Hans Hufman's Courage In The Book Thief

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The Book Thief written by Mark Zusak presents Liesel, an orphan, being fostered by Hans Hubermann and his wife Rosa Hubermann. Hans, Liesel’s foster dad, rejects the Nazi party membership and aids the Jewish people in his neighborhood angering the party. Hans Huberman rebels against the Nazi party through his lack of membership, feeding a jewish man, and painting over racial slurs written on jewish businesses. Hans Hubermann rejects Nazi ideals through his lack of party membership. When discussing the repercussions of painting over racial slurs, Death explained, “While many people were instantly approved, he was added to a waiting list, regarded with suspicion”(124). Hans Hubermann suffered due to his lack of a membership, his business is not as successful as it was before the incident. Many German citizens had conformed to Nazi ideals, and had joined the party, however, Hans Hubermann followed his moral compass and refused to conform. The theme present in this selection is: One must have the courage to go against social norms in order to be their true selves. Hans’ actions provide evidence of his courage as he is able to stand up to social norms to fight for his beliefs without any support. Hans Hubermann is an outlier in Germany, as unlike the …show more content…

When explaining the hardships of the jews, Death said,“Hans Hubermann held his hand out and presented a piece of bread,”(266). Hans Hubermann went against all Nazi ideals as he treated the jews like humans. While everyone in the crowd was able to ignore their pain, Hans went against Nazi ideals and tried to feed someone. Hans’ demonstrates his courage as he goes against the social norm to not interfere with the jews as he attempts to feed them, his actions in this selection advance the presence of the theme. Hans again is seen rebelling against societal expectations in Nazi