Sunday, March 8, 2009
setting
The Book Thief takes place on Himmel Street in a small, dead neighborhood in Nazi Germany. The book starts in 1939 just before World War II, and continues on from there. Liesel and the other characters live in a broken-down, deserted neighborhood as all of the Jewish people have been forced to leave, and thier shops and houses have been torn or burned down. The atmosphere is bleak and dreary, and mud, dirt, and rain are often associated with the neighborhood. When I picture Himmel Street, it looks like an unappealing mixture of gray and brown. I think that this effectively coincides with the events of the book and the time period in which the book takes place. Most people living in Nazi Germany were oppressed and suffered through extremely hard-times just like the Hubermanns. The Hubermanns struggle financially, and the angry personality of Rosa and often somber personality of Hans match the bleak setting. The setting shows no signs of improvement just as the events in the novel and the war show no signs of improvement yet. Overall, I believe that the setting greatly reflects the mood and atmosphere of the book along with the character's personalities.
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I completely agree. I think that the setting does reflect a lot of the mood and the personalities of the characters.
ReplyDeleteIt is so weird how you can really just picture the gloomy and dark colors of the setting and how it really affects what the setting is like. If the setting was sunny or bright colors, I feel like it would change the whole book. I agree that setting is so important and especially in this book.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you about the gray feeling over Himmel street. But I didn't think it continued throughout the entire book. At certain points, Himmel street seemed to brighten up. When Hans and Leisel are out painting and drinking champagne, I pictured it being sunny and bright. Also, when Leisel and Rudy got into the fight with the stealing boys, and Rudy had to jump into the river, I pictured the forest with the sun filtering through. Although, the majority of the book was definitely bleak.
ReplyDeleteI also picture their street with a lot of gray and brown. I also agree that it reflects the mood of the book.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think the books setting is comprised of people, colours, and moods. The colours do show the setting and by thinking about how sad it was makes the setting all grey and brown.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I also think that the characters are dreary because of their setting. If nobody on Himmel Street was so unfortunate, they'd probably be at least a little happier.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that Grey and Brown are colors that really describe the tone and setting of the book. Two dark dreary colors reflecting the peoples situation living in the town. Everything feels like it will end in misery and struggle.
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