Book Snails Book Group discussion
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The Book Thief
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Question 1- The N (narrator) "Death" describes meeting the MC (main character) in three colors: red, white, black. Thoughts or comments?
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Mostly I think Death is speaking of a certain flag ((view spoiler)) with those 3 colors. The forces behind that flag are the cause (view spoiler). Death also mentions the 3 symbols on the flag. Maybe the colors also indicate the destruction that Death sees ... red fire/blood, blackened buildings/ash/rubble/bodies, white snow or pale-faced bodies -- especially the (view spoiler).
I also think those were the 3 individual colors Death mentioned when he met the MC on 3 special occasions in the book?
I bet there are plenty of good alternate answers, though.
I always wonder about how much symbolism an author intended (or unintentionally inserted) versus what readers might read into it. But in this case the mention of colors seems deliberate.
I agree with StarMan. The first thing I thought of was the flag, too. It is hard to know whether or not the reader is reading too much into something, but I think, here, the use of colors, along with the way in which they're described, leads to only one conclusion. The black is written as scribbled, a signature, the white, blinding, and the red, thick and soupy. I think we can all see where that's pointing to! And even without those descriptions, the colors "fall on top of each other". Black on white on red. Exactly what we see in the flag.(Also, a side note, I just want to say that this is so fun! I was an English major and this is all we did in college, so it's making me nostalgic!)
Kelsey wrote: "(Also, a side note, I just want to say that this is so fun! I was an English major and this is all we did in college, so it's making me nostalgic!)"Ha ha! I know what you mean, Kelsey. I was an English minor (by accident), and kind of miss some of those class discussions (although way too much symbolism discussion sometimes!). I surprisingly really enjoyed my college poetry class, too.
See fun Mark Twain quote on reading too much into a book.
StarMan wrote: "Kelsey wrote: "(Also, a side note, I just want to say that this is so fun! I was an English major and this is all we did in college, so it's making me nostalgic!)"Ha ha! I know what you mean, Kel..."
Agreed! Funnily enough, in one of my poetry classes, my professor brought in another poet who was a high school English teacher, and he said that one time his class was discussing the importance of a sunset in the book they were reading. Well, they brought the author in (he was doing a local tour) and they ask about the symbolism of the sunset, and his reply was, "what symbolism? It was night time. Sunsets happen." So you never really know!
However, sometimes it can smack you in the face, which is what we see here with the colors being used. I also like that you said we can draw a lot out of the colors, too. While the big picture here is the flag, we can also take little things from it, throughout the description. The scribbled black makes me think of the hand written Holocaust orders. The blinding white makes me think of the "white supremacy/Aryan" idea, and the soupy red, of course, makes me think of all the blood shed. Zusak has a very interesting writing style.
Yup, Nazi flag/Holocaust. made me think about what the actual flag was intended to symbolize to the German people. Propaganda, of course.
I adore Death. He is very human-like to me. He tries to not get attached to the "leftover humans" but finds that he can not help it sometimes. He seems to have some of the same emotions as we do: he's cheerful, amiable, agreeable, curious, he wants to be trusted. He will carry our souls away with gentleness, per his description. How can you not care for him for that thoughtfulness he shows? Death observes colors for distraction, to pass the time, to not involve himself with feelings toward the leftovers. He tells us about the color white the first time he sees Liesel. For me, it is because the entire landscape is covered in snow and ice. The next time he sees Liesel, it is the darkest moment before the dawn breaks, relating for him, the color black. And finally the color red. Bombs vs. bodies making a landscape of red with blood. It's these three colors that reminds him of her the most.
I agree, Julie! I like Death as a narrator a lot. It's unconventional but yet, like you said, the way in which "it" talks is so human. I wonder why colors are so important and interesting to Death? Maybe it's because there are no colors left when someone dies?
Kelsey wrote: "I agree, Julie! I like Death as a narrator a lot. It's unconventional but yet, like you said, the way in which "it" talks is so human. I wonder why colors are so important and interesting to Death?..."Thats a great point!
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The Nazi flag...yes, that description is pretty obvious. It will be interesting to read everyone's interpretations of this passage.
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Glad you're enjoying this discussion, Kelsey! ;-)
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Ha ha! I know what you mean, Kel..."
Funny Mark Twain quote. LOL...
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Ha ha! I know wh..."
Zusak's writing is very poetic. I like it.
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I agree that, at least so far, Death seems to be a sensitive, thoughtful character. His passages seem filled with human-like emotion.
"When I recollect her, I see a long list of colors, but it's the three in which I saw her in the flesh that resonate the most. Sometimes I manage to float far above those three moments. I hang suspended, until a septic truth bleeds toward clarity. That's when I see them formulate.
***THE COLORS***
RED, WHITE, BLACK
They fall on top of each other. The scribbled signature black, onto the blinding global white, onto the thick soupy red."
The N (narrator) "Death" describes meeting the MC (main character) in three colors: red, white, black. Thoughts or comments?