Never Let Me Go and The Book Thief
In the novel, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Liesel Meminger and her family are trapped in World War Two era Germany, in the thick of the conflict. Despite their dark surroundings and the unshakable possibility of being considered outcasts, being bullied or hurt, or even killed at the hands of the Nazis, they stay true to their morals and act on what is right, rather than what would keep them safe.
Liesel and Kathy, the narrator of Never Let Me Go, share many similarities despite the stark contrast in their worlds. One of these similarities lies in their natural ability to feel compassion. As Kathy grows up, it becomes clear that she has a natural ability to feel compassion toward other people. This translates directly into her success as a carer in her later years. Similarly, Liesel feels a genuine feeling of compassion toward Max Vandenburg, a Jewish man hiding from the Nazis in her home. As Max hides, Liesel does everything in her power to care for him and treat him well despite the danger that comes with housing a Jewish person in Nazi Germany. Max's relationship with Liesel also closely resembles the relationships Kathy has with her various donors. Using her compassionate nature, Kathy ensures that her donors live out their last days in as little pain as possible, even filling somewhat ridiculous requests such as Ruth's yearning to see the washed up boat. This is the same relationship Liesel has with Max; Liesel does everything she can to make sure he is as safe as possible and in as little pain (emotionally or otherwise) as possible. Kathy and Liesel both use their compassionate natures to support the people closest to them despite their dark realities.
Tommy is born into a world where his fate is predetermined and he has been taught his whole life to believe in the same system which will eventually kill him. In his own small way, he decides to rebel against everything he has been told was true. Tommy draws small pictures of realistic animals, outfitted with unique traits and features. He believes that if he creates beautiful artwork, there is a chance he will be granted a deferral, extending the time until his donation and the amount of time he can spend with Kathy. In his own way, Tommy rebels against his inevitable fate while remaining within the system that governs his life. Likewise, Liesel rebels against the Nazi regime in her own small way. After a burning of books deemed unreadable by the Nazi Party, Liesel stealthily rummages among the cinders and steals one of the books that the Nazis tried to burn. Liesel commits a very low level crime, one that wouldn't be punished by more than a slap on the wrist in order to rebel against the people that control her life. Both Liesel and Tommy are unable to change their inescapable fates, but decide to rebel in very small ways, despite the futility of their actions.
Liesel and Kathy, the narrator of Never Let Me Go, share many similarities despite the stark contrast in their worlds. One of these similarities lies in their natural ability to feel compassion. As Kathy grows up, it becomes clear that she has a natural ability to feel compassion toward other people. This translates directly into her success as a carer in her later years. Similarly, Liesel feels a genuine feeling of compassion toward Max Vandenburg, a Jewish man hiding from the Nazis in her home. As Max hides, Liesel does everything in her power to care for him and treat him well despite the danger that comes with housing a Jewish person in Nazi Germany. Max's relationship with Liesel also closely resembles the relationships Kathy has with her various donors. Using her compassionate nature, Kathy ensures that her donors live out their last days in as little pain as possible, even filling somewhat ridiculous requests such as Ruth's yearning to see the washed up boat. This is the same relationship Liesel has with Max; Liesel does everything she can to make sure he is as safe as possible and in as little pain (emotionally or otherwise) as possible. Kathy and Liesel both use their compassionate natures to support the people closest to them despite their dark realities.
Tommy is born into a world where his fate is predetermined and he has been taught his whole life to believe in the same system which will eventually kill him. In his own small way, he decides to rebel against everything he has been told was true. Tommy draws small pictures of realistic animals, outfitted with unique traits and features. He believes that if he creates beautiful artwork, there is a chance he will be granted a deferral, extending the time until his donation and the amount of time he can spend with Kathy. In his own way, Tommy rebels against his inevitable fate while remaining within the system that governs his life. Likewise, Liesel rebels against the Nazi regime in her own small way. After a burning of books deemed unreadable by the Nazi Party, Liesel stealthily rummages among the cinders and steals one of the books that the Nazis tried to burn. Liesel commits a very low level crime, one that wouldn't be punished by more than a slap on the wrist in order to rebel against the people that control her life. Both Liesel and Tommy are unable to change their inescapable fates, but decide to rebel in very small ways, despite the futility of their actions.
It's interesting to notice that both Kathy and Liesel are very similar to the people they empathized in terms of their fates (while Kathy will inevitably become a donor as well, and Liesel didn't have a home too due to Nazis). Do you think that's a major reason that they empathize some certain group of people so much?
ReplyDeleteIn terms of rebelling, I was thinking that Tommy refusing to create creative arts is a form of rebel, whereas his trying of creating small animals is a form of compromise to the system in face of a potential deferral. In what ways do you think Tommy's act of creating animals is a way of rebelling?
I also thought that this rebelling/compassion theme can probably be connected to Rudy Steiner as well and him helping Liesel at school and at stealing books.