Examples Of Courage In The Book Thief

Nelson Mandela once said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” This quote is relatable to Markus Zusak’s novel, The Book Thief, due to the courage portrayed by several characters. The novel follows the life of a young German girl, Liesel Meminger as she becomes the book thief. Throughout Liesel’s life, she faces many battles, yet none are as invasive as those of Hans Hubermann, a stubborn yet fearless man. In the novel, Zusak introduces Hans, a character that must face several moral conflicts to lead him towards actions involving others. In Zusak’s novel, The Book Thief, courage is portrayed through Hans’s morally correct actions involving Liesel, Max Vandenburg, and a bypassing Jewish man.

When she arrives, she lacks the knowledge of reading and writing until Hans teaches her. Once Liesel is efficient in both reading and writing, she decides to write letters to her birth mother. While Liesel is waiting countless days for a response, Hans encounters the idea of writing Liesel back in place of her mother (Zusak 97). He denies this idea by saying, “‘You know, Liesel? I nearly wrote you a reply and signed your mother’s name. (…) I couldn’t. I couldn’t bring myself’” (Zusak 97). The use of Han’s morals allows the reader to view his decision as courageous due to his actions. If Hans were to write a reply to Liesel’s letters, Hans would be seen as a character who lacks integrity. When a character lacks integrity, he faces the fear of not being able to do what is right for