Connor White Mr. AuBuchon Honors English I 20 August 2024 The Wonder Of Words. Can you imagine a life without words? Can you envision a world where you have no books or other literature to learn from? The Book Thief by Markus Zusak showcases the life of Liesel, who lived in Nazi Germany during the Second World War. It follows her life as she endures losing her brother and her mother, and having to live with a foster family. Throughout the novel, the power of literacy and words helps her overcome the many hardships of war. In an early part of the story, Liesel picks up a book titled The Gravedigger's Handbook at her brother's funeral. She takes the book with her as she's placed with a foster family. Her new father, Hans Huberman, discovers the book under Liesel's pillow. He then tells …show more content…
Max promises himself that he will give Liesel something, and stays awake at night thinking about what he could possibly give her. All he has is a copy of Mein Kampf but he would never give that because before Liesel hugged him he told a lie that if he knew about it he would have got Liesel something. Then the book states, “A blatant lie- he had nothing to give, except maybe Mein Kampf, and there was no way he'd give such propaganda to a young German girl” (Zusak 221). Max decides to give her more words by tearing off forty pages of his copy of Mein Kampf. For a week he paints over them with white paint and writes a thirteen page story over them. Called The Standover Man. The story is based on his own life, including how he fled the Nazis; however, Max is replaced by a sentient walking bird and Liesel is a nameless girl. In the second part of it, he tells the story of how after he got to safety, how Liesel hugged him on her birthday and how much it meant to him. This shows that Max uses his one real possession left, even if it's just propaganda to give words to Liesel. He, just like Hans Huberman, understands how important it is to give children