Book Thief

Adriana Alvarez Ms. Spooner Survey Lit, Period 2 September 17, 2011 Diagnostic Book Thief Essay Assignment Sometimes in literature, a personalitys actions oppose the ideals, values, morals, etc. of his or her society. A character in The Book Thief who opposes his or her society is Rudy Steiner. Of course, there was a purpose for Zusak to actualise Rudy exactly the way he did. Rudy was a little boy when we first meet him, and we see him grow up in one of the most exorbitant eras of our worlds history. At the end of the story Rudy had a deep anger towards Hitler, saying the quote where he wants to kill him. (Zusak, pg) But he wasnt always like that. In the beginning he didnt really care. At first, he didnt even fully escort what was going on. He was nothing but a little kid. This is what Zusak was trying to hit at. A lot of kids that went through the whole Nazi era didnt really understand what was going on, and therefore didnt really care. It doesnt mean they didnt care about the J ews they were just too young to comprehend what was going most them. However, as the story progressed, Rudy changed his mind.Again, Zusak was making him symbolize all those little kids back in those days. Rudy changed his mind, because Hitler affected him directly. Hitler tried to take him to a school away from his family, and consequently ended up taking his father away. It wasnt until Rudy was directly and personally affected by Hitlers actions that he started to show remorse against him. It wasnt until and then that Rudy started to realize what was going on around him. Another way that Rudy opposes the ideals and morals of his society, is the whole Jesse Owes incident.Jesse Owens was a famous and respected gold medaled runner. However, he was African American. He wasnt what was expected light skin, light hair and colored eyes. The fact that Rudy cover himself head to toe in charcoal, and was running as fast as he could, trying to impersonate Jesse Owens, would of been frowned upon. Yet, I just wish I was like Jesse Owens, Papa. (Zusak,60) said Rudy. Jesse Owens overall was not approved of. But Rudy didnt care. He had an idol, and he precious to be like him, no matter what others said or thought.And Rudy often did this. He believed what he wanted to believe, he did what he wanted to do, and listened to who he wanted to listen to, whether people approved or not. He was to young when the whole Jesse Owens incident occurred, and he didnt understand that if someone had seen him covered in coal they couldve sent him to the camps. Luckily only his father had seen him. Zusak uses Rudy in representation of kids, such as himself, who didnt understand that even the slightest action make out of the norm could have cost them their life.Rudy helps Zusak show how the Nazi era affected even the kids, how it changed their point of view and their way of living. Overall, Rudy along with the other characters forget Zusak to write about the Nazi era in a new way. In a way that hits us like a bag bricks and leaves us thinking about how we could have let someone hurt others so much and the endless points of view that were forever changed. Zusak reminds us that there are remedy thousands of people and perspectives that we havent thought of or tried on for a change of shoes.