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Death: A Surprising Acquaintance

In nearly every book that I have read, I've always encountered death. Death is a perfectly natural and inescapable experience, so when I do come across death, I find that I rather ignore it; I breeze right by the death scene without giving it much thought. But, when I began to read __The Book Theif__, death was unavoidable. Marcus Zusak created an entire character for death, complete with even the most human characteristics. Death had a history, a memory, real emotions (which he tried to keep at a distance, which makes sense considering his profession), but perhaps, the quality that attracted me to Death was his satirical attitude mixed with his, dare I say, sympathy for Lisel Meminger. Death regards the entire human race, with the slight exception of Lisel, as a blunder-prone mistake. And he makes it painstakingly clear as he narrates the book thief's adventure.

//"***HERE IS A SMALL FACT** * You are going to die.//

//*Reaction to the *** AFOREMENTIONED fact Does this worry you? I urge you--don't be afraid. I'm nothing if not fair.**

Of course, an introduction. A beginning.// //Where are my manners?// //I could introduce myself properly, but it's not really necessary. You will know me well enough and soon enough, depending on a diverse range of variables. It suffices to say that at some point in time, I will be standing over you, as genially as possible. Your soul will be in my arms. A color will be perched on my shoulder. I will carry you gently away."//

The first two excerpts are what first gave me the impression that Death was a satirical and terribly ironic character. He simply states the obvious but then feels the need to cater to the human instinct of fear. He offers a mild comfort to our panic, but serves it with a hidden mockery that is meant to somehow portray Death as relatable, as though that's possible. The third part of the excerpt made me think about how incredibly friendly Death seemed. He wants to introduce himself, as any polite person would, and then he describes the relationship between himself and us. Maybe it's the fact that Death, the almighty life-taker, wants to take the time and make sure that he personally guarantees us a comfortable departing. Perhaps it's all of these reasons, but whenever I think of Death, a picture of Jack Nicholson is instantly brought to mind. And I think that it's the image of Jack combined with the actual characters cynical vulnerability that really made me feel a connection to __The Book Thief.__