An Analysis of Conceptual Metaphor in Markus Zusak’s Novel “The Book Thief”

Abstract

This research is entitled “An Analysis of Conceptual Metaphor in Markus Zusak’s Novel 'The Book Thief'”. The purpose of this research is to identify the types and to explain the meaning of conceptual metaphors used in The Book Thief novel. This research employed a qualitative descriptive method. The data collected from sentences, words, and phrases within the novel contained conceptual metaphor expressions. The theory of conceptual metaphor by Lakoff and Johnson was used to find out the types of conceptual metaphors used in The Book Thief novel. The result shows that there are 104 conceptual metaphors found in The Book Thief novel, 27 of orientational metaphors, 1 of structural metaphor, and 76 of ontological metaphors. The result supports the idea that conceptual metaphor is not only a poetic or aesthetic device but also a fundamental part of human thought, especially in literature that deals with complex human experiences.