingenious
Having death as the narrator if a lot better for a story like this, and when I say this I mean in a book that has several different things going on and the story jumps ahead a couple days then back 2 years and whatnot. With death as the narrator it is easy to follow because of his little side notes that explain what is happening and when it is happening. If this book had been written in the eyes of say, liesel then we would not have known the whole story about max, Erik, Hans. Etc.
I believe that having Death as the narrator makes the book so much more interesting. He keeps my attention with all his side notes and foreshadowing. The foreshadowing that Death does is keeps me on the edge of my seat. For example, when Death mentions that Max didn’t deserve to die the way he did, it made me wonder what horrible thing killed him and I didn’t find out until much later in the novel, keeping my attention the whole way through, wondering when he was going to tell the reader what happened.
As the book went on, the more I enjoyed the narrator being Death. I like the way he described the characters, in terms of colors. As he said early in the book, colors distract him. And the way he describe things such as Rudy's lemon colored hair or Hans' silver eyes, it really added to the book.
What I noticed about Death being the narrature is that Death was like a Human with just more information becasue Death sounded like a normal person. Although we didn't know much about Death or even knew him, he sounded like a normal character in the book. It almost seemed like in the book that some of the characters connected with Death. I think Death has not changed really because i don't think he can. I think he is Death and Death only he can't really be descibed as one type of person because we don't know him as well. Through out the book I kinda pretended like he was an ordinary character that just always lived and that I could rely on for information.
I agree with Lisa, that death seemed like he was a human being in the novel. It just seemed like Death was experiencing everything and living with the other characters, not just watching over them.
Ya I actual like having Death much better as a narrator because not only does he know so much information and is just waiting to tell us, he is also a great guide for this book. I like that he foreshadowed a lot and talked about an event before it actually happened because that made me want to read more. I am not the kind of person that likes to read a lot, but Death being the Narrator made me really intrigued and made me wanting to read more. I can’t agree that Death changed but, I think Death changed many perspectives for the readers throughout the book. I also think Death being the narrator made this book as popular as it was.
I think Lisa's right, Death does think and sound like a human but I think that he has changed just slightly throughout the book. In the beginning, he was really plain and bored, the way he talked just made him seem like he didn't enjoy how he was spending his time in the least. It kind of reminded me about how we are when we have to wake up for school on a Monday morning, we don't want to do it, but we have to so we suck it up but act extremely unenthusiastic about it, Death seemed like that about his whole existence. This seemed to change a little whenever he was talking about Liesel, it's almost like having a distraction changed his whole perspective and gave everything meaning. Death progressed into a happier person as the story went on.
Having death narrate the story was very interesting. He knew how the story ended, but he never fully spoiled it for the reader. Yes he did spoil some parts by telling what is going to happen (ex. Rudy dies), but doesn’t reveal how and when it happens. This kept me in suspense wanting to continue reading to find out when it happens and how.
I think that Death is the only "non human" narrator that could work for a novel. Having an animal or tree or something else narrate a novel would not work. Since Death has such human like qualities, I feel like he is an actual human and I like that about Death. If he acting like he wasn't a human and he acted differently I wouldn't have enjoyed the novel as much or Death as the narrator.
Having death narrating the story provided a very interesting reading experience. We do not know what/who Death is exactly. While reading the novel, I would sometimes pause and question about Death himself. He leaves many unanswered questions, like how he can be around the world in no time at all, or if he is invisible to the living or even dead human race. It always keeps us questioning and wondering about Death. It engages the reader into an element of the book not related to the story line. It keeps them questioning and wondering about inquiries that are never answered, almost ending the book in a cliff hanger because so many questions about Death remained unanswered. I believe have death as the narrator was brilliant and caused the reader to think about something inside the novel, but outside the story line. Even though it did cause this, it did not distract the reader so much that they ignore the story itself.
I love the way Death describes everything as he narrates the book. It feels as if he knows all the characters so well so when he talks about them, it feels like Death has access to their thoughts but really he doesn't. We hear a general idea of what goes on in the minds of the characters but we never really get to hear a specific thought that they have. I feel like I know the characters really well because Death has introduced and described the characters so well.
Death as the narrator is very uncomfortable. Death is takeing life with no emotion towards the matter. To much of a good thing and that good thing looses value but bad things just add up to make things worse. It feels like death has lost that "value of emotoin" seen in the death of another from over exposure to it. I dislike the narrator death for that prespective but at the same time feel some pity for death.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think Death being the narrator affects the book in a few ways.
