Tension In The Book Thief

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In Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, uncertainty is the strongest element of narrative tension. For example at the beginning of Death and Chocolate, Zusak uses uncertainty by keeping the readers on the edge of their seats. Zusak uses creative writing to make the readers unsure about if they should trust the narrator, “Does this worry you? I urge you- don’t be afraid. I’m nothing if not fair” (Zusak 3). Although this may sound reassuring to some, to others it is alarming how he could say, “you are going to die”, and then pass it off as you have no need to fear him. From then on, the readers are uncertain about if he is a good or bad person. The readers have no idea at this point if the narrator is trustworthy or even who the narrator is, leaving …show more content…
At the end of The Flag it states,” Yes, often I am Reminded of her, and in one of my vast array of pockets, I have kept her story to retell”(Zukas 14). This leaves readers wondering, Who is the Book Thief? Why is Death so intrigued by her? Why does Death hold onto her book and continue telling her story? All of these questions leave readers uncertain about what is to come. Nobody knows how the book thief has survived through all of the death that is taking place around her. Nobody knows why Death is so focused on her; however, everybody keeps reading in hopes of finding out. Another example of how the author used uncertainty is towards the end when the family suddenly takes in a new houseguest. At the end of Liesel’s Lecture it states, “’they’ll drag that man up there away, and maybe Mama and me, too- and we will never, ever come back” (Zukas 204). Although many readers gather an idea of what may be going on, nobody is certain at this point. The readers are not sure why Liesel’s family is hoarding a man that could rip their whole family apart. Nobody is positive about why the man is so important to keep hidden, however they do know that for Liesel’s sake, he needs to stay

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all three elements of narrative tension, uncertainty is the one that vividly stands out in Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. In his book, Zusak writes parts where you become unsure of why he mentions certain things. For example at the beginning of the chapter “BESIDE THE RAILWAY LINE” Zusak writes, “First up is something white. Of the blinding kind. Some of you are most likely thinking that white is not really a color and all of that sort of nonsense” (Zusak 6). The book starts out talking about colors…

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In Marcus Zusak’s The Book Thief, the element of narrative tension that stands out the most is anticipation. For example, Zusak uses anticipation at the beginning of part one to keep the readers interested and wanting to read more. In part one, Zusak writes, “There was something black and rectangular lodged in the snow. Only the girl saw it. She bent down and picked it up and held it firmly in her fingers. The book had silver writing on it” (Zusak 24). This shows anticipation because I now know that…

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