Cultural heritage has existed from the beginning of time, with culture, beliefs, language, and art being passed down from generation to generation. Cultural heritage gives people a feeling of unity in a community, and keeps us remembering our cultural diversity in an era of globalization.
How did Markus Zusak's life experiences affect the writing of The Book Thief?
The author of The Book Thief, Markus Zusak, was born and lives in Australia. His parents, however, came from Austria and Germany. He grew up listening to his parents telling him stories about their time in Austria and Germany during the Second World War.
One story his mother often told goes as follows:
Zusak's mother was watching a group of Jews being marched down the street by Nazis, on their way to a concentration camp. At the back of a group was an old man, weak and exhausted . A boy ran up to the man and offered him a piece of bread, and the old man fell to his knees, so grateful for this small act of kindness. The Nazi officials caught this happening, and with no hesitation, took the bread from the man and whipped the boy.
(Read where I got this story here)
This scene was actually included in the book, where Liesel's father is the boy who gives the old man bread.
Another story told by Zusak's parents was about the bombing of Munich. This was featured in the book as the heart-wrenching climax, where all of Liesel's loved ones get their lives taken away.
My thoughts on how some of Zusak's cultural heritage influenced him:
Zusak was told the stories during his childhood.
This could have been part of the reason he chose the point of view of Liesel, a child, for his book.
When he was a child, his parents couldn't read or write English, but Zusak and his siblings were encouraged to learn the language.
This helped give Zusak a good environment to grow a love for reading and books, and was part of the influence for him to become a writer.
This also would have given him an appreciation for books and the power of words, which was a main theme in The Book Thief.
In conclusion...
Cultural heritage was very important for Markus Zusak when writing The Book Thief, and it was the main inspiration for the book.
Do you guys agree with what I said? Do you have any other opinions on the influence of Zusak's cultural heritage to his books? Let me know in the comments!
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