ReplyDelete1. It makes the book more comical, although Death isn't something funny. The author makes Death sound like a pretty funny dude. (Or chick depending on how you see Death)
2. There is A LOT of foreshadowing
Personally, I like death as the narrator. He (for the sake of calling him something) is very detached from the events that he describes. The focus is not on emotion but detail. on occasion he also shows some dry humour. Death's interest in Liesel seems almost like foreshadowing in and of itself.
ReplyDeleteWith Death being the narrtor affects the way i read the book alot, Death notices things that a person like narrtor would not notice, Death has a big focus on describing the scenerio before telling us the reader what has exactly happened, Death uses detail as a big importance. Althought Death has a big interest in Liesel, Death explains the life around her not just her, in a awkward kind of way it seems like Death is trying to get a big messages across but i have not figured it out yet.
ReplyDeleteI think that having Death as the narrator is very interesting and the way he talks about life/dying really gets my attention. Death notices and comments on details that otherwise get lost in stories because others don't think they're big or important enough to matter in the outcome. His perception of the war is detached enough to focus on all the detail but there little parts in the book that lets on that Death is upset by all the waste. For instance, when there were many deaths in one city he says that he carried souls in his fingers, hands, even over his shoulder but every child he carried in his arms. I also really like how Death tells the story by zigzagging to parts that he feels are important then backtracking to fill in all the details.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy death being the narrator. It finally shows how something like death see's hears and interprets things. It makes the book more interesting to read rather than just making up boring voices in your head while trying to picture a person just talking.
ReplyDeleteAs i have continued to read i have changed my opinion about death. At first i was thinking of death, the state of being(he is dead, she is dead,ect.)and that is what made me uncomfortable but after some of deaths comments have gotten a laugh out of me i see death as the personification(a skeleton with a black robe and a scythe). Speaking of the scythe, Deaths comments on that personification of himself is one of the things he said to make me laugh.
ReplyDeleteIn my oppinion death being the narrator makes this book more confusing then it already is. As i am reading the novel i keep coming up with different resonings behind Death but everytime i find a different phrase from Death it changes my oppinion about him...her. Right now my theory is that Death is following Liesel becasue in the novel as you read it seems like camera's all on her like "Liesels life story" I think Death is following her because of her bother that passed away and i do think "Death" is a boy. It's kinda interesring how Death make's everything seem smooth and kinda normal when they are in the middle of a war, like no-one has to fear.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, having Death as the narrator adds to the story in the best way possible. I think it is what sets apart this book from other Holocaust novels. Having a viewpoint from such an all-knowing/seeing person makes the story feel real and really involves you in the storyline. I predict that getting to know Death as a person rather than a punishment or bad result will make the loss of any characters in the novel, be seen differently.
ReplyDeleteI like and dislike Death being the narrator. He has a very insightful view of many things, but also makes things complicated. Often you kind of have to assume what he’s talking about and put some pieces together, which isn’t a bad thing, but it can be annoying. On the other hand, if Liesel was the narrator, she would provide a more clear view of what’s going on like the camera is her eyes. However, if this was the case, a large amount of the books dark personality is lost.
ReplyDeleteI like death being the narrator; he has a very different perspective on life and death. He sees death every day and probably is not very emotional about it. But on the other hand I think he has learned to cherish life and I think he would be a very good person for Liesel to meet if it was possible
ReplyDeleteI think what gives Death an interesting point of view is how he is invisable and is nonexistent to those around him, and therefore does not influence the actions of anyone. The only way characters are acting or responding differently because of him is how they are afraid of being killed. They don't realize he has the thoughts and emotions of a person.
ReplyDeleteWith death as the narrarator of this novel, you would assume it makes the story seem dark and scary, but it's almost the opposite. Because Death sees many people die daily, he's less impacted by what is usually very sad and emotional. Not saying that Death does not have emotions, but he's seen it so much that it's just part of his job now. He probably sees the holocaust as just extra work, rather than the terrible time it really was.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I think that Death being the narrator in the story is very interesting because it gives the impression of Death making the story mysterious. Anything could happen. So by doing this, it gives a bigger impression on the idea of making this book seem like it was told in world war 2. World War 2 happened to be very mysterious as well because anything could happen just like the book. So this is why I think that Death being the narrator is a very good idea.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I enjoy having Death as the narrator. He (and it says that Death is a he several times for anyone who wasn't sure) provides a very interesting perspective to the world, than what it is from someone who's human. He has been through a lot more than any human and has a more mature (as in, older, wiser) outlook and can pick up on certain behaviours that would probably go unnoticed if it was a human narrator. Also, from Death's perspective, we can see what's happening in many people's lives, and see into important pieces in the past that we would have missed if it was from, let's say, Liesel's perspective.
