Introduction
This paper analyzes Markus Zusak's writing style in three of his books, The Book Thief, I Am The Messenger, and The Underdog. There is a common element between the three books. The main character in each of Zusak's books experiences a period of coming of age throughout the whole book, ending in a final moment of epiphany.
Summary
In The Underdog the main character is Cameron Wolfe. Cam is a filthy 15-year-old with a dirty mind and no real direction in the world. He longs for more out of life than one-handed boxing matches and half-baked plans to rob places when he knows it will never happen. In I Am The Messenger the main character is Ed Kennedy. At 19 he is an underage cab driver with no prospects for the future. His life consists of playing cards with his friends and driving other people to things much more important than what he is doing. In The Book Thief Liesel Meminger is the main character. Liesel is almost ten and she has grown up in Nazi Germany. She cannot speak well and cannot read at all because she has never gone to school. For reasons unknown to Liesel, her mother takes her and her little brother to live with a foster family. Her brother dies on the way and Liesel is left heartbroken on the doorstep of her foster parents, the Hubermanns.
The Underdog
Cam goes through a period of coming of age throughout the book. At the beginning of the book Cam has just lost his job delivering papers. He starts to realize how pathetic he is and asks his dad to let him work with him as a plumber. That is the first time he starts to show maturity. His dad gives him a chance and Cam works hard for him without complaining. He tells his dad he wants to save up for a radio instead of just asking his dad to get it for him. He realizes he wants to earn everything he gets.
The next time Cam shows signs of maturity is when he throws away his women's swimwear catalog. He had brought it out to look at the women but he got so disgusted with himself that he tore up the magazine and through it away. Later he sees his sister and her boyfriend walking down the road holding hands. He realizes that he wants a relationship like theirs that is real. He promises himself that if he ever gets a girl he will treat her right.
Weeks later, on a job with his dad, Cam meets a girl that is real. Her name is Rebecca and Cam falls for her instantly. He can fall in love with just about any girl but with Rebecca it's different. He shows his maturity even more in how much he cares for her. He even starts praying for her and for everyone else in his life. This shows how much Cam cares about everyone and how much he has grown. He realizes that the only one to worry about the things happening in his life is him. Everyone has their own worries and must fend for themselves just like he does.
In a moment of stupidity Cam and his brother actually manage to steal a road sign. While the act was immature it gives Cam another learning opportunity. The night after they steal the sign Cam has a nightmare about people crashing because the sign is gone and the next morning he makes his brother come with him to bring the sign back. Later that week Cam demonstrates his growth and depth of caring when he gives his old friend three hundred dollars to save him from getting beat up for losing his friends’ drugs.
At the end of the book Cam has an epiphany. He decides that he must decide what he is going to do and what he is going to be. He realizes that while he is waiting for someone to do something he is waiting for himself. He asks Rebecca to go out with him and when she rejects him he shouts to the world that he is here and he will never lie down.
I Am The Messenger
Ed also goes through a coming of age period though it is a little later in life than Cam. At the beginning of the book Ed is at a bank in the middle of a amateur bank robbery. When the robber drops his gun while trying to escape Ed does the first meaningful thing he has done in a long time. He runs out, picks up the gun, and stops the robber. Soon after the robbery he gets a playing card in the mail with addresses and times on it. It is an assignment.
At the first address he sees a man raping his wife. This assignment teaches him to have confidence and to stand up for himself and others. The next assignment involves a lonely old woman. Ed learns the importance of having loved ones in your life and caring for those around you. The third assignment is for a teenage girl who runs track. She loses in her "lucky" running shoes. This assignment teaches Ed to have self confidence and to be yourself.
The next card has three more assignments on it. The first is for a priest of a tiny congregation. During this assignment Ed learns the importance of forgiving your family and the value of people to be with and go through life with. Next, Ed must help a mother who doesn't get anything for herself. With her he learns how important a gift can be no matter how small. The last assignment on the second card is a teenage boy who hates his brother. Ed learns the importance of family ties and the meaning of sacrifice.
