Death in Fantasy Literature and The Book Thief

Introduction to Death in Fantasy Literature

  • Function of Literature: Literature possesses the power to pull readers out of their own subjective experiences.

  • The Fantasy Genre: Fantasy is unique because it is untethered from scientific and societal laws; it is limited only by the boundaries of imagination. This freedom allows it to explore death in ways other genres cannot.

  • Subgenres of Fantasy Literature:

    • High or Epic Fantasy: Examples include The Lord of the Rings (LOTR).

    • Low Fantasy: Examples include The Book Thief.

    • Magical Realism: Examples include One Hundred Years of Solitude.

    • Sword and Sorcery: Examples include Conan.

    • Dark Fantasy: Examples include the universe created by H.P. Lovecraft.

    • Fables: Examples include Aesop’s Fables.

    • Fairy Tales: Examples include Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

  • Common Elements in Fantasy:

    • Good vs. Evil.

    • Magic and Mythical creatures (e.g., dragons).

    • Heroic or villainous quests for power or knowledge.

    • Coming of age themes.

    • Love and betrayal.

    • Epic journeys.

    • Underdogs or reluctant heroes.

    • Death.

  • George MacDonald (1824–1905):

    • A Scottish author considered the "grandfather" of modern fantasy literature.

    • Author of The Princess and the Goblin.

    • Death was a primary theme that inspired his stories.

  • Significance of Death in Fantasy:

    • Fantasy novels are explicitly about death, what it means to die, and essentially, what it means to live.

    • The Lord of the Rings is described as being ultimately about immortality and death.

    • The genre allows authors to redefine concepts of death and the afterlife, making the abstract concept of death concrete by personifying it as an active character.

Personifications and Physicality of Death

  • Literary Forms and Characteristics: Death has been depicted for centuries in various recognizable forms, often humanoid or demonic. Common physical traits include:

    • A humanoid body with a skull-like head.

    • Carrying a scythe (the Grim Reaper imagery).

    • Holding an hourglass.

    • Traditionally portrayed as male.

    • Narrative trope: Humans often attempt to trick or evade Death to control their own fate.

  • Historical Roots: Personifications of Death date back to approximately 800 BCE.

    • Thanatos (Ancient Greece): The personification of Death. His name is the Grecian word for death. He viewed human souls as a debt owed to him and acted as a conductor of souls.

    • Hypnos: The God of Sleep and Death's closest relative, often depicted as his twin brother. In Greek literature, they are seldom separated. This is reflected in the quote: "In the realm of shades, there the sons of gloomy Night have their dwelling, Sleep and Death, fearsome gods."

    • Feminine Personifications: Ancient Greece also featured female embodiments of death via Thanatos's sisters, the Keres and the Moirai (the Fates).

  • The Three Fates (Moirai):

    • Known as the makers of the life threads; they are all-knowing.

    • Each thread symbolizes the destiny and outcome of a human life.

    • They spin, weave, and eventually cut the thread to signify the end of a lifetime.

  • Shift in Western Imagination: The transition from polytheistic (many gods) to monotheistic (one god) belief systems changed the conceptualization of Death—how he functions and for whom he works.

The Three Great Themes of Death in Fantasy

  1. Ars Moriendi (The Art of Dying):

    • Focuses on how characters die.

    • In fantasy (e.g., LOTR, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter), death is an inevitable outcome that fills the pages.

    • The "Good Death": Often involves a hero giving a rousing motivational speech and dying while protecting loved ones with courage and dignity.

    • Théoden (LOTR): Died defending his people on the battlefield. Tolkien depicts his death as honorable and dignified.

    • Theon Greyjoy (Game of Thrones): A character who moved from loyalty to betrayal and finally redemption. He dies defending Bran from the Night King. George R.R. Martin suggests death reveals a person's true character/ideals.

    • Lily Potter (Harry Potter): Her death is a willing sacrifice motivated by love for her son. This is depicted as the "goodest" of deaths—accepting death for the common good.