ReplyDeleteAlas, I do not believe that Death is unemotional when he sees people die, instead, he knows the emotion would overcome him, so he chooses instead to look for good, like colours, to ease the pain, to bury it, to make his job bearable.
I've noticed something interesting about Death being the narrator as I've been reading. Though a few people here have commented on the fact that Death sees everything that occurs wherever he happens to be, I've also noticed that Death sees into the minds of the humans; he can hear/understand their thoughts. This is curious to me, because although Death is portrayed as a human-like character, mind reading is clearly not a human-like characteristic.
ReplyDeleteEx. (Page 189) Where's the fight? he wondered. Where's the will to hold on? Of course, at thirteen, he was a little excessive in his harshness. He had not looked me in the face. Not yet.
So here we see Death reading the mind of Max Vandenburg, and we're reminded that this is Death's point of view in the last two sentences. Just something interesting I noticed!
Something interesting about death- he notices everything in detail. Unlike other novels that can be sometimes akwardly packed with detail in an attempt for the author to seem more literate, or something, The Book Theif is wonderfully full of words that paint bright scenes in our minds. I think it is not just written so for our enjoyment of the book, but rather the detail, the similies, and the precise choices of words are importiant for the development of the POV in the novel. I think such description lends itself to our understanding of Death and how he views the world. It kind gave me the feeling that Death was aged, like an old man that had been around for so long that he really noticed things around him. We also read that it's a part of Death's job to notice his surrounding, the sky particularly is his example, to take his attention off the troubling world around him. I think that part of us being able to understand Death as a POV is through this description, and we should think of it as that rather than the authors decisions. This makes the novel seem more real to me, as well.
ReplyDeleteIt's really interesting having Death as the narrator because it just makes this story unlike any other. Though I think I've started to think of Death as an actual person as I'm reading the book because he just seems so human and I can't really imagine him as something else. At first, it was so different to me how Death was narrating the story but I've gotten used to it and it seems so normal now but if you think about it, the main character is being watched by Death which would sound really creepy if we weren't reading the book. There are also a lot of phrases in the book that wouldn't be able to be there if not for Death being the narrator. For example, when he says, "I've seen so many young men over the years who think they're running at other young men. They are not. They're running at me." It makes me just stop and think about it for a little bit because no other narrator could say that and have the same effect.
ReplyDeleteDeath as the narrator makes the novel seem very interesting because of his name. For example, a large part of WW2 is death. So to make a character with the name as Death, is pretty interesting especially when a lot of people died in WW2. Also, another reason why this is interesting is because when Death talks about taking souls, he ends their lives or makes them die which as another association with the name Death. Finally, when Death is alive he is telling the story which is quite interesting because it is the exact opposite of his name.
ReplyDeleteDeath uses foreshadowing a lot in the Book Thief and I find that it helps to understand the current events when he lets a few preliminary details slip in from time to time. For instance, almost right from the beginning he tells you that Liesel loses almost everyone she loves. I usually get attached to characters in a book so I was sad at the end when they all actually died, but with Death preparing me for the events in advance it wasn't such a horrible shock to learn the details and hear of Liesel's grief.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHaving Death as a narrator in this novel makes it very interesting. The reason being is that you get the views of both the main characters like Liesel and the narrator like Death. For example, at the beginning of the novel, when Death said that a boy died on a train on his way to their new foster home. He made it seem as though he has seen so many deaths before and doesn't really care that much. But in Liesel's view, she thinks that it is very sad because she lost her brother and she will never forget that again. So between these two different views, Death makes it seem like it is just any old death and Liesel thinks that this is very tragic.
ReplyDeleteWhat I like about Death as the narrator is that he lends the book a darker quality to it. This is not meant to be a happy story and so it seems fitting that death does not fing joy in his job; he only finds ways to make it bearable. This, I think, is a reflection of life at the time. There was little prosperity and people struggled through their lives in a similar way to Death.
