“I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race- that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant.
None of those things, however, came out of my mouth.
All I was able to do was turn to Liesel Meminger and tell her the only truth I truly know. I said to the book thief and I say it now to you.
*** A Last Note From Your Narrator***
I am haunted by humans.”
-The Book Thief, pg. 550, Markus Zusak
The Book Thief is a story about a young girl, Liesel Meminger, who becomes captivated with books and the power of words in Nazi Germany. Narrated by Death, the story follows Liesel as her world becomes chaotic as she and her family house a Jewish man and WWII continues to provide Death with nonstop work. When it becomes Liesel’s time to part from the world and Death finally encounters her, he presents to her and readers the final factual information he has gathered about the human race from his observations on them. Analyzing the quote above, Zusak uses periphrases and antithesis at the beginning of the quote, diction that reveals unwavering certainty throughout, and a final ironic statement to create a movement in the paragraph structure from a philosophical to a “logical truth” that emphasizes Death’s epiphany of the effect of human beings on him.
Analyzing the first part of Death’s quote, Zusak uses two literary techniques to display the narrator’s puzzlement over human beings. Periphrasis is a method of using more excessive, longer words or sentences to indirecting express something that could have been expressed with simple, short words or phrases. Instead of simply stating that Death “rarely ever simply estimates humans,” or even in the simplest form: that Death “did not understand humans and found them complex or contradictory,” Zusak uses the mentioned literary technique to show how complex Death’s thoughts on humans were. Death did not estimate people, he either went beyond in reflection of their abilities or he overlooked their abilities; he reflected in every direction besides the correct one on the matter of humans. Despite “constantly” making this mistake, he still cannot precisely estimate people because of how intricate they are. The use of periphrasis to elaborate and create a more difficult sentence from a simple thought mirrors Death’s excessive thoughts that also acknowledge and elaborates on the capabilities of the living.
The second sentence of the quote uses an antithesis, the placement of opposite ideas together in a sentence, and also uses the specific conjunction “and” to further display Death’s ongoing confusion. The narrator describes humans as “so ugly and so glorious” and their stories as “so damning and brilliant”; by using opposite words but using “and” to connect them, there becomes an emphasis on how both opposing adjectives can exist together within a single subject, being in this case humans and their writings. The use of the conjunction also retains the flow of the sentence, allowing it to be read in a smooth, contemplative tone. Whereas if Zusak had written that humans could be “so ugly but so glorious… so damning but brilliant,” the smooth flow of the sentence is no longer present because the the conjunction “but” emphasizes the contrast in the words. The same words that Zusak is trying to make exist in harmony by eliminating contrasting connecting words between them. Therefore, the use of an antithesis further expands on Death’s thoughts and also supports the periphrasis by using specific word choices to create a complex, seemingly contradictory, concept.
