Observations: Post Modernism

One of the characteristics of post-modernism is that the narrator can not be trusted. In The Book Thief, we can not trust the narrator, who is Death, becasue he can not trust himself. Therefore, how are we as the audience able to trust a narrator who can not trust himself. Death's job is to take the souls of the dead, but several times throughout the novel, Death has seemed to pick "favorites"; characters in the novel that it seems have more chances to live than other characters in the novel. When Himmel Street is bombed Death refers to taking Frau Holtzapfel in her kitchen, Frau Diller was fast asleep, the Fiedlers were all in bed, the Steiner's were sleeping, Rudy was lying halfway off the bed with his arm around one of his sisters, Hans was sitting up in bed, and Rosa was asleep. Then Death that states that Liesel was not in the house, not for him to take (530-532). Liesel is the only person who lives on Himmel Street that survives. Why was she not in the house with Hans and Rosa? Because Death favored her and in a way led her to make the choices that would result in her being in the bomb shelter when the bombs were dropped. Also several times throughout the story, Death refers to how Hans Hubermann has cheated him in death twice. Not many people cheat death twice and Death favored Hans because he obtained a certain quality that Death could relate with which was kindness in a cruel and horrible world. Throughout the novel, Death roots for different characters, and in some ways is responsible for the choices they make that in some cases save their lives, which is why the audience can not trust the narrator.