ReplyDeleteI think something importiant to note about the POV is that Death is narrating this in the past tense, as in he's retelling the events as if they've already all occured. We can tell this by his foreshadowing, and simply the tense of the words used by him. An example of this is on page 243, where Death apologizes for spoiling the end of the story after telling us that Rudy will die. So we can see, this is already occured, and Death is simply relaying to us what happened. I wonder whether Death knows he is narrating this for an audience, or simply thinking about it for his own benefit. I sure seems like he is narrating it to an audience, based on things like his constant explination to us of his own self, and his little insertions of text throughout the novel. I wonder if death actually sat down and wrote this book, and that's how we're supposed to see it. Maybe we aren't supposed to understand. I wonder what the author thinks about this.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree that having Death as the narrator makes the story any more dark or sad. I think the fact that the story is about the Holocaust is what makes the novel less happy. I really don't think Death's personality is dark; I think it's just lonely. The way he talks about the events happening don't make them eerie or frightening, to me, it just sounds as if he does not enjoy his job.
ReplyDeleteSomething I found odd was that Death is telling us Liesel's story by reading her journal. However, he's also interjecting and telling us what he saw during the war and how his "life" paralleled to her's at certain times. You can tell he's reflecting on past events because of all the foreshadowing he does, and how he is guessing/knowing what everyone thinks. In a way he isn't all-knowing/omniscient because on page 303 when Rudy is standing in the river he says, "I think he was afraid." Death does not say I know, but I think. Of course, being Death he has an idea of what to guess and since he's looking back on these events he would have seen into Rudy's soul already. Or whatever it is he does to collect the soul out of a body...
ReplyDeleteI personally like death being the narrator. I think having death being the narrator makes the book seem more appealing to read at first because you want to see how it will come out. I think death gives the book a more commical feel too. It makes it different from most books. I found it a bit confusing at first but now i find it really interesting once i got used to it.
ReplyDeleteHaving Death as the narrator makes some parts of the book confusing. For example, he would talk about something that is actually going to happen later in the book. Like when he said that Rudy will die. Well Rudy actually dies close to the very end of the novel. So by telling us what is going to happen next makes some parts of the book more confusing than the others. It makes it seem like it already happened when it actually didn't.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rebecca that having Death as the narrator makes it seem more appealing than other books because Death gives the feeling of mystery to the book. When you read, you want to keep on going and find out what happens next in the novel. I also agree that it was a bit confusing at first.
ReplyDeleteHaving Death narrate the story makes the book very amusing to read. One reason is because Death usually tells the story in a way that foreshadows the story. He does this by telling us events that are actually going to happen later in the book . For example, Death tells us that the whole world is going to die, and at the very end everyone does. Death gives the reader a good impression of what is going to happen next and makes them wonder if their interpretation of what is going to happen next right or not.
ReplyDeleteok. So far to me as I read it seems like Death is a normal person that just describes himself differently and isn't visable. I have changed my mind about Death. I now know foresure that Death is not visible and is following Liesel for some reason that i have not exactly gotten to the point to figures out exactly yet. I have noticed while I was reading that sence men were more dominate than women back then that Death is definitly a man. I have also noticed that Death is becoming to be a bigger part of the book and is becoming more reralistic. I think he is getting more into the story because he is getting ready to build up the conclusion and tell the conclusion because that interested him. I think Death is the narrature because this was his favourite and most memerable story to tell and Liesel was his favourite character in the story, and was one of the last characters to live. Death ask's many questions to himself in the book i think to make us think and question ourself's. I think he brings in colours becasue his character is known as black and he wants to prove that colour doesn't matter just like race doesn't matter. This makes his character strange and uncommon because in the novel he does not describe himself as someone who loves death. A reason to prove this is on page 241 where Death states, 'Rudy did not deserve to die this way."
ReplyDeleteThe way Death foreshadows parts of the book ruins part of it for me. For example, when Max was sick and was in bed, Death commented that he would wake up in 8 days. I personally feel it would have been more interesting had he left it a mystery when and if Max would awake.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first began reading this novel and it was mostly just about death I did not like the book because it seemed really dark and scary. As I continued reading though, the book became more appealing to me. I personally think that having death as the narrator changes the way I read it. He knows so much more than anyone else because he has seen so much happen in his lifetime. Knowing that it’s not exactly a person narrating the book and it’s actually like a creature of some sort is also interesting to me. It’s weird because you would think that death would be a dark and cruel thing, but reading through the book, you get to know him better. And having him as the narrator makes you have to stop and think every few pages because you have to remember it’s not a person talking, it’s death. I actually really like having death as the narrator.
