The book thief has many hidden meanings and themes, but the one that stood out to me the most is love. Love, and the different scenarios associated with it, pops up several times throughout the book. Liesel, the main character, goes through a lot in the book thief and much of it involves some form of love. Liesel is sent away from her parents, whom she loves, to live with a strict mother and a caring father. She must pretend to be a part of this new family, live in a new place, make new friends, and follow new rules. With a completely new territory to conquer, love is hidden for Liesel to discover.
Rudy tries to steal Liesel’s heart from the start. When he races against her he proposes that if she were to lose, he would get a kiss. Throughout
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Hans is much more understanding and caring than Rosa. He teaches Liesel to read at night and helps her fall asleep after her nightmares. He plays his accordion to calm Liesel to sleep and lift her out of bad dreams. He takes Liesel under his wing and he does his best to protect her. He attempts to join the Nazi party to draw attention away from himself after he helped the jews. I believe part of the reason he did this was to keep Liesel safe.
Although Liesel is with a new family now, she misses her real parents and her brother. Her parents, being communists, had to send herself and her brother to a new family to protect them. While on her way to her new family, her brother dies. This has a big impact on Liesel and it is also her first encounter with Death. She loved her parents and her brother but they are all gone now.
In conclusion, Liesel encounters love in many forms. She has to leave her family for a new one so she can be safe, even though not much was explained to her. Her brother dies and she will never see her parents again. Despite all of the tragic things that happen to her, she quickly develops a connection with her new father, Hans. She may be falling for Rudy, no matter how much she denies it in the beginning for she says she regrets not kissing him when he was alive. With an accordion in hand and an intriguing passion for words, Liesel discovers love and hate in her