Novel Synthesis: Snapshots

Snapshots are also used often in Markus Zusak’s novels. From the first chapter to the last paragraph, The Book Thief is packed with vivid images, and also in the short excerpt of I Am Messenger, Zusak uses vivid snapshots that allow the reader to see what is going on, to feel what’s going on, and really, to know what is going on in the situation. In the 35th paragraph of I Am Messenger, Zusak exclaims, “…Poor Misha. She’s shivering nearly as bad as the gunman as she waits for some zitty twenty-nine-year-old fella with a tie and seat patches under his arms to fill the bag with money.” Another vivid image used is in the excerpt in the 61st paragraph. “…his ginger whiskers and acne scars. His eyes are small and he has big ears. “The first quote permits the reader to see Misha and to somewhat understand what is going on, the second allowing the reader to see the robber and again to see what is going on. In The Book Thief, on page 257, Zusak writes, “Strings of mud clench his face. His tie is a pendulum, long dead in its clock. His lemon, lamp lit hair is disheveled and he wears a sad, absurd smile.” This quote, like the two in the excerpt, allow the reader to vividly notice what is going on and intensely see the human’s face and dressing.