ReplyDeleteI think that Death's foreshadowing is meant to ruin the uncertainty of what will happen next so that the author can direct the readers focus. I don't think that the author wants the reader to focus on Liesel so much as on what is happening to the world and people around her.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that confused me about Death's narrative was when Max was hiding in a wall and he was telling what was happening to him as if Death was in his mind relaying it to us. If Max had told Liesel about his time before he came to be in her basement and she had written it down, it would make sense that Death would know roughly what happened. But what if Liesel didn't put that in her journal? Does that mean that Death is actually omniscient and KNOWS what each character is thinking? Although, since he's Death it shouldn't be surprising to me that he could read minds.
ReplyDeletei find it weird that death can "read peoples minds" but yet he still needs the journal to tell liesel's story and also he has been alive ever since people started dying so he should have already known the journal story without having to read it
ReplyDeleteAdding on to Billy's comment, I think that the author set Death to read the journal instead of memorizing it because the author wants to show or foreshadow that Liesel like to read as well. So to show Death reading and have Liesel read at almost the same time probably has some kind of comparison in between.
ReplyDeleteI find that I have to repeatedly remind myself that Death is not a person and that he is not experiencing the situation as a human being. For some reason, I continually read the narrator in Liesel's voice, and I think that is because they seem to both have similar personalities- both Death and Liesel seem to be put into situations they do not have control over, and must make the best out of what is happening in their lives. I also think they have both accepted the way events are unfolding and aren't upset about it, but just go along with what is happening.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Natalie. I think because Liesel is one of the main characters too, it is easy for us to read the novel as if it was through Liesels perspective. I do find that I have to remind myself sometimes that the narrator is death.
ReplyDeleteI like having Death as the narrator because he adds humor to an otherwise quite tragic story. I think it was a good move for the author to make because if the narration didn't have the bittersweet twisted humor it does, the story wouldn't be half so enjoyable, in my view. I guess the humor is kind of like Death's coping mechanism for all the horrible things he sees every hour, every minute of the day. The most amusing part for me, was reading the little captions like:
ReplyDelete***HERE IS A SMALL FACT***
You are going to die.
The author did a good job incorporating them into the rest of the storyline and I thought that they gave an impression or subtle image of Death as if he was in between the lines, reading to us from Liesel's journal.
I think that Death has a bigger message than what comes at the end, just like Shakespear did in Romeo and Juliet. There are large portions of the book that have been revealed in earlier parts, but if he's doing that it probably means that he wants our focus to be on something else in the novel, something bigger than Max waking up or everyone dying at the end or whatever else he told about happening before it happened. I think there are important messages that he wants us to recognize, so he just tells us what happens so we won't be wondering and miss things we might've otherwise. It's similar to the second time you watch a movie. You watch it the first time around, wondering about the ending. The second time you know what happens so you notice more details. I believe this is what Death is doing when he foreshadows so much.
ReplyDeleteI still like Death being the narrator, when I remember it still is though. I'm finding I guess because Death has been stuck by Liesel for awhile when ever I read I forget who is actually talking and explaining what's going on.
ReplyDeleteHaving death as the narrator makes the story much more grim. You often forget about the war going on when you’re reading about Liesle’s life and her adventures. As soon as you get comfortable in a nice peaceful story, Death is there reminding you of everyone’s coming fate. I think that is the point the author wants to get across he doesn’t want you to get to comfortable with a nice peaceful story, the book is about the Holocaust after all.
ReplyDeleteHaving Death as the narrator makes the story very unique. Most narrators of a story just narrate, hence the name, but death likes to talk about himself throughout the story. The book is just as much about him as it is any other character. He also likes to go back and forth between past and present. For example talking about Liesle’s summer and then Hans’s service in World War 1.
ReplyDeleteHaving Death as the narrtor is different but sometimes over tells the story. An example of this is when Death tells us about Rudy dying , but odes not tells us anything before that it's just a chapter of Rudy and Leisel by a lake having nothing to do with the chapter before. Death makes the story different but also confuses me and makes the story harder to read.