Zusak is precise with the diction he uses for the last paragraph of his novel: he uses words with steadfast, of certainty connotations to begin to transform Death’s observations on humans into what he believes to be a truth. There are five notable instances of this specific diction usage in Death’s final quote. The first instance is when the narrator admits that he constantly overestimates and underestimates. By using the word “constantly,” it is clear that the narrator’s actions are something he does on a frequent basis. He is not certain on how to just estimate humans but he is certain that he constantly does not estimate them, a simple truth to him. The second instance, connecting to the first, is when Death acknowledges that he rarely estimates humans. Similar to the first, constantly and rarely contrast each other because they are opposing and since Death confidently knows that he constantly does one thing, he can also be confident that he rarely does the opposite. Instance 3 is when the narrator expresses how he wanted to tell Liesel the “only truth [he] truly [knew].” The use of the words truth, only, truly and know gives a sort of trustworthy tone and the firm connotations also makes the readers believe that Death knows for sure what he is presenting to the them. In fact, sandwiching “I” in between these four unwavering words has the effect of placing a seemingly factual value on Death’s upcoming words, supporting its truthfulness. In instance 4, Death addressed readers by writing that he tells Liesel a truth and he “[says] it now to [us]” too. The word “now” gives a precise moment, the present, in which Death is sure of. Also, the placement of the word holds value to the overall purpose of the quote, making it appear as a sudden factual, reliable realization. By placing “now” before “to you,” this creates an effect as if the truth the narrator wants to reveal is a universal statement that is applicable to all but for the time being he wants to inform us specifically of it. If “now” had been placed at the end of the sentence, like in “I say it to you now,” the effect is diluted because the sentence appears more passive when read as compared to the original sentence structure. The final instance of Zusak’s precise word choice is seen in the sentence “A Last Note From Your Narrator” when he creates a connection between Death and readers and now starts to introduce the epiphany of this spiritual entity. The usage of “last note” already allows readers to prepare for a final important statement because Zusak outright tells that a concluding remark is approaching. To further support the point that this concluding remark is a truth, the author reminds us that Death is our narrator. The use of the ownership pronoun creates a bond between the readers and narrator because it gives off the notion that the narrator is specifically here for us, to enlighten us (while saying “A last note from Death” would appear morbid and weaken the bond). That specific noun choice of using narrator in place of “Death” is also what makes his last note seem even more genuine and honest. The distinct diction that the author uses and the placement of the words become very important in making Death’s realization seem resolute.
Analyzing the paragraph structure of this quote, it becomes evident how the author structures Death’s quote to transition from a philosophical tone into a simple truth. The first two sentences of the quote are long but with little punctuation marks. This results in making the sentences appear philosophical like because they reflect a run-off train of thought, which is exactly what Death was doing. As the quote goes on, the sentences become a more moderate length and then short statements. Right after the reflective train of thought, Death states that “none of [these] things, however, came out of [his] mouth” and then goes into his final remarks. The sentence just quoted serves as a break from the narrator’s thoughts. That specific sentence is what differentiates the philosophical tone from the incoming epiphany. Zusak structures the final ten lines from the novel in a way for the audience to follow a path of complex thoughts to a simple point.
Death finally admits that he is “haunted by humans” and this ironic epiphany is what Zusak has been building up to with the previous nine lines. This line is ironic because Death, the symbol for the end of a human’s life and eternal sleep, is haunted by the living. The word haunted in this sentence means to have or show signs of mental anguish or torment, it means for something to be persistently and disturbingly present. The fact that the human race could have such an impact on Death, the collector of souls, to the point of him feeling disturbed or tormented is an immensely ironic statement that stresses the haunting complexity of human beings on even immortal entities or spirits. This also connects back to the beginning of the quote because Death states that he rarely, not “never,” simply estimated people; this means that there are just very rare instances when he can be approximate about them. Zusak allows the narrator to present this rare instance when he can honestly state the living’s ability to haunt him. Again, being this reflected epiphany, the final line being ironic but simple allows it to appear as a rare truth.
The last pages of any novel or story has to be formed in a manner that leaves a memorable impression on the audience and can conclude the plot with a final powerful statement. Examining the last ten lines from The Book Thief, Zusak’s techniques work in such a manner that each method supports each other and the overall point of the narrator’s experience and gives way to a powerful realization. The paraphrasis and antithesis at the beginning of the quote winds around Death’s ultimate point in an attempt to show his conflicting feelings and observations of the human race in a philosophical, poetic manner. Zusak’s diction with words that have resolute connotations create a mature, knowing tone in an attempt to strengthen the relationship between the narrator and reader by making Death appear trustworthy and mentor-like. The overall composition starts off reflective but then ends with a simple validity; the composition steadily flows towards the powerful truth that has to be expressed before the novel comes to an end. The finale of an ironic epiphany resonates within readers once the concept of Death himself being anguished by the human race is the last honest note that “our” narrator must express to us. Through the distinct writing method and techniques of Zusak, Death’s truly known truth hovers in the air for the audience to reflect on.
A Words Shaker 