2019 Year 12 IB Extended Essays

gmb723

Extended Essay

English A: Literature

Death throughout the novel is presented as an extremely overworked, weary being who receives very little satisfaction from his effort. Despite being a storyteller, the style of Death’s dialect shifts to a very clipped and measured tone as the narrative progresses through the major years of the war. This change in literary technique pays homage to the both the metaphorical weight of his responsibilities and the literal weight of the souls he carries ‘in [his] fingers, like suitcases… or thrown over [his] shoulder’ (p.334). The idea that Death is being inundated or smothered by the number of souls that he carries allows the reader to gain awareness of the tragedy's true extent. If an ethereal being such as Death, whose immortal occupation is to process the world’s souls, is struggling with the number of lives being lost, then the gravity of the situation cannot be questioned. The perspective that Death has as a metaphysical narrator allows him to draw comparisons between the atrocities of 1942 with other significant tragedies throughout history, stating that it was a ‘year for the ages, like 79, like 1346, to name just a few’ (p.329). These years are referencing the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in Pompeii and the Black Plague outbreak respectively. By demonstrating the connection between these events, Death is allowing the reader to have a greater awareness of how horrific the Holocaust situation actually is. The almost nonchalant and resigned tone in which Death references these events is also indicative of Death’s inability to interfere or prevent them from happening, which elicits feelings of guilt and regret – human emotions that the reader can empathise with. The true impact that World War II has on Death is expressed in an instance of frustration and exhaustion, where he exclaims, ‘Forget the scythe, God damn it, I needed a broom or a mop. And I needed a vacation.’ (p.329). Zusak’s decision to characterise his Death as an overwhelmed character inserts a level of humanity into the way he is perceived by the reader, as it removes the aura of mystery surrounding him. This humanity is also evident in the care that Death exhibits when handling the souls of children, as he emphasises that it is only them that he carries ‘in his arms’ (p.329). Death’s view of children as innocents in war is reminiscent of the reader’s perception, and thus bridges the distance

9