ReplyDeleteI think the way Death tells the story is very interesting because at the beginning of the book he almost gives us a negative tone vibe by sounding lonely and depressed and making it sound like important people are going to pass away. Until the middle of the book his tone starts becoming positive towards telling the story by Liesel learning how to read and write and making a new friend Rudy. So when it kind of hits towards end of the book he starts creating a negative tone again by telling us how sad Liesel is because her father goes to the war and Max leaves.
ReplyDeleteAlso during the progressing of the book Death is foreshadowing which to me kind of ruins the book for me like when he tells us that Rudy passes away which to me sort of ruined the ending of the book.
ReplyDeleteSomething that intrigues me about the novel is the little Bold Notes that Death leaves behind, some are to like, tell us about like german words that we dont know. and tell us sometimes what some people are thinking, it makes the book a little more fun to read, and soooo much easier to understand
ReplyDeleteI sometimes forget about Death being the narrator, but then he says something about the sky, or foreshadows something and it suddenly comes back that hes there.
ReplyDeleteThe way Death describes the scenes of the sky, or the feelings of a person, or the scenery, its very descriptive, Death seems like someone who is old, and wise. Him telling Liesels story just makes it all the more interesting.
ReplyDeleteI think that if someone else were to tell the story and be the narrator the story wouldn't be as good and interesting. The way Death talks and speaks makes the novel have some kind of twist. Because he is what happens when someone dies, he sees a different kind of humour and he shows that in the way he tells the story. If Liesel was telling her own story instead of Death, I think it would be more sad because she would be upset with the turnout but since death is used to people dying the story isn't as upset and death makes things seem brighter on the other side. Also, if Liesel was telling the story, we wouldn't know about Hans' experience in the military as well and it would be less detailed. We also wouldn't hear about all the other people that have died that Death tells us about. The book would not be the same if someone else was telling the story; Death made it a different kind of novel because he is a different kind of narrator.
ReplyDeleteI think that having Death narrate the novel is a very unique way to narrate the novel. I don’t think I have ever read a book where Death is the narrator so it gives the novel an interesting spin. At the beginning of the novel, Death shares with us that when someone passes away, a colour will cover the sky. During this time in the book Death seems very lonely, and bored, but as the novel goes on it almost seems like Death is changing his perspective and he becomes more positive and focuses more on Leisel and her story. The one thing that confuses me however is that Death seems to be telling Leisel’s story, which is fine, but does that mean he is still doing his job? This is however his main “character” or “role” in the novel in the first place!
ReplyDeleteHaving Death as the narrator makes the story more intriguing because he always puts an interesting spin on what's happening, interjecting with his thoughts during a situation, or foreshadowing a particular part. I like that he provides definitions of things, and comments on people or their behaviour. Also, although death itself is a rather morbid subject, the character Death makes the idea of dying less...disturbing. Frightening. Depressing. Whatever the negative word, he just makes it seem like dying isn't so bad, even though it gives him more work. I like that just when we're getting comfortable with a situation or a person, he provides a bit of reality to keep us interested, and to remind us that the war wasn't a good thing, and just when a situation seems very sad or like it can't get better, he reminds us of the good things that go on with the characters.
ReplyDeleteI agree with ominousforeshadowingassassin. I think the story is more interesting because death is the narrator. I like also that he/she gives definitons of things that we didn't understand before. Also Death makes the book more humorous when he/she comments on the characters and what they do. I wouldn't say death makes dying less scary, frightening, ect. rather than he/she puts a brighter look at it. But when Death talks about taking souls away, it still sounds depressing to me.
ReplyDeleteDeath as a narrator has a very different way of telling a story. His side notes were quite informative and helped you to understand what was going on at the time. Some of his side notes also consisted of for foreshadowing although this foreshadowing is much different from other books. Most of the time Death will just tell you what is going to happen instead of hinting at it. For example when he mentioned Rudy’s death.
ReplyDeleteAs death as the narrator he has the ability of foreshadowing through the book. He reveals the fates and outcomes (survivor or death) of individual characters, but does not ruin the book but instead keeps readers interested in the story. When death describes a death or the outcome of a certain character he also describes certain small details which make you wonder what/how they happened which also intrigues me to keep reading. I think that death is the perfect character for this part because he is the only “person” who could actually know the future.
ReplyDeleteI think that having Death as the narrator plays the biggest role in how interesting this novel is. Showing the life of a German family during the Holocaust as apposed to a Jewish family is unique, but having an entire book told by something that can't be seen or heard is a really new idea. If this story was told, say, in Liesel's point of view, I think interest would have been lost. Not only is it more interesting, but Death's personality really brings a lot more humour and excitement to a rather sad story.
