Log #7

Book: The Book Thief

Author: Markus Zusak

       Imagining that if you are a 9-year-old child during the World War II, acting under Nazi’s controlling, and you must salute forward to Fuhrer and speak out loud “Heil Hitler!”, no matter you like it or not. For me, it is very cruel to children that they were forced to do things and acted following the rule, without letting them know any reason. What’s worse, adults even stopped their children from doing the right thing and forward to the positive and fair concepts, protecting their children from any trouble. It is selfishness of the adult society that killed the thoughts of children at that time. What’s a pity!

        In the story, Liesel found by chance that all the miseries about the word communist, large bonfire, the suffering of her mother, and the death of her brother are something to do with the Fuhrer. Therefore, she uttered out the hatred of Hitler in public. In Liesel’s foster father’s view, he should comforted all Liesel had encountered; however, at this key moment, Liesel’s safe is far more urgent than anything. Therefore, Hans, the father, slapped her without telling her where was wrong she had done. In the story, Liesel stood up and raised her arm. With absolute misery, she repeated her father: Heil Hitler! Liesel, an eleven-year-old girl, strived to not to cry on the church, saluting the Fuhrer. This part of plot makes me come out with the previous pages. The situation is quite similar to the event Liesel had experienced.

        One day night, Rudy, Liesel’ friend and neighbor, made all his body with kerosene, imitating Jessse Owens—he was a champion in a race competition; however, Hitler refused to shake hands with him because he was black. He made himself as his idol, Jesse Owens, and imitated the condition of the competition that day. Nevertheless, his father also refused him to do it again, just like Liesel’s father had done to his daughter for protecting them. I am so impressed of the words Rudy’s father had said “is it clear that you have a blond hair and safe blue eyes? Never act like Jews or black, never!” Reading to these words, I think that Rudy just made it clear what should not do, but didn’t clear why should not do at all.

In addition to the issue of the children education, it also clearly showed that the racial discrimination here. This short part of story reminded me of that even racial discrimination had existed at that era; we still not thoroughly solve and eliminate the gap of it nowadays. The issue is hard to deal with in today society, let alone in the past. Obviously, how terrible and cruel to the racial discrimination, no matter in these days or in the past…