What are two examples of figurative language from Part Two of The Book Thief? Why might the author have chosen to use figurative language here?

Two examples of figurative language in Part Two of The Book Thief are:
1) Oxymoron:  An example of oxymoron occurs on page 56 in Part Two, A Girl Made of Darkness.

She may have waited 463 days, but it was worth it. At the end of an afternoon that had contained much excitement, much beautiful evil, one blood-soaked ankle, and a slap from a trusted hand, Liesel Meminger attained her second success story.

An oxymoron consists of two contradictory words that are placed side by side or in close proximity to each other. In the example above, the words "beautiful evil" are an oxymoron. The author uses the phrase to characterize Liesel's actions on two levels. First, he characterizes theft as a form of rebellion. By stealing forbidden books, Liesel is able to fight back against an oppressive autocracy and to explore the words of knowledge that have been denied her. Thus, Liesel's actions can be seen as a cathartic "beautiful evil." Also, the author uses the phrase to characterize Death's fascination with and acceptance of dark acts as part of the human experience.

And it was anger and dark hatred that had fueled her desire to steal it. In fact, on April 20—the Führer’s birthday—when she snatched that book from beneath a steaming heap of ashes, Liesel was a girl made of darkness.

2) Idiom: An example of an idiom occurs on page 75, 100 Percent Pure German Sweat.

Ludwig Schmeikl. He did not, as she expected, sneer or joke or make any conversation at all. All he was able to do was pull her toward him and motion to his ankle. It had been crushed among the excitement and was bleeding dark and ominous through his sock. His face wore a helpless expression beneath his tangled blond hair. An animal. Not a deer in lights. Nothing so typical or specific. He was just an animal, hurt among the melee of its own kind, soon to be trampled by it.

An idiom is a phrase that is always interpreted figuratively rather than literally. In the above passage, "deer in lights" is an idiom. Alternatively, the idiom can also be written as "deer in the headlights." A deer is stunned into a state of immobilized fright when the glare of a car's headlights assaults its vision. The author characterizes Ludwig Schmeikl as a wounded human "animal" and differentiates him from an actual deer. In doing this, the author emphasizes the Hitlerian notion of man as an animal and life as a struggle (survival of the fittest). In Hitler's worldview, the Germans are at the very top of the hierarchy of legitimate "animals." By this rationale, violence against a group of lesser humans or "animals" is acceptable.