The Value of Humanity: A Narrative Analysis of 'The Book Thief' Film (2013)
- Daniel Miller
- Dec 3, 2016
- 8 min read
This was my final undergraduate communication essay. I had watched The Book Thief the previous summer, and it struck me - and I wanted to know why. After analysis, I came away with a deeper respect and appreciation for this beautiful story and piece of art. This essay has impacted me so much that I am currently working on an essay for publishing or video production around the same insights that speaks to how cinema affects us. Enjoy!
In this postmodern world, teaching a moral lesson about the purpose of the human life is often a difficult task. Popular culture teaches that truth is relative to personal conviction and that humanity is nothing but an evolution of matter and chemicals. Though the task seems daunting, the need is great to evangelize the truth that nothing is quite so special as humanity and that people should cherish this, choosing love for others in this life. The 2013 film adaptation of Markus Zusak’s bestselling novel The Book Thief proves that rhetorical strategies are effective in this postmodern world to share the good news that humanity is valuable and to exhort humankind to choose kindness and compassion. Toward this end, the film will be analyzed by the method of narrative criticism.
Artifact
The Book Thief is a World War II period-dramatic film based upon the novel written in 2005 by Australian author Markus Zusak. It was adapted for the screen by Michael Petroni and directed by Brian Percival, known for his work with the TV drama series Downton Abbey. This motion picture falls in a broad genre of World War II period dramas and might be compared alongside films like Schindler’s List (1993), The Pianist (2002), or The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008), though The Book Thief, written as a young adult fiction novel, has a distinctively lighter tone, treading more carefully around the issue of the Holocaust.
Set in World War II Germany, The Book Thief follows the story of Liesel Meminger, a young girl moving in with foster parents Hans and Rosa Hubermann because her mother, a Communist, is fleeing from Hitler (Rosenfelt, Blancato, and Percival, 2013). As she grows up in her new home on Heaven Street, Liesel becomes close with her new family and grows bitter toward Hitler and the Nazis for taking away the people for whom she cares. She finds friendship in Rudy Steiner, her lemon-haired neighbor of her own age, and Max Vandenburg, a Jew who lives secretly in the Hubermann’s basement for a time. Heaven Street is bombed by accident at the finale of the movie; Liesel alone survives, and the narrator concludes the film explaining how well she lived the remainder of her years (Rosenfelt et al., 2013).
Method
The use of narrative criticism in analyzing a motion picture is both intuitive and appropriate. Exploring concepts of truth around themes such as The Book Thief presents through the analysis of narrative, the oldest form of recorded human communication, provides insights that are as close to universal human experience as possible. Also, elements of narrative analysis—characters, events, theme, and the like—certainly complement cinematic style; films can provide the audience with a fuller picture than other narrative forms of what happened and how to feel about it.
Narrative criticism is developed from Walter R. Fisher’s theory of the narrative paradigm, which, as Hobart (2013) explains, “assumes that the world is a set of stories through which we create and re-create our lives” (p. 90). Hollihan and Riley (1987) would agree, stating that these “[s]hared stories play an important role in the lives of those who tell them, for they are a way for people to capture and relate their experiences in the world” (p. 15). Because our shared stories fill such a prominent place in the human experience, they have something to tell us about the nature of human life. Looking at the objective and features of The Book Thief narrative yields substantial insights on how rhetorical actions may encourage moral values such as cherishing humanity encouraging compassion.
Analysis of The Book Thief
The propositional objective of The Book Thief is threefold: (1) to remind the audience that love and kindness are the distinguishing qualities of humanity, (2) to urge an audience to choose this kind of lifestyle, and (3) to emphasize the importance of family in modeling a love that stays. The analysis is conducted by examining four key features in the film and how they communicate the film’s objective. These key narrative features from the film are characters, narrator, events, and theme.
Characters
Five characters are prominent. Liesel is the center of the film. She is depicted as innocent and pure, one who comes to understand the cruel world in which she is living. Hans is a loving and loyal constant in Liesel’s life from the moment they meet; Rosa, though harsh at first, warms up and shows her deep love for Liesel as the film progresses. Rudy Steiner quickly becomes Liesel’s best friend; he keeps the childlike joy and innocence alive in Liesel’s life. Lastly, Max Vandenburg is a strong source of wisdom and friendship for Liesel, essentially becoming her big brother.
These characters are marked by kindness. There is a stark contrast between the humanity of these characters and the inhumanity of the Nazi party. Though they find themselves the minority amid an increasingly antagonistic culture, their choices consistently show selflessness and love, even at the risk of their own lives. The Hubermanns take in Max and nurse him back to health though they could be discovered at any time and Rudy consistently proves himself to be a loyal friend to Liesel though it could cost him immensely. Furthermore, Hans bravely sticks up for a Jewish friend being arrested and is consequently shoved to the ground and has his name taken (Rosenfelt et al., 2013). When Liesel asks Max what her papa did so wrong, Max replies, “He reminded people of their humanity” (Rosenfelt et al., 2013). Later, Max leaves the Hubermann home to keep them safe from arrest. On this note, there is a touching moment later in the film when Hans returns from military duty as he and Liesel sit at the dinner table and talk about Max:
LIESEL: “I keep thinking about Max. Wondering where he is.”
HANS: “Me too. I’m not sure what it all meant—everything he went through. Everything we did.”
LIESEL: “We were just being people. That’s what people do.”
HANS: “Liesel…you are all grown up” (Rosenfelt et al., 2013).
This film presents love and kindness as the distinguishing characteristics, the highest cause, of humanity. The characters, marked beautifully by compassion, also form a stable family for Liesel, providing her with needed parent, sibling, and friend relationships as well as a loving environment conducive for her transition to maturity.
