Student Question
How does The Book Thief complicate our ideas of justice and judgment?
Quick answer:
The Book Thief complicates ideas of justice and judgment by showing that actions deemed illegal or wrong, like Liesel's theft of books, can lead to positive outcomes. Liesel and Hans find and share joy through their actions, despite them being technically wrong. This suggests that true justice often involves defying established rules, especially under oppressive regimes like the Nazis.
While Liesel's actions are depicted as theft, they are never painted in a truly negative light. This demonstrates in a small way the lessons the book illustrates in much larger ways as well: that justice often means acting in ways that are contrary to the established rules and order, and that judgement does not always mean that one is acting unjustly. Liesel was able to find and share joy with the books, even though she stole them, just as Hans was able to find and share joy through helping Max to survive. Even though both these actions were technically actions that could be judged as wrong, they both ultimately helped the characters find a sense of justice and persevere through the oppression of the Nazi regime and WWII.
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