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Literary Devices
Definition of Allegory
An allegory is a work that conveys a hidden meaning—usually moral, spiritual, or political—through the use of symbolic characters and events. The story of "The Tortoise and The Hare" is... read full definition
An allegory is a work that conveys a hidden meaning—usually moral, spiritual, or political—through the use of symbolic characters and events. The story of "The... read full definition
An allegory is a work that conveys a hidden meaning—usually moral, spiritual, or political—through the use of symbolic characters and... read full definition
Part 2: The Joy of Cigarettes
Explanation and Analysis—Someone Else:
In Part 2: The Joy of Cigarettes, Liesel learns that life at school is easier if she complies with Sister Maria's rules, even when she disagrees with them. Her compliance is an allegorical representation of the individualist way many characters in the novel try to survive Hitler's authoritarian regime:
In class, she did not speak.
She didn’t so much as look the wrong way.
As winter set in, she was no longer a victim of Sister Maria’s frustrations, preferring to watch as others were marched out to the corridor and given their just rewards. The sound of another student struggling in the hallway was not particularly enjoyable, but the fact that it was someone else was, if not a true comfort, a relief.
Part 6: Fresh Air, an Old Nightmare, and what to do with a Jewish Corpse
Explanation and Analysis—Christ Crucified:
In Part 6: Fresh Air, an Old Nightmare, and What to Do with a Jewish Corpse, Liesel's recurring nightmare about her brother begins to feature the ill and unconscious Max. Liesel's anxiety about the dream's meaning leads into a passage that highlights Max's illness as a religious allegory:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Perhaps it was even a deep-seated wish for Max to die. After all, if it was good enough for Werner, her brother, it was good enough for this Jew.
“Is that what you think?” she whispered, standing above the bed. “No.” She could not believe it. Her answer was sustained as the numbness of the dark waned and outlined the various shapes, big and small, on the bedside table. The presents.
“Wake up,” she said.
Max did not wake up.
For eight more days.
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