Mark= German currency
The word "mark" comes up in the chapter "The Floating Book Part II". I was just curious as to what a "mark" was, so I looked it up. Victor Chemmel asked for fifty marks in exchange for the return of The Whistler (by the way, does anybody know how to underline text?).
Now that that's out of the way, I want to discuss a few observations I've made over the course of reading The Book Thief (specifically Part Four and Five).
In class, the topic of how Zusak chooses to describe things and move the plot along have come up a couple of times. Zusak's way of telling a reader what is happening or what is going to happen is unique. Well, it's hard not to be unique with Death for a narrator. In every page, a metaphor, simile, or personification can be found. Strings of adjectives are placed carefully in descriptive paragraphs:
"The different notes handled her eyes" (179).
"..the endless jawline, stretching for miles; the pop-up cheek bones; and the pothole eyes" (189).
"..from elastic-haired woman to silver-eyed m
an.." (244)
These quotes are just a few examples of so many hidden metaphors that might sometimes be skipped over if not read carefully.
Zusak's way of telling the reader what's going to happen next is at times confusing, but also amusing. At first, Death's constant bold interruptions (which I think is a hilarious idea) surprised me. Now, I appreciate them, as each announcement is a piece of information that clears up more of the story. There are also many places in the book so far where Death very bluntly tells the reader what will happen in the future. He drops a "plot bomb" in the laps of the unfortunate readers. (How's that for a little "so zusak"?) For example, Death explains Rudy's death scene, at the same time showing a little human emotion: "I'm certain he would have loved to see the frightening rubble and the swelling of the sky on the night he passed away...You see? Even Death has a heart." (242) Here's another observation about this quote: In this quote is the first time the narrator admits he/she is Death.
Question: Do you, as a reader of The Book Thief, find that sometimes you have to stop and remember to breathe?
I certainly do. But perhaps it's the best thing for writing about wars and prejudice and fear. Sometimes I think that Zusak might be overdoing it, with all the emotion, and adjectives and whatnot. But then I read a passage that completely captures the situation, and I remember why it's so hard to accept the idea of the Holocaust and WWII.
Titles.
That's another thing I really admire about Zusak. Some authors choose not to have titles with names, only numbers. Some authors choose to name their titles, but don't really succeed in projecting their idea to the reader. Some authors choose not to have titles at all. If I just read through all the titles in The Book Thief, it would seem like a mishmash of random phrases. Yet each one makes me curious as to what that chapter is about. Zusak even spells it out for us in the beginning of each "Part", by listing the titles. (By the way, did any of you notice that all of the titles of the "Parts" are books that Liesel discovers?)
The Book Thief is probably the strangest book I've read, but it works. For instance, midnight reading classes, various sketches, and a curious seven-sided die.
One thing that I think everybody will agree with:
Zusak certainly knows how to tell a story.
~Andrea
While reading the Book Thief, I find myself, as well, needing to "stop and remember to breathe." Zusak's style of writing is so powerful, though, that the loads upon loads of action are acceptable. Whereas, with another piece of literature, for example, too much action could possibly work against what the story is trying to get across to the reader. I feel that this rush of emotions, actions and descriptions help develop a style that is "So Zusak." When I first started to read TBT, I could not get over how strange it was that Death was the narrator. But, instead of coming off as strange, Death's timeless and somewhat drawn back narration adds to the fascination I have for this novel. I also find it rather amusing that Death has a sense of humor. Throughout the course of the novel so far, the reader can see that humor develop. If Death were to be bland and were to give solely facts, its character would not be nearly as interesting. So, when talking about characters, one can describe Death as well, which is quite an intriguing thing to do.
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