Markus Zusak’s coming-of-age, historical fiction novel, The Book Thief, tells the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster child brought to live with a family in Molching, Germany during World War II. Throughout the novel, Liesel meets many characters who show tremendous courage in the face of the circumstances they are forced to endure like Hans, Rudy, and Max. However, the courage that they exhibit is not always the kind where they run out into battle with guns blazing but something else. Hans Hubermann, Liesel’s foster father, is at first glance, an unceasingly kind, yet ordinary, man. Even Death says so when we first meet him:
Originally, she does not realize Nazis are actively persecuting people, but after she meets and grows close to Max, Liesel begins to comprehend the ugly truth of Nazi Germany. Though her closest family members, Hans, Rosa, and Max, do not support Nazi values, other people she grows close to do support the Nazis. For example, Ilsa Hermann, though extremely kind to Liesel, is the wife of a mayor in Nazi Germany and wears swastika-embroidered bathrobes, supporting the Nazi party. She does own books banned by the Nazi government, but never once speaks out against or even mentions their persecution of various peoples. A similar situation occurs with Frau Holtzapfel.
In the novel, The Book Thief, a fictional story, author Markus Zusak demonstrates the power of words to save or destroy someone or something. The setting is WWII in Molching, Germany. Leisel is a foster child who went through a lot to get to where she is, Himmel Street. She is living with her foster parents, Rosa and Hans Hubermann. She also has a very good friend, Rudy, who is your typical Aryan boy with blonde hair and blue eyes.
His voice was quiet but sharp.” (Zusak 115). He hits her out of the love of a father, not wishing for Liesel to be hurt. To say that you don’t love Hitler would’ve killed you during his rule. This is another display of how the power Hitler held was not used to good use and instead hurt others.
Hans is Liesel's foster father, and he is a pacifist who is opposed to the Nazis. He is punished for his beliefs by being sent to fight in the war, and he is forced to participate in the killing of innocent civilians. This experience changes him, and he becomes more aware of the true nature of war and the evils of the Nazi regime. The Book Thief is a powerful novel that explores the theme of a loss of innocence in a wartime setting. Through the characters of Liesel, Rudy, and Hans, the reader is able to see the devastating effects of war and the
Liesel’s early life contained both good and bad times. She witnessed both profound sacrifice and chilling cruelty. The opposing duality of human nature, which is capable of both great good and utter evil, is encapsulated by the actions of the central characters in The Book Thief. Humans are capable of amazing acts of kindness and selflessness. This is evident when the Hubermanns, Liesel 's foster parents, take in a Jew named Max Vandenburg.
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.
“The words were on their way, and when they arrived she would hold them in her hand like clouds and she would wring them out like the rain” - Markus Zusak (the book thief) Words are powerful. They bring hope, give courage, show enlightenment, however, if used in the wrong way, these same words can also bring pain and cause grief. I formed a relationship with words when I was eight. My mother gave me my first novel: the naughtiest girl helps a friend.
On Hitler’s birthday in 1940, when “[t]he Hubermanns couldn’t find their flag” (103) to hang on the window, Rosa Hubermann starts to panic. Without the flag on the window, Rosa is afraid “‘[they’ll] come and take [them] away.’” (103) which is an immense consequence for something as simple as lacking a flag, however, because it represents their devotion to Nazi Germany it is essential to have on display. Furthermore, Liesel must salute the Führer many times throughout her years on Himmel Street. Whether she is compelled to (because “[she] [won’t] be served” (50) at Frau Diller’s otherwise) or practicing it for the BDM, she is forced to heil Hitler because without doing, so she is will be punished.
“It’s just a small story really, about, among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist fighter, and quite a lot of thievery…” (Zusak, pg. 5) The novel, The Book Thief written by Markus Zusak in 2005 explores the theme of family relationships. It is through nine-year-old Liesel Meminger, the protagonist, that the idea of a broken family during the era of Nazi Germany is explored. The Book Thief depicts the struggle of young German girl, Liesel Meminger, living in Germany during the time of Hitler’s reign.
Hans and Rosa Huberman happily take Liesel in as their daughter. Leisel makes many new friends while staying with the Hubermans, but is faced with many obstacles including losing her biological parents, her two best friends, and her loving foster parents all because of the Nazis and their hatred of the Jews. The one thing that never leaves Liesel is her books. In the Novel, The Book Thief, Marcus Zusak uses the themes of loss, love and resilience to illustrate the life of Liesel Meminger. Marcus Zusak uses the theme of love to show the relationships Liesel makes and the belongings she cherishes.
Change is an inevitable aspect of life; however the most significant changes occur when an individual develops a sought after skill or learns imperative information. In the novel The Book Thief the novel’s main protagonist Liesel Meminger encounters numerous moments which help define her characterization as she grows as a character. Firstly one of Liesel’s most poignant moments occurs once she pieces together her vague past and during the same process discovers her reason for loathing Hitler. When Liesel heard the word communist being mentioned in a negative connotation at the book burning, she became stricken with fear as this word was all she knew of her past life. Liesel’s desire for answers on her Mother’s disappearance leads to her asking Hans if Hitler was one
Through the pain and losses in her family, she begins to get motivated and is able to stick up for herself and others for what she feels is right. (Her father was killed because he felt communism was right). As Liesel grows up, she begins to re-evaluate her life, and creates a set of moral rules for herself instead of what society dictated for her. Liesel then begins to understand that her mouth (language) could be a blessing and a curse, and living under the control of the Nazi’s it changes her views on life. After books she reads, writes and steals, she learns more about herself, she evolves from a “powerless” character to a powerful character who can change the lives of many.
ntroduction Paragraph: The title of this book is The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak, and this book is The extraordinary New York Times #1 Bestseller. The genre of the book is historical novel and the narrator is the Death, which describes not only all the main characters’ thoughts and emotions but also his own thoughts and feelings about the humans. Summary: The story takes place in the German town of Molching, a suburb of Munich during the World War II, from1939 to 1943. The story is about the book thief, Liesel Meminger, a German girl in age of 9, who was sent to her foster family, Rosa and Hans by her real mother due to some difficulties.
Throughout my whole life, I have always been sort of a lone wolf. As a child of two immigrant parents, I have often felt the struggle of feeling alone and without guidance in American society. Both of my parents are Mexican immigrants that came into this country during the 1990’s looking for a better place to start a family. Ever since I was a young boy, my parents have repeatedly told me that being a hard worker and taking school seriously were going to be vital ideals that I needed to follow to achieve success. Neither of my parents had the opportunity to study at an institution of higher education, and their dream had always been for their son to be the first in their family to do so.