  2. The Need to Remember the Dead:

    • LOTR: Memories are literal fixtures in the landscape (Elven monuments of ethereal grace, Dwarven stone tombs). Music and "elegiac laments" are used to keep memories alive. The Undying Lands represent a symbolic afterlife/heaven.

    • Game of Thrones: Mourning is more similar to our own culture, featuring crypts, lighting candles, and Weirwoods (representing a natural, cyclical nature). However, it offers a bleaker view: death is often described as "The Stranger" or total darkness and oblivion with no afterlife.

    • Harry Potter: Remembrance through graveyards, tombstones, crypts, photographs, and ghosts (who have "unfinished business"). The afterlife is seen as "the next great adventure" (e.g., the Veil in the Department of Mysteries, the King’s Cross station vision).

  3. The Importance of Living:

    • Fantasy emphasizes living life to the fullest.

    • Tolkien's LOTR: "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." True gifts are love, friendship, and the fleeting nature of life, rather than immortality.

    • Martin's Game of Thrones: Life is complex and hard, but should be seen as a gift. "He who hurries through life hurries to his grave."

    • Rowling's Harry Potter: "It does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live." Pity should be reserved for the living who exist without love.

Analysis of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

  • Publication Details: Published in 2005 by Australian author Markus Zusak. It has sold over 17 million copies and is categorized as historical fantasy.

  • The Narrator (Death):

    • Death is an omniscient narrator who humanizes himself by describing physical sensations (hands, fingers, and shoulders that ache or burn from the weight of carrying souls).

    • He experiences human-like stress and sadness, leading to the self-reflection: "You see? Even death has a heart."

    • He demystifies death, moving away from the intimidating "Reaper" image.

    • Narrative Style: Addresses the reader as "you" (second-person narration), often through bolded, centered side notes that act as a guide. He eventually shifts to "we" narration, aligning himself with the readers as joint witnesses to the Holocaust.

    • The Mirror Metaphor: Death suggests that if readers want to know what he looks like, they should find a mirror. This implies that death is inherently linked to human existence or that humans are the actual cause of death.

Language and Words in The Book Thief

  • Language as Power: Language is presented as a gift from God and a mechanism for sentiment, power, and freedom.

  • Escape and Agency: For the protagonist, Liesel Meminger, books provide:

    • A physical tether to reality and freedom from grief.

    • Agency through "midnight classes" with Hans.

    • Protection from nightmares.

    • A way to overcome collective fear (reading out loud in the neighborhood shelter during bombings).

  • Destruction of Language: The burning of forbidden books under Hitler (estimated 15 million books) was a literal attempt to destroy dangerous thoughts.

  • Historical Voice: The fictional account of stolen stories gives voice to those whose lives were never recorded in historical texts.

  • Transformation: Liesel moves from being powerless without words to becoming a "word shaker"—someone who understands the true power of language to climb high and change reality.

Significant Deaths in The Book Thief

  • Hans Hubermann: Described as one of the "best" souls. He rises up to meet Death with readiness, saying, "I know who you are and I am ready." Liesel says goodbye by kissing his shoulder, saying, "Goodbye, Papa, you saved me."

  • Rosa Hubermann: Described by Death as an "arm-reacher" and "Jew-feeder." Though stern, she loved deeply. Liesel remembers her as "beautiful" on her deathbed.

  • Rudy Steiner: Rudy’s death deeply affects the narrator; Death says Rudy "steps on my heart" and "makes me cry." Liesel finds him in the rubble, begs him to wake up, tells him she loves him, and finally gives him the kiss he always wanted.

  • Liesel Meminger: Dies at an old age in Australia. Death returns her notebook to her, completing a full circle.

  • The Narrator's Final Note: Death concludes by stating he is "haunted by humans," reflecting on how humans can be simultaneously so ugly and so glorious.