The Role Of Liesel's Rebellions In The Book Thief

Liesel’s rebellions are shaped through her personal experiences and losses In times where people are expected to conform to the expectations of the society they grew up in, personal endeavor or losses have the ability to spark rebellion within individuals. In The Book Thief, Markus Zusak continuously shows how personal experiences of a character mold them into rebelling against the societal expectations of the Nazi party. After learning that her mother had been taken to a concentration camp, Liesel’s view of the Fuhrer quickly becomes hateful, leading her to openly express her hate for Hitler. Equally important, Liesel’s time with Max built a strong relationship, giving her empathy for Max, ultimately leading to another rebellion against the Nazi party ideals. Liesel’s personal experiences and losses as she grows up shape her towards rebelling against the societal expectations of the Nazi regime and demonstrates that

Knowing that Hitler was the cause of her mothers passing, makes Liesel “feel the slush of anger, stirring hotly in her stomach” (Zusak 78) which makes her publicly announce that she “hate[s] the Fuhrer” (Zusak 78). By acting on her profound hatred for the Fuhrer, Liesel defies the widespread respect of Hitler and the Nazi party as a whole. Naturally, Hans reacts negatively to Liesel’s declaration and even slaps her, not because he disagrees with her, but because he doesn’t want her to outwardly state her dislike for the societal norms of Nazi Germany. On the other hand, Liesel does not actually believe that she is incorrect for what she said because she knows Hitler’s doings are wrong and she believes her acts of rebellion were right in her eyes. All in all, the death of Liesel's mother causes her to develop a newfound hatred for Hitler and lead to her public outburst of