The Construction of the Female Hero in Zusak’s The Book Thief: An Archetype Analysis
Keywords:
female hero, archetype, hero's journey, The Book ThiefAbstract
Heroic narratives in literature traditionally tend to be dominated by male characters with physical strength, dominance, and victory characteristics. In contrast, female characters often serve as passive and domestic roles. This study examines the construction of a female hero in Markus Zusak's The Book Thief through Christopher Vogler's (2007) archetypes and the hero's journey. Using a qualitative approach, this study reveals how the character Liesel Meminger builds her heroic identity through courage, empathy, and literacy in the middle of the Nazi regime's oppression. The findings show that Liesel represents a heroine who prioritizes emotional resilience and the power of words over physical strength. Other archetypes support her and follow the twelve stages of the hero's journey. The novel actively challenges traditional hero archetypes by presenting a heroic narrative that ends in loss, not victory, but is still full of meaning and strength. This research enriches literary and gender studies by highlighting the representation of female heroes in contemporary fictional narratives.
Downloads
References
Adyanti, N. (2016). The Representations of Literacy as Power Markus Zusak's The Book Thief. Litera Kultura : Journal of Literary and Cultural Studies, 04(02), 1–12. https://core.ac.uk/reader/230653225
Al Areqih, R. (2025). Female Silence and Psychotherapy through Feminist Approach in Alex Michaelides’s The Silent Patient. Acuity: Journal of English Language Pedagogy, Literature, and Culture, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.35974/acuity.v11i1.3920
Berecz, D. (2021). Observing Humanity Through the Eyes of Death : The Omniscient Narrator in The Book Thief. Second Best Paper of Ruttkay Essay Competition 2021. https://btk.ppke.hu/uploads/articles/463220/
Bhandari, A. (2019). Subversion of Traditional Gender Roles in Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief (Master's thesis). Tribhuvan University.
Creswell. (2018). Research Design : Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (5th edition). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Geetha, D. (2025). Coloring the Void: Trauma, Memory, and the Human Cost of War in Zusak’s The Book Thief. Galaxy: International Multidisciplinary Research Journal, 14(2), 133–141. https://www.galaxyimrj.com/V14/n2/CWL17
Hollar, D. E. (2024). Analyzing the Cynical Perspective of Death in The Book Thief (Master's Thesis). Liberty University
Jessie, Prabhu. (2024). Re-Reading Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief as A Historical Fiction on Nazi Regime. TJELLS : The Journal for English Language and Literary Studies, 14(04). https://brbs.tjells.com/index.php/tjells/article/
Johnson, S. (2015). Pain, Death, and Nazis : The Surprisingly Beautiful Function Death Plays as Narrator in Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. Student Works. Brigham Young University. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/studentpub/128
Kushmi, A. (2024). Reading as a Means of Healing Trauma in Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. Contemporary Research: An Interdisciplinary Academic Journal, 7(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3126/craiaj.v7i1.67248
Lavanya, S. (2022). Stealing as an Act of Protest in Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 6(4), 6382–6384. https://journalppw.com/index.php/jpsp/article/
Merdifa, R. (2018). The Main Character’s Loss,Emptiness and Object of Desire in Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. Vivid: Journal of Language and Literature, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.25077/vj.7.2.63-70.2018
Mir, Bhattacharya, Gayas. (2022). Female Heroism and Folktales: Analysing the Social Construction of Hero in the Middle Ages through Select Kashmiri Folktales. NALANS: Journal of Narrative and Language Studies, 10(19), 62–71. https://nalans.com/index.php/nalans/article/view/513
Nelson, A. L. (2024). The Heroine Archetype. Heroism Science: An Interdisciplinary Journal. 9(1). https://doi.org/10.26736/hs.2024.01.10
Pamungkas, Surwandi, Rohmadi. (2019). Subordination of Women in Short Story of Kompas Newspaper. Budapest International Research and Critics Institute (BIRCI-Journal) : Humanities and Social Sciences, 2(2), 186–194. https://doi.org/10.33258/birci.v2i2.250
Pangestu, Julianti. (2021). An Analysis of Archetype of Main Character Jim White in Mcfarland USA movie. JEdu: Journal of English Education, 1(3), 196–202. https://doi.org/10.30998/jedu.v1i3.5976
Pati, A. A. S. (2013). Women's Subordinate Position Reflected in Elizabeth Aston's The Second Mrs. Darcy. Parafrase. 13(02), 33–43.
Rahayuningsih, Indriawati. (2019). Life and Death in Diary of A Mad Old Man by Junichiro Tanizaki, Aku by Chairil Anwar, the Jilting of Granny Weatherall by Kathrene Anne Porter and the Tinkers by Paul Harding. Acuity : Journal of English Language Pedagogy, Literature and Culture, 4(2), 204–212. https://doi.org/10.35974/acuity.v4i2.1071
Syarifa,Trisnawati, Agustina. (2023). Deciphering Cassandra as a Radical Feminist in Promising Young Woman (2020). Acuity: Journal of English Language Pedagogy, Literature, and Culture, 8(2), 352–369. https://jurnal.unai.edu/index.php/acuity
Tysnes, I. (2009). Exploring Historical Young Adult Fiction: A Study of the Representation of Historical Elements in the Novel and Film Adaptation of The Book Thief. Massachusetts Review, 50(3), 288–295.
Vogler, C. (2007). The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. Michael Wiese Productions.
Windratama, Prastiwi. (2019). Woman Resistance Against NAZI Regime Reflected in The Book Thief Novel. International Summit on Science Technology and Humanity (ISETH2019). 687–695. https://doi.org/10.23917/iseth.1443.
Wiyatmi. (2009). Representasi Peran dan Relasi Gender dalam Novel Cantik itu Luka karya Eka Kurniawan dan Novel Nayla karya Djenar Maesa Ayu. Litera, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.21831/ltr.v8i1.1204
