Blog 2, Outcome 1

The text I choose to use is "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. The synopsis is below:

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .
Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.
This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

I believe that this book is an incredible example of the purpose affecting the structure of the book. As one can assume from the synopsis, this book is about a young girl who is stealing books. And the main purpose of the book may appear that it is simply about her story, but upon closer inspection this book is discussing the power of words. Whether they are used for good or for evil.
Using the setting of Nazi Germany to show the deep, dark evil of words and their destruction, it juxtaposes the enlightenment and saving power it possesses for Leisel. Literally, writing her story saves her from dying when a bomb was dropped on her street.
The actual structure of this book is broken up into ten different parts. Each part is named after a title of a book that Leisel has stolen. The significance is that each book represented a different part of her life and how each book and the words it contain were connected to her life. For example, one of the parts is called The Grave Digger's Handbook. This is the book she stole while her little brother was being buried and the last time she ever saw her mother. Learning how to read it with her foster father was not just a bonding experience but a battle that she had to overcome.

"Looking back, Leisel could tell exactly what her Papa was thinking when he scanned the first page of The Grave Digger's Handbook. As he realized the difficulty of the text, he was clearly aware that such a book was hardly ideal. There were many words in there that he'd have trouble with himself. Not to mention the morbidity of the subject. As for the girl, there was a sudden desire to read it that she didn't even attempt to understand. On some level, perhaps she wanted to make sure her brother was buried right. Whatever the reason, her hunger to read that book was as intense as any ten-year-old human could experience."

So the fact that Zusak decided to set up the book not just chronologically, but in a way that describes the significance of every single word that flew into Leisel's head while reading her precious books. This in turn makes the reader feel the power of words that Zusak was trying to convey.