THE INDIVIDUAL
VS. SOCIETY
A theme universal to
all of literature
. . . and a look at how
it relates to
The Book Thief
THE INDIVIDUAL VS. SOCIETY
The individual vs. society is a universal theme in all of
literature.
When you’re looking for a theme or need a paper
topic to write about, you can always write about the
individual vs. society!
Why? Let’s take a look at what it is . . .
THE INDIVIDUAL
 We are all individuals in this world, with our own unique
thoughts, beliefs, and personalities
 You’ve heard that one single person can truly change the world,
and that is the power of the individual.
 Think of:
 Martin Luther King, Jr.
Gandhi
 Mother Theresa
and, even Hitler
 Turn to someone next to you, and tell them one very powerful
person with good intentions and also one with bad intentions.
SOCIETY
Each of us also, all around the world and in all of time,
has lived in a society.
What is society?
At the most basic level, society is whenever two or
more people live in a community, and there is nobody
that lives on a deserted island.
SOCIETY
It would be pretty easy if the world consisted of just
you; you could do whatever you wanted at whatever
time you wanted and there would be no problems,
unless of course you got in an argument with yourself!
But the truth is whenever there is more than one
person, we must learn how to get along, work out
problems, and learn to live with one another.
THE INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETY
When we have good, powerful people with good
intentions, we have a strong society.
But as we all know, unfortunately, not everyone has
good intentions, and even when people share good
intentions, they often have different agendas and
intentions in what they want in the world and how it
should be.
THE INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETY
There are many problems that arise between the
needs and wants of the individual and the larger
society.
In your family, maybe you want to watch one TV
show and your brother wants to watch another
one. Yes, this is a problem, but there are also
more serious problems out there!
THE INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETY
Turn to a student next to you and discuss with him
or her two key instances you can think of when an
individual and society have come into conflict, one
in real life and one in a book or movie that you
have read or watched.
THE HOLOCAUST AND
INDIVIDUAL VS. SOCIETY
Now let’s talk about how the theme of individual
vs. society relates to World War II, the Holocaust,
and The Book Thief.
THE TWO WORLDS OF LIESEL
In The Book Thief, there are many instances when
the smaller, personal world of Liesel comes into
contact with the larger German society of World
War II and the Holocaust going on around them.
You will receive a quote related to individual vs.
society and work with a partner to analyze the
quote.