Introduction:
Many books in this world have been banned or will be on the list of challenged books. Even though some famous books also have no exceptions in this list of banned books. But every book has some logical or weird reasons to end up on that list. Some logic might be insightful. But some cannot be accepted according to the content of the books. Read more about Why is The Book Thief banned?
Why and how are books banned?
Some mature readers will read some books and they might have an insight that the book contains some heavy plot or incident that cannot be contemporary or that which can lead to different aspects among the readers. So, they will be reported that this book is not suitable and they successfully ban them in particular regions according to the reasons so that other readers cannot access them in common places like school libraries and common libraries or stores.
The Book Thief:
The Book Thief is one of the most famous contemporary historical fiction written by Markus Zusak in 19… The story was written from the perspective of “The Death”. ‘The Death’ is the narrator of the events throughout the novel. The setting of this book is from the period of world war one and two. And ‘The Death’ explains the calamities of the world during world wartime. The author’s style of writing is really distinct. He never fails to show the power of words throughout the novel.
Why The Book Thief is Banned/Challenged?
1. Weightage of the plot.
There are many reasons for this book to be banned. The plot of this book is really heavy. The writing style, narration, storyline everything will make a person think from a different perspective. And this book leaves the reader to encircle where all went blank during the world war? What is the root cause of the world war? Who led it? And why? If the person is a mature reader, one can handle the weight of the context. But, if children read it, they probably would not understand the context and its meanings properly.
2. Characters perspectives:
All around the world, It is believed that Hitler is the major cause of the world war. The characters in this book even the narrator Death itself hate the war. But according to the characters in the novel, Hitler was portrayed as the one who forced the people to participate in the war. However, war can be seen as pride but the loss of people behind the curtain is really more. That’s how the characters look at the war in this novel. So, some native Germans think that these characters are blaming the war as well as Hitler for what happened. This is one of the huge perspectives that we can neither ignore nor change.
3. Surreal and supernatural:
Even though the plot is contemporary, the narration is in a supernatural and surreal context. Because The narrator of the novel is Death. Everything in the novel is written from the perspectives of Death and others. So, the supernatural elements might be input into the children’s minds if they read the novel. Thus, it was challenged.
4. War:
The setting of the novel is the war period. There are descriptions about the wartime like how Jewish people were ill treated by The German personnels; how the bomb explosions sounded during the period and how people feared the war and bombs; How they wanted to help the Jewish people but the Germans’ hands were tied. No proper food, no proper facilities, no proper job. And the breadwinner had to go to the war to contribute his part for his country. And people believed that if a person returns from the first war, he might not return from the second war. Because Death won’t let you survive twice. These powerful aspects and circumstances faced by the people are excellently portrayed by the author. However, war can create a huge mental depression for children. Thus it is challenged.
Conclusion:
However, both The book thief and the movie are not banned completely. It is challenged several times because of its surreal concepts, heavy plots, children’s perspectives on the German army, and war settings. Even though the protagonist of the novel is in the war, at the end of the book readers find peace.
Frequently asked questions:
- Is it right to ban ‘The Book Thief’?
No. However, the book contains surrealism, heavy plot, cruelty, heroism, and death. Still, it is history. And history needs to be known to people. Just because it is heart-wrenching we couldn’t fold our eyes and pretend like it’s not there. And for readers all around the world, this book is savory. They enjoy every line in this book. This is one of the must-read books of every well known reader who reads this one.
- Why is ‘The Book Thief’ a must-read book?
The book thief’s major success is the author’s writing style. It is explicit. The story moves slow and paced. But still, you couldn’t push away the book. Death is always considered a negative sign all around the world. But in this book, The Death itself is the narrator and it is really a different and successful attempt of Markus Zusak. Even though the main plot is war, the story contains purity of love, friendship, family, understanding, neighborhood, dreams, passions, and much more.
