Figurative Language of the Book Thief
or should I say
The Book Thief of Figurative Language

Figurative language is scattered throughout the Book Thief.  The figurative language that Markus Zusak uses adds another layer to the greatness and the confusion in this fantastic book.  In the book Zusak gives colors connotations that have meaning in the Holocaust.  An example is from the color red  used in chapter: The Flag red can mean danger, but the color also signifies the holocaust.


Simile
"Red marks like footprints, and they burned" (Zusak 99).
This is an example of a simile because the words compare how the marks from the Watschen were like footprints, and how they started deep but faded away.  Another reason why this is a simile is because the comparison used like, for a simile as can be used instead of like.

Metaphor
"His self-respect was around his ankles" (Zusak 413).
The boys self-respect was very low just like your ankles are to ground.  Zusak compared self-respect to ankles without using like or as making this a metaphor.

Personification
"The playground demanded that they fight, and neither boy was about to argue" (Zusak 187).
This beautiful, gorgeous piece of writing here is an excellent piece of personification.  Personification is when you give human qualities to an inanimate object or idea, this is displayed because obviously playgrounds can not demand things.

Oxymoron
"If they killed him tonight, at least he would die alive" (Zusak 168).
Being alive and being dead are two opposite concepts making this a great example of an oxymoron.

Metonymy
"'Pass auf, Kind,' a uniform said to her at one point" (Zusak 119).
This is a an example of metonymy because uniforms is used instead of Nazis.