World War 2

[briannaanderson]

A girl who steals isn't specific to World War 2. So why did the author, Markus Zusak, choose to write about this time?
It makes sense for a story when Death is the narrator, but why WWII? There are other times in history where Death could have narrated about destruction, stealing, families, friends, and every other element in this story.
Is there something about the culture during this time that makes the idea of stealing different? Would a story like this have been decent had it been during WWI?

[Hibah]

Zusak writes at the time of world war 2 because many people had fought in the war causing many death which is where Death comes in. Why the author chooses this war was because this war had one of the most highest deaths. In the book, Liesel groups with a couple of boys to steal food. Living in the poorest part of Germany in the time of war, it makes sense to steal. If this story would Had happened during world war 1, Molching would have got destroyed earlier in the book.

[Carolyn]

The setting of this book is in Germany during WWII because most of the main events are a result of the war. If it wasn't WWII then the Hubermanns would not hide Max in their basement, Max very important to the plot of the story and Liesel. Max brought happiness into Liesel's life, she gave him weather reports and built a snowman in the basement with him. There are other, smaller instances that relate to WWII, specifically Rudy being chosen to go the the Nazi school and familys loosing costumers/work because some of their costumers are Jews. When it comes to book stealing though, it doesn't seem like would really matter the setting but it does. One of the first books Liesel steals is from the bonfire that the city had on Hitler's birthday.

[iancernitz]

I believe Zusak’s setting for the book was chosen because of several factors. One of which was the narrator being Death. Since Death was telling the story, the abundant amount of death taking place during WW2, objected Death through out the story. For example, if the setting had been in a much more peaceful time, Death wouldn't have interacted with the story as much, and the narrator's presence would have been dulled. A second reason WW2 was most likely chosen, was because of its familiarity with readers. World War Two was a perfect choice since it was a real life, horrific event that occurred in somewhat modern history. World War One engaged Death as the narrator, but its horrors are not as well known in the minds of readers. Finally, Zusak may have chosen this setting to tell the story of German citizens who also suffered under Hitler's wrath.

[zevgreen]

The reason Zusak chose Death to narrate a story set in Nazi Germany was because death was a constant factor there. Between the 10 million deaths in the Holocaust and the casualties of the war itself (soldiers killed in action), death went hand in hand with the Nazis.

[Mete Bakircioglu]

The setting of the story being Nazi Germany during WWII added many complex elements to the plot that would not have existed had the setting been during another internationally devastating time. WWII must have been the most obvious, and apparently logical choice for Zusak, due to the fact that WWII was a tragedy that many readers of the story already possess knowledge of, as opposed to The Crusades of the medieval times or the Great Chinese Famine of the mid 1900s. A few aspects that were bolstered because of this chosen setting were the unique style of Death as the narrator, the common theme of abandonment and discrimination, and the economic status of those in the middle class during the time.

First of all, as many have already mentioned, Death would not have had as much of an impact as he did on the telling of the story if not for the setting. The war added to the sense of how busy Death was, and how when he recognized Liesel all those years later at the fallen plane, it was a unique type of moment that he only had the luxury to share with a few others. This develops the most peculiar relationship between Liesel and Death, which the reader wants to learn more about until the curiosity was sated at the end of the story, when Death finally took Liesel.

Secondly, the necessary abandonment of Liesel in the beginning of the story, and the discrimination of Jews in Nazi Germany expanded the plot through the addition of Max Vandenburg. His appearance in the story not only developed the personality of Hans by showing him to be someone who believes in fairness and equality, but also gave the main character a friend that she would compare and relate to.

Lastly, the economy of Germany during WWII allowed for the glorification of stealing, whether it was stealing food, money, or books. Clearly thievery plays a large role in the story, and the more justifiable the stealing is, the more it helps give meaning to the aspect. Also, the economy not benefiting the average citizen of Nazi Germany was the reason Liesel was abandoned in the first place.
 

[simonplotkin]

It takes place in this time for many, plot related reasons. These include censorship, book burnings, persecution, and the hard times in World War II. The author chose this because it exaggerates the thieving of one book. Today, that would be barely even petty theft for the books she was stealing. Back then, when books were scarce, stealing a book was a big deal. It also compares this stealing to that of food, common for poor teenagers in wartime Germany. The words are more important than food. The thought of having to steal knowledge is so incredulous today in the "Digital Age" but the censorship of the era, both written and human, caused the thieving to make sense. The war works perfectly for this.

[Kaylee Buntyn]

In this case The Book Thief's setting of world war II is ideally perfect for the story. The fact that it is a historical knowing that Nazis burned books adds an exemplary detail of authenticity to the tale. Zusak, I believe, chose this setting because of the relation between death and the country of Germany under Hitler rule. Of course there is also the relation of Liesel who is by far the most important account in these chapters. Being set in World War II Germany was a very dangerous time unlike no other which is why stealing such small things such as books was a grave danger and that is why it is a key place in the novel. Due to all the risks and pressures Nazis put on German residents it gave the story a real push foward and helped along certain details.