Narrator
As in the novel, the narrator of the film is Death. Portrayed almost like an old man tired of his job, Death tells the story of Liesel Meminger primarily for the reason that he cared—curiously, by his own admission—about her life (Rosenfelt et al., 2013). We come to know him throughout the film as we hear his witty and slightly sarcastic existential commentary on life, death, and the events of the film. At the close, he says, “When I finally came for Liesel, I took selfish pleasure in the knowledge that she had lived her ninety years so wisely. By then, her stories had touched many souls” (Rosenfelt et al., 2013). Death’s major point is that nothing is more important for humans than to live well; humans have the potential to do terrible things, but the best of them, such as Liesel, Hans, Rosa, Max, and Rudy, will choose to love people and bless others’ souls in life.
It is also interesting to note that Death is not his own boss. It might be inferred from his language and his tone that he is employed, whether by fate, God, or someone else. God is most probable, due to the film’s traditional feel and Christian references. This would suggest that there is a higher purpose for the love and compassion of the human life.
Events
Story events in a narrative analysis are broken up into major, plot-shaping events called kernels and minor, nonessential plot events called satellites (Foss, 2009, p. 313). Interestingly, in the film’s 131 minutes of running time, a smaller amount of time is given to kernels. The major kernels of the film, such as Liesel’s move to the Hubermanns, guide the film but do not carry it; they maintain equal weight with the minor events. Rosenfelt et al. (2013) spend quality time with the characters in the everyday satellite scenes and allow them to grow and become cohesive living beings on-screen. One such scene is the Christmas snowball fight and subsequent “campout” in the basement. Rosa remarks, “This is the stupidest thing that I have ever done,” to which Hans, peacefully playing Silent Night on his accordion, replies, “Und [sic] look how happy you are” (Rosenfelt et al., 2013). These scenes do not drive the plotline, but they develop the characters so that the audience feels personally acquainted with them by the time the kernels role around. This is excellent storytelling that, in the words of a YouTube art critic, avoids “moments at the expense of scenes”—meaning that spectacular moments should not eclipse ordinary moments (Puschak, 2016). Satellites should actually drive and give meaning to the kernels. The filmmakers excel at this, showing Liesel, Rosa, Hans, Rudy, and Max as more important than the circumstances that befall them. By allowing the events to take a backseat to the people, humanity is presented as the crown of creation.
Theme
Perhaps one of the most prominent themes in The Book Thief alongside the juxtaposition of life and death is the concept that humans have need for a love that stays—an active, enduring bond that moves toward, not away from a person. Liesel has to struggle with the fact that her mother gave her up to foster parents. Her chief sorrows throughout the film are Max’s departure to keep the family safe, Rudy’s selection for elite training, and Hans’ conscription to the army; we feel the weight of Liesel’s heavy heart as she expresses tearfully to Hans at the train station, “Everyone’s leaving—even Rudy” (Rosenfelt et al., 2013). The fact that her family is dissolving before her eyes brings us grief because Liesel is still growing up; having to see her again let go before the natural time is foreign and unwelcome—to her and to the audience. The need for love to remain is felt deeply in the bedrock of this movie.
Discussion
Through characters, narrator, events, and themes, The Book Thief fulfills its threefold objective to remind us that love is the distinguishing quality of humanity, to urge us to choose that lifestyle, and to explain the human need for a familial love that stays. Liesel’s life with the Hubermanns and beyond, all the way to her own passing, paints the picture in the mind of the viewer what it means to live a worthwhile life full of enduring love. Perhaps this notion is summed up most poignantly in Death’s touching remarks about Liesel to close the film:
In her final thoughts, she saw the long list of lives that merged with hers—her three children, her grandchildren, her husband. Among them, lit like lanterns, were Hans and Rosa, her brother, and the boy whose hair remained the color of lemons forever. I wanted to tell the book thief she was one of the few souls that made me wonder what it was to live, but in the end, there were no words—only peace. The only truth I truly know is that I am haunted by humans. (Rosenfelt et al., 2013)
Conclusion
There is a need to remind humanity to value human life. Modern, nihilistic-bound philosophies and militant political and religious extremism are currently permeating culture and attempting to strip humanity of the imago Dei. The rhetorical strategies employed in the 2013 film The Book Thief teach us, through the powerful agent of narrative, that human life is precious and that we should adopt a corresponding lifestyle for the benefit of all, not unlike the biblical mandate saying, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19, English Standard Version). We can take our challenge to choose life and love in our days from Max, when he presents Liesel with a blank, painted-out book, formerly Hitler’s Mein Kampf: “Words are life, Liesel. All those blank pages, they’re for you to fill” (Rosenfelt et al., 2013).
References
Foss, S. K. (2009). Rhetorical criticism: Exploration and practice (4th ed.). Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc.
Hobart, M. (2013). My Best Friend's Brother's Cousin Knew This Guy Who … : Hoaxes, Legends, Warnings, and Fisher's Narrative Paradigm. Communication Teacher, 27(2), 90-93.
Hollihan, T. A., & Riley, P. (1987). The Rhetorical Power of a Compelling Story: A Critique of a "Toughlove" Parental Support Group. Communication Quarterly, 35(1), 13-25.
Puschak, E. [Nerdwriter1]. (2016, July 27). Batman v superman: The fundamental flaw [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38Cy_Qlh7VM.
Rosenfelt, K., Blancato, K. (Producers), and Percival, B. (Director). (2013). The Book Thief [Motion picture]. United States, Germany: 20th Century Fox.
