Analysis Of Gentleness By Zusak

Zusak’s use of symbolism, syntax, and diction highlights the shining kindness in the darkness of despair in cruelty, which in turn empowers man to fight for the survival of humanity. He shows the almost robotic way that man treats those who do not comply with the majority, and the result of that lack of emotion. “The first couple of times, he simply stayed - a stranger to kill aloneness...Trust was accumulated quickly, due primarily to the brute strength of the man’s gentleness, his thereness” (Zusak 21). Zusak could have used any other word, but he chooses a stranger. Normally, one would associate being with a stranger as feeling lonely. One does not feel welcomed by a stranger. However, the use of it alongside brute strength of gentleness …show more content…
Death as the narrator and confessing his feelings creates a close atmosphere. The strict boundary that is set between human destruction and killing and the actual Death highlights the cruelty of humans, as well as those who shine the brightest in the despair. “Please, again, I ask you to believe me…I wanted to say: “I’m sorry, child.” But that is not allowed…Instead, I watched her awhile” (13). This desperate first person confession from Death highlights the fact that he is not the one to be blamed. Humans destroy themselves. Having Death as the one telling this makes it apparent that there is still good in the world, embodied by Liesel surviving. She gains the strength to fight to save the good in the world after going through the horrible deaths of those around her. Death telling that he has no effect on humans reveals the human cruelty of destruction, as well as those who are innocent, such as Liesel. This is sharply apparent when Death merely tells what occurs as he sees it. “✸✸✸JULY 24, 6:03 A.M.✸✸✸ The laundry was warm, the rafters were firm, and Michael Holtzapfel jumped from the chair as if it were a cliff” (502). The bluntness of Death telling what he sees is startling, yet the use of second person authorial point of view makes him unable to be blamed. Since it is void of Death’s emotions, it highlights that Death is not at fault, only man. The blame being on man furthers the cruelty shown in the results of man’s actions. The so called fight for a better world in turn destroys themselves. However, this cruelty is countered with extreme kindness that survives through harsh times of war. “From a distance, people observed. Such a thing was easier from far away. Hans Hubermann sat with her…He allowed her screams to fill the street…” (505). The use of third person observant allows