Can acceptance and alienation both exist simultaneously? In the novel “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak, there are multiple events that demonstrate acceptance and alienation to show how they are responsive to each other. Acceptance and alienation both play hand in hand, characters in the novel receive acceptance through alienation and a vice versa. Acceptance is commonly shown when a character first faces alienation. The first example is :Possibly the only good to come out of these nightmares was that it brought Hans Hubermann, her new papa,into the room, to soothe her, to love her”(36). Liesel felt alienated by her mother because she gave her to a foster family and Hans wanted to let LIesel know that she is not alone, se he stays with her …show more content…
The first example is “The Jew was whipped six times. On his back, his head, and his legs.’You filth! You swine!’ Blood dripped now form his ear”(394). After the Jewish man is accepted by Hans bt recieivng food, the Nzi soldier alienates the JEwish man, He tortures him repeatedly and treats him as if he was trash. The second example is “Rudy Steiner swallowed as Hans Hubermann was whipped on the street”(394). When Hans gave the Jewish man a piece of bread, the Jewish man felt accepted but Hans was soon alienated by the Nazi soldier because he felt that Hans committed a disgusting crime which was helping a Jew. As a result of characters such as Hans and the Jewish man showing acceptance, they are both alienated by another person who don’t share the same views as them. Without a doubt there is a trend where acceptance is an effect by alienation and how alienation is an effect by acceptance. When Liesel is alienated by her mother, Hans accepts her and when the Jewish man is accepted by Hans, he is alienated by the Nazi soldier. They are both responsive to each other and truly affects people immensely. In life, events can have a serious impact on someone's life, it is their choice if they will let them define