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Character Analysis: The Book Thief By Markus Zusak

1229 Words5 Pages

Sebastian Mejia
Mrs. Porter
English 2 Pre-AP/GT – 5th Period
17 September 2015
Part 1 English 2 Pre-AP/GT Summer Reading Assessment – The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 5. Hans gains Liesel’s trust through patience and understanding. Whenever she would cry or wake up from a nightmare, he would be there for her and protect her. He would say “Shhh, I’m here, it’s alright” to console her and let her know that he won’t leave her. (Zusak 36) He would also change the sheets whenever she would wet the bed with no complaints. He also would eventually teach her how to read. I think Liesel is not a substitute for Han’s children because he loves her as if she was her biological daughter. They become very good friends and start to have a close relationship, …show more content…

It takes immense courage to oppose Hitler, because anybody against the Nazi party in Germany and in that time period was either kidnapped by the Gestapo or executed by the Nazi police. Being able to oppose Hitler under fear of death is a huge feat. Everybody in the Hubermann household is not a coward because of them supporting the Jews, and even keeping one safe. Everybody who lived in Germany knew of the consequences if you went against the Nazi party. When they harbored Max, they were doing something extremely dangerous because if the Nazis found out, everybody who lived there would be kidnapped and killed. Also, Hans gave bread to the Jewish man, even though he knew that the Nazis would punish him, but he had to do what he knew was right. He was not a coward for standing up for the Jewish people. Liesel knew that harboring a Jew was extremely dangerous and against the law, but Liesel and Max both have lost people due to Hitler, so they had something to bond over. Rosa also shows courage by allowing her husband keep Max safe in their basement, and having a soft spot for Max, even though he is a …show more content…

Liesel had a very tough childhood with her mother abandoning her and her brother dying, plus everybody else she lost. Even though she suffered many terrible events during her childhood, she still prevailed through it by reading books and using her words. Her obsession with stealing books and living in the Hubermann household represented the beauty in her life in the wake of the brutality caused by the Nazi party. She spent quality time learning how to read with Hans, and was amazed how kind and patient Hans was. Liesel bonding with Mas was also a part of the beauty in her life, in spite of the brutality and the despair happening in her life. She read books with Max and spent a lot of time with each other, even writing books together. Their friendship adds to the beauty that Liesel’s life represented, even though Max was a Jew, she still befriended him. Markus Zusak’s poetic writing enhances Liesel’s story by adding imagery and many bold headlines to write important statements. Without these elements, the story would have been overwhelmingly boring and depressing. The bold headline is used as emphasis, such as “I am haunted by humans” to add more meaning to the quote. (Zusak

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He fights the nazis by painting over the pages of Hitler’s Mein Kampf and writing his own stories over Hitler’s words. Lastly, Max has the selfless courage to not come back to 33 Himmel Street even after Hans said that he could because he did not want to endanger their family any more than he already had. No matter what challenges he faces, Max makes the ultimate decision whether to let the things that happened to him affect him or to instead persevere through any means that he can, even if it does not seem to amount to much in the grand scheme of

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All of the characters rebel against societal expectations and contribute to the central theme of The Book Thief in one way or another, especially Liesel Meminger, Rudy Steiner, and Hans Hubermann. Frequently, the narrator, Death, refers to Liesel as the ‘Book Thief’ because she often steals books and uses them in positive ways. While people attend Hitler’s birthday book burning event, Liesel Meminger steals her second piece of literature, “She reached her hand in… She latched onto the closest of books. It was hot” (Zusak 120).

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How Characters in The Book Thief Showed Courage In Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, nine-year-old Liesel Meminger is a rebellious child living in Nazi Germany. Her experiences are narrated by Death, who describes both the devastation and the pulchritude of life in this time period. To struggle against great odds is the essence of real courage. Throughout the story, the characters Liesel, Hans, and the Hubermanns show incredible courage when dealing with large events in their lives. The Hubermanns taking in Max Vandenburg was one of the first major events in the story, and an amazing display of courage.

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You truly don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Everyday things are taken for granted. In “The Book Thief” It shows incredible examples of how loss transforms you for the better. “The Book Thief” Written by Markus Zusak is a novel based on Nazi-Germany during post World War 2. It Features the scary truth along with harsh humor, The story is told through the eyes of brave, Jewish girl named Liesel.

