The Book Thief (Page 1-112)

Summary:

          The book starts off by telling us about a person, this person in which claims that sees colors and then humans. He tells us how we are going to die but yet people should not be afraid because it is fair, saying he will take us in his arms in a gentle. This is how one is able to see now that the narrator of this book is death, which and something very interesting yet unusual. Death now goes on to talk about the sky and its flavors, saying how chocolate is his favorite. The sky apparently has over a billion different flavors, and each of the different having a different flavor and provides him relief. Death goes on and says how he needs to be distracted in order to remain sain, he has to have distractions so he would know be pained to see the people who are "leftovered." These people are the survivors of death, which do not die when they are supposed to with their loved ones. Death tells us that he will tell us a story about one girl who he have seen  three times who is a leftover survivor.
          Death starts off with describing the setting of the first time he sees the girl, the color being white, maybe because it is snowing. He tells the people there is a dead person, and two guards arguing about what to do with that dead person its mother and sister. They went up just taking them to the next stop, Death stays in order to take the soul of dead boy. The dead boy's sister cannot stop crying, and Death says that she is the Book Theif. I think this maybe symbolism because the child died plus the scene is "white", both showing evidence of symbolism.

          Death goes onto the second time he sees the girl, during a time of the airplane crash and a pilot who is 25 years old. This scene is apprently the darkest time before morning showing the color black. Death watches the crowd of people just starring at this, in this crowd was the Book Thief and a boy. The boy goes and takes a teddy bear out the the pilot's toolbox and then Death goes and takes the pilot's soul. Then everything goes black like a esclipse, death finds this to be usual to happen when someone dies.

          Death lastly goes on talking about the sky is red from fire, as bombs is being dropped. He claims for this to be the final time he will see the book theif, considering all the kids are playing out on the road. When he looks around he just see bodies and blood everywhere, claiming that this is fate. Although the Book Theif is just in a middle of some rubble, still alive within some rumble, holding on to a book. Death says she seems she wants to go back into the basement even though it is not there anymore, and he just continues to just follow her. As she screams and abandon the book she has, Death grabs it before the clean up crew gets to it and reads it several thousand times over the years.

Quote: "To prove to that you, and your human existence, are worth it." (Zusak 76)

Reaction:

          This was actually a puzzling quote to me because at first I did not understand this, considering that it is coming from Death, who does not exactly know what life is. After thinking about this, maybe Death is just the motivator to live out life, because he represents somewhat of a time limit to live. From this, I learned that even though Death may come off to seem kind of a bad guy but is actually a very good person.