The first assignment on the third card is for a family struggling to make ends meet. Ed learns to find wonder in the small things from them. The next assignment on that card is Ed's mother. This assignment teaches Ed that it doesn't matter where you are only the people who are with you. The third assignment on the card is an old man who runs an old movie theater. Ed learns the importance of having a passion and having it realized from this man.
The last card forces Ed to help his three best friends. From Marv he learns to stand up for the important things. From Ritchie he learns that you have to want something in life to ever succeed at anything. Finally, from Audrey Ed learns how important love is and how bleak life is without it. At the end of the book Ed has an epiphany. He realizes that in helping all these people, he wasn't the messenger at all. He was the message.
The Book Thief
Liesel also goes through a period of coming of age though hers is very different from Cam and Ed's. Liesel must find understanding and maturity amidst the terrors of living in Nazi Germany. Liesel first begins to learn when her foster father teaches her to read the book that she stole. She works hard to learn to read and she learns patience and perseverance. Her foster mother also teaches her something. She teaches Liesel how to have confidence and how to pull her own weight by making her deliver clothes to her clients.
Next Liesel meets Rudy who later becomes her best friend. He teaches Liesel how to love and how to be happy. The next person to come into Liesel’s life is Max, the Jewish fistfighter. He lives with them and hides in their basement. Liesel becomes very close to Max and she learns from him as well. Max teaches Liesel how to move past the bad things in her life, like her brother dying, and keep living. Ilsa Hermann, the mayor’s wife also teaches Liesel a few things. She teaches her how bad it is when you give in to loss and the joy of finding hope again. She also teaches her that some good things are given freely and don’t have to be taken.
Though Liesel learned a lot from the people close to her, she learned the most from Death. She had met him the day her brother died and many times since. She learned from him loss and pain but she also became stronger because of him. She learned just how strong she could be and she grew up a little more with each meeting. When she finally sees his face on her dying day she realizes just how important one little girl’s story can be. After all, it has to be important to be carried around in Death’s pocket.
Conclusion
Markus Zusak’s characters are very dynamic. Each main character goes through tremendous growth and change. At the end of each book they realize who they are and how important they are. Markus Zusak is a brilliant writer.
This paper analyzes Markus Zusak's writing style in three of his books, The Book Thief, I Am The Messenger, and The Underdog. There is a common element between the three books. The main character in each of Zusak's books experiences a period of coming of age throughout the whole book, ending in a final moment of epiphany.
Summary
In The Underdog the main character is Cameron Wolfe. Cam is a filthy 15-year-old with a dirty mind and no real direction in the world. He longs for more out of life than one-handed boxing matches and half-baked plans to rob places when he knows it will never happen. In I Am The Messenger the main character is Ed Kennedy. At 19 he is an underage cab driver with no prospects for the future. His life consists of playing cards with his friends and driving other people to things much more important than what he is doing. In The Book Thief Liesel Meminger is the main character. Liesel is almost ten and she has grown up in Nazi Germany. She cannot speak well and cannot read at all because she has never gone to school. For reasons unknown to Liesel, her mother takes her and her little brother to live with a foster family. Her brother dies on the way and Liesel is left heartbroken on the doorstep of her foster parents, the Hubermanns.
The Underdog
Cam goes through a period of coming of age throughout the book. At the beginning of the book Cam has just lost his job delivering papers. He starts to realize how pathetic he is and asks his dad to let him work with him as a plumber. That is the first time he starts to show maturity. His dad gives him a chance and Cam works hard for him without complaining. He tells his dad he wants to save up for a radio instead of just asking his dad to get it for him. He realizes he wants to earn everything he gets.
The next time Cam shows signs of maturity is when he throws away his women's swimwear catalog. He had brought it out to look at the women but he got so disgusted with himself that he tore up the magazine and through it away. Later he sees his sister and her boyfriend walking down the road holding hands. He realizes that he wants a relationship like theirs that is real. He promises himself that if he ever gets a girl he will treat her right.
Weeks later, on a job with his dad, Cam meets a girl that is real. Her name is Rebecca and Cam falls for her instantly. He can fall in love with just about any girl but with Rebecca it's different. He shows his maturity even more in how much he cares for her. He even starts praying for her and for everyone else in his life. This shows how much Cam cares about everyone and how much he has grown. He realizes that the only one to worry about the things happening in his life is him. Everyone has their own worries and must fend for themselves just like he does.