ReplyDeleteDeath as a character was a very creative idea by the author and I quite enjoyed it. I think it was great because it provided us (the readers) with so much information, because Death was all knowing.
ReplyDelete1st or 3rd person point of view would be alot less interesting because they would either focus on one person and how they feel (1st) or focus more on detail and the setting on the story because we wouldn't know how the character's feelings.
ReplyDeleteWith death as a narrator, the author was able to focus not only on the details and setting, but also how describing the characters' thoughts about every event. I think this is what made Markus Zusak's book so popular and just so incredible and touching.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason why the author choose Death as a narrator was because for Liesel's story to make sense to the reader, Death needed to tell us about what's going on in other parts of Europe during WW2, to provide us with details Liesel would have no way of knowing at the time she's writing her book. Death was able to provide us with info about that as well as other people.
ReplyDeleteThere are times when I don't like how Death narrates the novel though. When he told us that Rudy was going to die that actually made me mad because I really liked Rudy and knowing that he was going to die kept making me think that at every little close encounter, he was going to die. Then again though, the times when he told us about bombs to come, or when something bad was going to happen in the future were kind of useful. Knowing that something bad was going to happen prepared me for what was going to come and it made the actual event less tragic. The little warnings he gave us actually were nice but telling us when people were going to die, mostly Rudy, was not something I liked about Death's narrating.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Vedran, Death was the best choice for the narrator because during war times death was the biggest thing besides Hitler. And putting Death as the narrator made the most sense and helped to tell Liesel's story better.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Vedran that Death was a good choice as the narrator. It helped us understand what was going on during WWII better. If we read the book through Liesels point of view, it would be really confusing as to why Max was living with the Hubermanns, and other things that went on. Having Death as the narrator lets us get to know the background stories to the characters in the novel.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy having Death as the narrator because of the darker edge it adds to the book. Usually I'm all for happy books or a really mysterious or sad book, but The Book Thief has a perfect balance. Some characters like Rosa, Rudy, and Hans bring light into the book with their quirky personalities but the author balanced that out with the tragic setting and having Death as the narrator. That perfect balance makes this book perfect for anyone to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI thought death was a great narrator because of who death really is. hes not afraid to potentially ruin the book for you at some points and telling you that everybody is going to die or someones going to pay for what they did 5 months later. he adds the kind of suspense and cliff hanger it the most inappropriate places that just fire you nerves and no matter what you have to keep reading because you know that if you do not find out what death was talking about its going to bug you for EVER!!!!
ReplyDeleteI really like Death, being the narrature because Death at this time of year was the most important character in war. Death is the only one in the story who is honest and could tell the story with many different unique sides and did not judge one side of the argument. I think having Death as the narrature made a huge impact in the story becasue first off he saw everything that was happening and told us, but he brought himself into the story by getting us to guese and figure Death out. I think Death made many oppotunity's to foreshadow and for us to ask us, ourselves questions based on the information he had given us. I love having a "non" human as the narrature becasue it makes this story so much more interesting and detailed. Death opens up my eye in all new perspectives, whether its questioning the abilities one person can have and give to another. Like Death gives us questionable information he also makes me question my own abilities and how far can I go till I finally see what death can bring for me. Although death can be very hard to deal with and hard to understand, without him I would lose most of my focus on this novel.
ReplyDeleteOn reflection, one of the best things about Death as the narrator is that he has no bias towards either the Axis or the Allies. That is extremely rare in WWII stories. Mostly, books talk about the evil that was Nazi germany or sometimes the challenges of being german. The Book Thief is different because it talks about the experience of living in those times, rather than focusing on the horrible things that one side did to another. It casts an equally bad light on both Germany and the Allies, a perspective that is much closer to the truth.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting statement that death makes is that everyone will die. I think that Death fits in very well because in this way, he is the final thing that every character in the story sees and the only one who gets the oppertunity to truly glance into their souls.
