Written by Markus Zusak, The Book Thief is a coming-of-age story about a young girl named Liesel Meminger narrated through the words of Death. The thievery character of this girl emerged after the death of her younger brother. Built over a prolonged period, this desperate nature is the foundation of what became of her later in the story. The books that Liesel stole, the stories that she told, and novel that she wrote enhanced a symbolic meaning in this novel centered around wholeness. Liesel Meminger’s first victim was the gravedigger. Shortly after her brother’s burial, she stole The Gravedigger’s Handbook which was dropped in the snow. This book meant a great deal to her because it was the first thing that belonged to her. Death …show more content…
According to Death’s words: “The impoverished always try to keep moving” (25), it can be inferred that wherever Liesel’s family was or whatever they had, they was temporary. This explains the reason why The Gravedigger’s Handbook is a representation Liesel’s possession and desire. The Whistler was the first book Liesel stole from Ilsa Hermann’s library. It was after Ilsa broke the news that she was unable to pay for Rosa’s laundry anymore. This book became useful when Liesel tried to alleviate the tension between the children, women, and men at the time of the raid. When she read The Whistler, she felt her voice coming alive. “This, it said, is your accordion” (381). The quote connects Liesel to her father Hans. Hans played his accordion for his own entertainment as well as to soothe others when they were troubled. Following in her Hans Hubermann’s footsteps, Liesel was able to calm the people by reading. This distracted the people to concentrate more on the story rather than fear as each bomb strikes the ground. The sound of the bomb slowly dissipated as she told the story. They were scared together, but mollifying