Death's Monologue from The Book Thief

"I am essential to life, although I am the opposite of such a luxury. I have been around since the dawn of time. I have met many a man, searched for many a hero and worked for many a fiend. I have witnessed both the worlds greatest triumphs and tragedies. I have been praised and cursed. I am the only certainty in life. I am rather fond of the image man painted of me as a hooded figure cutting down mortals with a scythe and yet I walk alongside man as it's neighbour. Of all the people I have witnessed in my lifetime, none have captured me like Liesel Meminger. Her love and need for books made me feel alive- an accomplishment not many can boast. She painted masterpieces with her tongue, making the hardest hearts melt like the winter snow in spring and the most stubborn minds flow freely like the river. She made the pages live beyond their dusty coats. She braved Hitler's bonfires, entering the fire of hell to save her beloved books. She was a rare creature fuelled by the written word she read. She was the only angel I have ever conversed with. If I was being selfish, which I often am, I would have taken her before her time, but I let her escape my grasp for many years so she could share her wisdom, words and books with this complicated yet beautiful world. If there is one thing you do before you join me, read about Liesel Meminger, share her love for books and perhaps you and I will have some more to talk about in the next life."

From the beginning of this process, I have wanted to create this piece and whether or not it is included in the final piece, I believe it has helped my creative process immensely, allowing me to understand what it was I wanted to say within this piece, an important conclusion when performing political Brechtian theatre. I took inspiration from both the book and film and then used my own words and writing to weave it together. I probably loved the idea of this monologue based on the biased view I have towards the original creation of the book. I believe this monologue expresses the immortality of books and how even the most detached of characters (and perhaps one the most famous and common characters of them all) would be moved by the internal and external power of the written word.