Saturday, March 21, 2009
Discussion 4- Thought Provoking Question
My thought provoking question is concerning the narrator, Death. I have always wondered out of all views to read the book from, why Zusak chose death. So, my question is: Why does Zusak choose death to be the narrator over another view, and if he wanted it to be a view from above, why death and maybe not an angle or something? It makes me think of the significance of death in the book, and not only the character, but also the actual fact of life.
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I think it helps us become more familiar with Death in general. Because people think of Death as a dark, and horrible thing it's refreshing to have a perspective of something negative so the reader can dig deep and find the positives or become ok with the fact that Death will come for everyone.
ReplyDeleteWell, I apologize for the pessimistic view, but...
ReplyDeleteIn addition to what Maggie said about Death bringing new perspectives to the book, I think Zusak also did it to be different. If the novel was from a 3rd person or 1st person perspective, it would sound very close to literally every other single Nazi Germany themed book on the market, because they all discuss very similar things. This book primarily stands out because of Death being the narrator, and also because of his writing skills.
I think death does bring a different perspective to the book and it makes me, personally, much more interested. But, i mainly believe that Zusak used Death as the narrator to show the significant amount of death in Nazi Germany and to show the despair of the people.
ReplyDeleteWhat you said about using Death as a narrator is very true Hannah, about how it brings more "interest" to the book as a whole.
ReplyDeleteThe writing of Zusak is strong enough to make "The Book Thief" an enjoyable book even without Death being the narrator. But, that extra interest is what makes it stand out from the rest and can convince you to... Actually purchase the book.
I think Zusak makes Death the narrator to illustrate him as more approachable than most people would think. Death was so common in Nazi Germany that Zusak, I think, wanted to show why there was nothing to fear from Death and that dying was maybe not as painful as we might think.
ReplyDeleteI agree with how death brings another perspective the book. It makes it a little more intersting to read a book in the perspective as death i guess. It does make it pretty gloomy though.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Cindy said about Zusak choosing Death because it's different. I feel like this book could've been just as interesting and different if it had been written in a 3rd person or 1st person perspective, but the fact that he chose to personify death gives the book a unique concept.
ReplyDeleteI think that the author chose Death as the narrator because it is unique and definitely fits the story-line. I guess he could have chosen to do some other version of 3rd person, but I feel like Death makes the most sense and if he had chosen any other person to narrate it, it wouldn't have been very unique and would have taken away from the intrigue of the story.
ReplyDeleteDeath provides a new viewpoint I think. All of his descriptions are very unique and thought provoking. I think that a normal narrator would not be able to provide this type of insight like he does.
ReplyDeleteDeath knows the harsh realities of the war but doesn't give much input. Death is actually relatable to the characters. Death, Liesel, Max, and Has find ways to distract themselves from death. Death pays attention to color, Liesel reads books, Max draws, Hans plays the accordion. These people witness events that I dount any of us can fully relate to. Death is knows what they go through, but is still able to not give his opinion much.
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