The Great Gatsby

Favorite Quotes

Part One: "Whoever named Himmel Street certainly had a healthy sense of irony. Not that it was a living hell. It wasn't. But it sure as hell wasn't heaven, either" (p. 26).

I enjoy this quote from Part One because of the clever foreshadowing. In the mere introductions of Molching, Death foreshadows many events that are to come. This quote refers to Himmel meaning "heaven", and that it contradicts what is to come. This quote adds to the theme of war in The Book Thief. At the end of the novel, Himmel Street is clearly not heaven. As Liesel was writing in her journal in the basement, an air raid dropped onto the street. The air raids alarm was late, and so everyone who lived on "Heaven" Street died except for Liesel. Besides the tragic air raid that kills many, the street was not heaven because there were problems in aspects like money, happiness, and others. For example, merely on the small street in Molching, the Hubermanns were hiding a Jew. Hiding Max Vandenburg brought about many other problems. This early quote contributes foreshadowing to The Book Thief and adds to the voice of Death.

Part Two: "To their left, flames and burning books were cheered like heroes" (p. 113).

This quote in Part Two takes place during the book burning. I enjoy this quote particularly because of the symbolism used. The book burning in Molching took place on Adolf Hitler's birthday, and anything kind of literature, art, etc. that spoke in favor of Jews was sent to be burned. In the quote, the burning books represent the Jews in Nazi Germany. During the holocaust, Jews were sent to the crematorium to be burned alive. The books simply represent the Jews in the concentration camp. The propaganda in Germany also caused people to support these burnings as the "were cheered like heroes." People found nothing wrong to burning all these books. Unlike the others though, Liesel felt it was wrong. This quote adds to the novel because of the use of symbolism and allusion to the real Jews.