So to get this started, lets talk about "The Grave Digger's Handbook." I think that it is extremely symbolic for Liesel Meminger's journey of mourning her past life. Before Liesel begins her late night lessons with Papa, she is consumed with nightmares that serve as a haunting of her brother's death and the uncertainty of her mother's whereabouts. But as the reading and writing lessons with Papa begin, so does Liesel's healing. Yes, she is still waking up in the late hours of the night, but at least now with something to ease the pain. With each page of, "The Grave Digger's Handbook," that Liesel manages to conquer, she moves farther and farther away from her past life. The handbook teaches Liesel how to dig a grave not for a person, but for her past. But I think that burying it is something no book can help her with.
-Julia
I agree with this, but i think that the subject matter of the book also serves to show Liesel's desperation to stay connected to her family. The book is the last reminder she has of her brother and mother, which is why she finds it so important to read it. She's not just burying the past, she is coping with it. Learning to read gives her something to focus on other than her pain, It gives her goals for the future and something to look forward to.
ReplyDelete-Ali B
You're right. We could even say that learning to read and write, and applying those skills to things other than the handbook is most definitely a coping mechanism for Liesel. This is why she begins to give into her inner urge to acquire more books. I find it ironic that all of this occurs in a period where reading and writing, and other free-thinking activities, are for the most part, discouraged.
Delete-Julia
True, and the fact that Liesel must steal the books and learn to read in the middle of the night adds to her characterization. Liesel risks a lot by stealing the books and having reading lessons behind mama's back. She also steals the food fromthe farms, which gives a delinquint air about her. Yet, the audience still sympathizes with Liesel and we don't think of her as a bad kid. She hungry for both the food and the books, and to deny a child of either seems wrong. We begin to see Liesel as someone who will risk a lot for something she believes in.
ReplyDeleteI think that since the narrator seems fond of Liesel, we like her more. However, being liked Death can't be good for the future.
-Ali B
Wow, so true Allison. You just made me realize how amazing it is that sometimes, while reading, I forget that Death is the narrator. We see Liesel's life through her point of view, and like you said, we are shown her character, strength, and courage. We begin to develop true feelings towards her, and only because Death has as well. This shows a side of Death that people don't normally realize; a side that has feelings and compassion.
ReplyDelete-Julia
Exactly. Whenever Death talks about people dying, he says that he carries their souls in his arms, as if he were carrying a baby. It seems gentle and painless for the most part. This is not our typical expectation of death, as it often scares people to think about it. I think at one point Death even mocks our image of the Grim Reaper and its scythe.
ReplyDelete-Ali B
Death also shows us that while he has a more compassionate side for humanity, in this instance being Liesel, but deplores the destruction that comes with war that we bring upon ourselves. Death doesn't want us to kill each other; he wants to observe mankind and study our thoughts and actions from afar.
ReplyDelete-Joe
Death says that men in war think they're running at other young men, but they are really running at Death itself. Death sees that most people don't value and covet life the way they should. They don't realize how easily life can slip away. Even those who avoid death, like war survivors, often wonder why they made it through and wish they had died instead of watching all of their friends die. People who escape death are often seen as cowards as well, which shows our skewed views of the value of life.
ReplyDeleteAli B
Throughout the novel, Death complains about how busy and hard his job is during war. One can argue that Death's job is always difficult it especially during war or injustice times such as the Holocaust. This novel gives me a different point of view of Deah. I feel bad for him:(
ReplyDeleteGabby