summary
The narrator introduces himself and the book thief in a mountain range of rubble where he discusses his job as death and collecting the souls as a result of dying. Death in this book finds the most troubling thing to do with his job is leaving the humans grieving behind (although he tries not to focus on this).
Death then goes on to discuss the times he has seen the book thief (a girl) and how he was drawn to her during these three times. The first is on a railway train traveling in Germany through the snow when he collects a young soul, the colour is white. The second is after a plane crash when he collects the soul of a pilot after a teddy bear has been placed on the chest of a body this colour was black. The last time was after bombs struck and the book thief is howling in a city like area, this colour was red.
Quotes
“First the colours. Then the humans. That’s usually how I see things. Or at least how I try.” – Narrator
This quote de-humanises the narrator and slowly develops the character of death by showing us he is observing human activity as if it’s not normal. it also shows an inner conflict that although he isn’t supposed to have emotion through his job he still feels. Colour is symbolised as a distraction from feelings.
Death, the narrator of The Book Thief, introduces himself by telling us we are all going to die. Immediately he undermines our expectations of him as being a cold, emotionless figure of horror by revealing his almost-human vulnerability. Instead of performing his role, harvesting souls, in a detached way, he allows himself to be emotionally affected by a single individual, who he initially names “The Book Thief”. This is a source of conflict for him “First the colours. Then the humans. That’s usually how I see things. Or at least how I try.” It is clear that, for him, the emotional toll death presents to human beings is a source of distress for him.
“It’s the leftover humans. The survivors. They’re the ones I can’t stand to look at, although on many occasions, I still fail.” If an entity as powerful as Death is affected by this individual, it follows that there must be something significant about this death, and this survivor. Zusak is using the device of the narrator to focus our attention. We don’t yet know why.
“It’s the leftover humans. The survivors. They’re the ones I can’t stand to look at, although on many occasions, I still fail.” – Death
This quote describes the idea that death can feel and observe human pain even though due to his previous statement he tries not to, once again suggesting inner conflict.
“something white. Of the blinding kind.” – Death
Death describes the first time he encounters the book thief and takes notice of white. White is a symbol for loneliness and purity and so seems fitting for the loss of a child (a small boy corpse in the others arms).
“The world was sagging now, under the weight of all that snow”
This sentence literally describes the setting (all that snow) but also figuratively shows us the heaviness of the death of a child so small by displaing snow as a symbol of the childs death and once again tells us that death recognises this heaviness and so shows us he can feel.