ReplyDeletethe way Markus zusak portrays death in his novel as a veteran or a wise sage that happens to have a job of being in charge of overlooking human death and collecting their souls. death brings a sophisticated and abstract aspect to the book when death give you little tidbits and info he makes you think in a stupid but smart way if that's possible and in my opinion nobody else best suits this type of book better than death. very ingenious
ReplyDeleteHaving death as the narrator if a lot better for a story like this, and when I say this I mean in a book that has several different things going on and the story jumps ahead a couple days then back 2 years and whatnot. With death as the narrator it is easy to follow because of his little side notes that explain what is happening and when it is happening. If this book had been written in the eyes of say, liesel then we would not have known the whole story about max, Erik, Hans. Etc.
ReplyDeleteI believe that having Death as the narrator makes the book so much more interesting. He keeps my attention with all his side notes and foreshadowing. The foreshadowing that Death does is keeps me on the edge of my seat. For example, when Death mentions that Max didn’t deserve to die the way he did, it made me wonder what horrible thing killed him and I didn’t find out until much later in the novel, keeping my attention the whole way through, wondering when he was going to tell the reader what happened.
ReplyDeleteAs the book went on, the more I enjoyed the narrator being Death. I like the way he described the characters, in terms of colors. As he said early in the book, colors distract him. And the way he describe things such as Rudy's lemon colored hair or Hans' silver eyes, it really added to the book.
ReplyDeleteWhat I noticed about Death being the narrature is that Death was like a Human with just more information becasue Death sounded like a normal person. Although we didn't know much about Death or even knew him, he sounded like a normal character in the book. It almost seemed like in the book that some of the characters connected with Death. I think Death has not changed really because i don't think he can. I think he is Death and Death only he can't really be descibed as one type of person because we don't know him as well. Through out the book I kinda pretended like he was an ordinary character that just always lived and that I could rely on for information.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lisa, that death seemed like he was a human being in the novel. It just seemed like Death was experiencing everything and living with the other characters, not just watching over them.
ReplyDeleteYa I actual like having Death much better as a narrator because not only does he know so much information and is just waiting to tell us, he is also a great guide for this book. I like that he foreshadowed a lot and talked about an event before it actually happened because that made me want to read more. I am not the kind of person that likes to read a lot, but Death being the Narrator made me really intrigued and made me wanting to read more. I can’t agree that Death changed but, I think Death changed many perspectives for the readers throughout the book. I also think Death being the narrator made this book as popular as it was.
ReplyDeleteI think Lisa's right, Death does think and sound like a human but I think that he has changed just slightly throughout the book. In the beginning, he was really plain and bored, the way he talked just made him seem like he didn't enjoy how he was spending his time in the least. It kind of reminded me about how we are when we have to wake up for school on a Monday morning, we don't want to do it, but we have to so we suck it up but act extremely unenthusiastic about it, Death seemed like that about his whole existence. This seemed to change a little whenever he was talking about Liesel, it's almost like having a distraction changed his whole perspective and gave everything meaning. Death progressed into a happier person as the story went on.
ReplyDeleteHaving death narrate the story was very interesting. He knew how the story ended, but he never fully spoiled it for the reader. Yes he did spoil some parts by telling what is going to happen (ex. Rudy dies), but doesn’t reveal how and when it happens. This kept me in suspense wanting to continue reading to find out when it happens and how.
ReplyDeleteI think that Death is the only "non human" narrator that could work for a novel. Having an animal or tree or something else narrate a novel would not work. Since Death has such human like qualities, I feel like he is an actual human and I like that about Death. If he acting like he wasn't a human and he acted differently I wouldn't have enjoyed the novel as much or Death as the narrator.
ReplyDeleteHaving death narrating the story provided a very interesting reading experience. We do not know what/who Death is exactly. While reading the novel, I would sometimes pause and question about Death himself. He leaves many unanswered questions, like how he can be around the world in no time at all, or if he is invisible to the living or even dead human race. It always keeps us questioning and wondering about Death. It engages the reader into an element of the book not related to the story line. It keeps them questioning and wondering about inquiries that are never answered, almost ending the book in a cliff hanger because so many questions about Death remained unanswered. I believe have death as the narrator was brilliant and caused the reader to think about something inside the novel, but outside the story line. Even though it did cause this, it did not distract the reader so much that they ignore the story itself.
ReplyDeleteI love the way Death describes everything as he narrates the book. It feels as if he knows all the characters so well so when he talks about them, it feels like Death has access to their thoughts but really he doesn't. We hear a general idea of what goes on in the minds of the characters but we never really get to hear a specific thought that they have. I feel like I know the characters really well because Death has introduced and described the characters so well.
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