FORESHADOWING IN the book thief

1. FORESHADOWING IN the book thief

2. A sign or warning in advance of what is to come in the future. The author of a mystery novel might use foreshadowing in the early chapter of his book to give readers an inkling of an impending murder. Foreshadow:

3. Foreshadowing in this novel takes place from the side comments of the narrator, Death. He inserts comments that either tell us directly what is going to happen (but not how it will get to that point), or he gives us comments that turn out to have significant foreshadowing that you don’t realize until you reach the point he was referencing

4. Death’s inserted foreshadowing keeps a lot of suspense in the novel. Comments Death makes come at the most unexpected times, and it keeps the reader eager to find out what happens in the rest of the book. Death’s comments

5. Death gives an unbiased (or IMPARTIAL) view on many characters and shows us how many of the events that take place relate to or cause future events. This helps us make the connections we need to understand the complete story.

6. Death discussing Liesel: “When she came to write her story, she would wonder exactly when the books and the words started to mean not just something, but everything” (p. 30). What could be foreshadowed by the following quotes?

7. Death discussing Liesel’s books: “Of those ten, six were stolen, one showed up at the kitchen table, two were made for her by a hidden Jew, and one was delivered by a soft, yellow-dressed afternoon” (p. 30).

8. Death discussing Frau Holtzapfel’s sons: “Both were in the army and both will make cameo appearances by the time we’re finished here, I assure you” (44).