In a moment of stupidity Cam and his brother actually manage to steal a road sign. While the act was immature it gives Cam another learning opportunity. The night after they steal the sign Cam has a nightmare about people crashing because the sign is gone and the next morning he makes his brother come with him to bring the sign back. Later that week Cam demonstrates his growth and depth of caring when he gives his old friend three hundred dollars to save him from getting beat up for losing his friends’ drugs.
At the end of the book Cam has an epiphany. He decides that he must decide what he is going to do and what he is going to be. He realizes that while he is waiting for someone to do something he is waiting for himself. He asks Rebecca to go out with him and when she rejects him he shouts to the world that he is here and he will never lie down.
I Am The Messenger
Ed also goes through a coming of age period though it is a little later in life than Cam. At the beginning of the book Ed is at a bank in the middle of a amateur bank robbery. When the robber drops his gun while trying to escape Ed does the first meaningful thing he has done in a long time. He runs out, picks up the gun, and stops the robber. Soon after the robbery he gets a playing card in the mail with addresses and times on it. It is an assignment.
At the first address he sees a man raping his wife. This assignment teaches him to have confidence and to stand up for himself and others. The next assignment involves a lonely old woman. Ed learns the importance of having loved ones in your life and caring for those around you. The third assignment is for a teenage girl who runs track. She loses in her "lucky" running shoes. This assignment teaches Ed to have self confidence and to be yourself.
The next card has three more assignments on it. The first is for a priest of a tiny congregation. During this assignment Ed learns the importance of forgiving your family and the value of people to be with and go through life with. Next, Ed must help a mother who doesn't get anything for herself. With her he learns how important a gift can be no matter how small. The last assignment on the second card is a teenage boy who hates his brother. Ed learns the importance of family ties and the meaning of sacrifice.
The first assignment on the third card is for a family struggling to make ends meet. Ed learns to find wonder in the small things from them. The next assignment on that card is Ed's mother. This assignment teaches Ed that it doesn't matter where you are only the people who are with you. The third assignment on the card is an old man who runs an old movie theater. Ed learns the importance of having a passion and having it realized from this man.
The last card forces Ed to help his three best friends. From Marv he learns to stand up for the important things. From Ritchie he learns that you have to want something in life to ever succeed at anything. Finally, from Audrey Ed learns how important love is and how bleak life is without it. At the end of the book Ed has an epiphany. He realizes that in helping all these people, he wasn't the messenger at all. He was the message.
The Book Thief
Liesel also goes through a period of coming of age though hers is very different from Cam and Ed's. Liesel must find understanding and maturity amidst the terrors of living in Nazi Germany. Liesel first begins to learn when her foster father teaches her to read the book that she stole. She works hard to learn to read and she learns patience and perseverance. Her foster mother also teaches her something. She teaches Liesel how to have confidence and how to pull her own weight by making her deliver clothes to her clients.
Next Liesel meets Rudy who later becomes her best friend. He teaches Liesel how to love and how to be happy. The next person to come into Liesel’s life is Max, the Jewish fistfighter. He lives with them and hides in their basement. Liesel becomes very close to Max and she learns from him as well. Max teaches Liesel how to move past the bad things in her life, like her brother dying, and keep living. Ilsa Hermann, the mayor’s wife also teaches Liesel a few things. She teaches her how bad it is when you give in to loss and the joy of finding hope again. She also teaches her that some good things are given freely and don’t have to be taken.
Though Liesel learned a lot from the people close to her, she learned the most from Death. She had met him the day her brother died and many times since. She learned from him loss and pain but she also became stronger because of him. She learned just how strong she could be and she grew up a little more with each meeting. When she finally sees his face on her dying day she realizes just how important one little girl’s story can be. After all, it has to be important to be carried around in Death’s pocket.
Conclusion
Markus Zusak’s characters are very dynamic. Each main character goes through tremendous growth and change. At the end of each book they realize who they are and how important they are. Markus Zusak is a brilliant writer.