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483 Words | 2 Pages

Liesel, known as the book thief to the audience has a distinct passion for books and how much they mean to her. Stealing book after the book becomes a hobby for the young girl whose love of books is fostered by her foster father, Hans Hubermann. As Hans teaches Liesel how to read and write they develop an

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A main reason Liesel develops into the character she is by the end of the novel is due to the individuals she meets and her relationships with them. When Hans Hubermann becomes

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Likewise, Max Vandenburg’s experiences as a Jew in the time period was traumatic as he was always in fear of death at any given moment. While Max lived with his mother, he was given the chance by his friend, Walter Kugler, to take Max under his protection and was obligated to leave his entire family behind otherwise, it was very likely that he would die. Max finds it very difficult to live with the knowledge of the possibility that his family might be dead and his regret for leaving his family lasted for a long time. Although Max’s family may not be safe, Max is capable of staying alive due to the fact that he is hiding and also because of the trust he has on Walter. Moreover, The Grave Digger’s Handbook illustrates a symbol of Liesel’s traumatic experience which was witnessing Werner’s death.

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Liesel learning to read and write has given her the ability to write down her story, a story that shows pain and sadness but also pleasure and happiness. It is a story that inspired Death, as Death picked it up to keep. As Liesel was meeting Death, the book she wrote came up as Death held on to it, “I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell that she didn’t already know?” Death continues with some sediment towards the human race “I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race-that rarely do I ever simply estimate it.

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840 Words | 4 Pages

Growing as a Character Every event in our lives happens for a reason, whether it is to learn from our mistakes or to gain experience from them. In Markus Zusak's novel “The Book Thief,” Liesel Meminger uses her experiences with living in the 1940s to learn life lessons and experience first hand the many terrible things Hitler is doing to people around her. She learns how to deal with the many obstacles that are thrown at her. Liesel grows as a character by following her step-father’s footsteps in being a kind and generous person, going through childhood with her best friend Rudy, and being aware of what is going on around her by learning from Max.

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In the novel, Liesel’s behavior shows justice and love through her friendship with Max. Although her relationship with Max in the beginning of the book was rather awkward, soon her perspective towards Max soothes and their relationship bonds to a friendship. There are some times when Liesel’s actions were unbelievable, especially during the Jew parade. “ ‘ You have to let go of me Liesel.’

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712 Words | 3 Pages

For this reason, Liesel best illustrates courage in The Book Thief by befriending

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978 Words | 4 Pages

Having no one familiar to turn to, she finds a passion for words and continues to steal more books and develops strength through her burgeoning intellect of words. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is about the power of words; in this novel Zusak reveals that one who truly knows the hidden strength behind all words, can dominate others because words are more powerful than any weapon. The importance of words is shown through the symbolism of certain words throughout the novel; the motif of hunger, how it leads to her hunger for words; and how different Liesel’s world would be without words. Simple words can have deeper meanings.

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862 Words | 4 Pages

The theme of this book is learning to love and care for the people around. How I came to this conclusion is by how Liesel acts towards Max, her foster parents, Rudy, and her neighbors. Liesel cares for people even if they weren't like her and she doesn't understand why there is hatred in this world. She wanted the world to be a happy place for everyone including Jews to be friends with one another. On page 426 in ‘The Book Thief’, when Rudy’s father went to war Liesel could relate to Rudy because “her mother.

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One of the most important recurring themes throughout The Book Thief was Liesel’s relationships with all of the people in her life. She grows close with several different people, and trusts, loves, and cares for them all differently but equally. Three of those relationships will be explored more deeply; Liesel’s relationship with her foster father, Hans Hubermann, the Jewish man her family takes in, Max Vanderburg, and her best friend, Rudy Steiner. Liesel’s relationship with Hans is one of the most important, if not the most important, relationships in the novel. Hans is the first person Liesel trusts, and the person who stays with her and loves her until the end.

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767 Words | 4 Pages

Liesel trusted her papa even more after this encounter, Hans knew to keep this a secret to protect Liesel’s feelings. With all the negativity and poorness in Hans’ life, he would have been expected to respond negatively, but in reality, Hans did the complete opposite. Hans Hubermann showed his morals, a comforting essence, and trustworthiness despite living under horribly negative conditions. Under the tireless regime of Adolf Hitler, Hans clung to his personal beliefs. He did this in several ways, he helped two Jews, and helped Liesel develop into a better person.

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