Hans Hubermann In The Book Thief

In the novel, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, two characters that really contribute to the storyline are Hans Hubermann and Rosa Hubermann. While the characters are much different in personality, both are actually very similar. As war and other events lead to suffering, Hans’ and Rosa’s personalities are tested, and their true colors come out. This leads to many dramatic events in the Hubermann household, all witnessed by their foster daughter, Liesel. The way they pull it together is remarkable, and while their different personalities clash, their main objective stays the same.

Hans Hubermann shows kindness to many people. When Liesel first arrives at the Hubermann’s home on Himmel Street she is shy and scared. Hans notices this and tries to help Liesel feel more comfortable in her environment. "'Leave her alone.' Hans Hubermann entered the fray. His gentle voice made its way in, as if slipping through a crowd. 'Leave her to me.' (Zusak, 2007:40). Hans Hubermann’s kindness helped Liesel to adapt to her new home and later in the book, show kindness to other characters like Max Vandenburg.

In this chapter, Hans starts to regret helping another Jew, especially one where they pretty much know that he is going to die soon based on his health. He feels as though helping him brought even more of a risk than taking Max in. Then Ilsa kind of forgives Liesel for her outburst towards her and want to encourage her to continue reading. Also in this chapter, Liesel starts to figure out the power that words can have on others. Hans also kicks Max out of the house because he doesn’t want to hurt the family any more than he feels he already has.

Hans took Liesel into his home; he showed her compassion and grace from the minute she stepped out of the car. He realized that she was nervous and scared about moving, he was the only one that tried to sit down and help her. “‘Leave her alone.’ Hans Hubermann entered the fray. His gentle voice made its way in, as if slipping through a crowd. ‘Leave her to me.’” (33) Hans recognized that Liesel was having a hard time with moving, he wanted to help. Hans channeled his guilt into acceptance for a girl that was broken and just needed a home. He accepted her as one of his own and helped her through a time of need. Hans felt the need to return the favor the Erik had given him by helping others out.

In the exhilarating tale, The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, a character that would serve well as a best friend is Hans Hubermann. Hans is a great example of someone who is a great friend because he is very compassionate. Hans showed compassion in the story when he cared for Liesel as his own daughter and when he risked his life for the sake of Max Vandenburg’s. On page 36 of the text, it states, “Every night, Liesel would nightmare. … Possibly the only good to come out of these nightmares was that it brought Hans Hubermann her new papam into the room to soothe her, to love her.” This shows that Hans Hubermann is compassionate towards Liesel and he is there when she needs love. Also, Liesel can count on him to lift up her spirits when she is

As summer comes to an end, all seems to be running smoothly at St. George’s School; Students are grudgingly preparing themselves for the imminent school year, teachers are carefully planning the first term and the rest of the staff are making sure everything is in perfect condition. However, Dr. Webster, head of grade 10, has informed the school that he must take a year’s sabbatical due to personal issues. As having exceptional heads of grades, such as Dr. Webster, is a crucial element which makes St. George’s fit its title of “Canada’s World School for Boys”, headmaster Dr. Matthews is desperately looking for a fitting replacement. Luckily, Hans Hubermann from the novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak would make a perfect substitute head of grade as he is compassionate, moral and firm.

A friend Elbert Hubbard once said, “A friend is someone who knows everything about you and still loves you.” Markus Zusak's book “The Book Thief” follows Liesel, who moves with her foster family, meets Rudy and navigates their world before and during World War II. By far, Rudy represents the best friend we all need; even though they can be annoying at times, they will always be there for you, no matter the circumstances. Markus Zusak uses the following literary devices to convey this message: stages of the journey and theme. Rudy represents the embodiment of love, as he follows Liesel because he loves her and her traits.

Throughout all of The Book Thief, characters were put into decisions where they have to make difficult decisions. Due to the time period in which they were living in, some of them would be even harder to make than others. Each person would have to be brave, and well aware of the consequences they would face. Out of every scene and character where a decision needs to be made, Hans Hubermann is faced with the hardest. Hans Hubermann makes two difficult moral decisions that are both brave and dangerous, despite knowing what the consequences there would be.

stranger knock on the door of 33 Himmel Street. Everything changes. Her parents start to act differently. The stranger is Max Vandenburg, who is a Jew. Hans Hubermann, Liesel's dad, knows Max’s father. They agree to hide Max in their basement. But if they were caught, then all of them would be taken away. This shows the troubles of people in Germany hiding Jews. This teaches the reader how it was dangerous and risky. The purpose of historical fiction is to teach readers about history, with a fictional element. The Book Thief achieves all the goals.

Both Vonnegut and Heller approach their service during World War Two as intentionally just and good but corrupted and modified by human nature. Their time is not spent protesting the cause of the war, but the people in charge of it. Both show very human characters too surreal to be fictional, inspired by the authors’ personal experiences and interactions, for better and for worse. Most importantly, both express the futility of remaining the same person after experiencing combat, doing little to censor the brutality of the war. Therefore, Heller and Vonnegut qualify under three of the five themes; humanization, youth fighting their elder’s wars, and the trauma of experiencing combat.

Liesel Meminger, who was a very sympathetic young girl which her words were used from her warm heart towards people. Frau Holtzapfel had lost both of her sons, so for her to be happy, Liesel would read to her a lot, which also made Frau Holtzapfel feel comforted. Also when Max was taken in by the Hubermann’s, he was a Jew, which meant he wasn’t allowed to see the outside world. Liesel would go outside and tell Max the

When Scout had a hard day of school Cal, a nickname for Calpurnia, made her crackling bread, one of her favorites. Then she bent down to Scout and kissed her cheek. In the book it states, “She had wanted to make up with me… she was sorry” (Lee 38). Cal wanting to make up all her hardships with Scout shows the love that she has for her. She is stubborn so she would not say it out loud, but just showing Scout that she was sorry was big gesture of love. The love of each other brought them together and built a strong structure for their blooming friendship. This also happened in the case of Liesel and Hans. When Liesel arrived to Himmel Street she was still scarred mentally by the train ride. She was constantly haunted with nightmares every night and Hans quickly picked up on it. Every night Hans would come “into the room, to soothe her, to love her” (Zusak 36). Him staying there and waking up with her late at night showed the amount of love he had for her. He was always sitting there ready to love and soothe her from her timely nightmares. Even though he could of been sleeping soundly in his room, he stayed up to help her. Hans staying up for Liesel and Cal making things for Scout shows the love that they have for each other and it made each other closer by knowing more about them and to

After losing her mother and her brother, Liesel’s life and identity is changed drastically many times. It is through books that she discovers and becomes comfortable with this change. When she first meets Hans and Rosa Hubermann, her new foster parents, she does not wish to speak with them or get to know them. However, once Hans discovers Liesel with the book she stole when her brother was buried, The Gravedigger’s Manual, they bond over Hans teaching Liesel to read. Liesle describes the first time her and Hans have a lesson in the middle of the night: “She had done this at school, in the kindergarten class, but this time was better. … It was nice to watch Papa’s hand as he wrote the words and slowly constructed the primitive sketches” (Zusak

8. Hans’ Compassion Liesel witnesses Hans trying to give bread to a Jew. Not only does Hans and the Jew get whipped but now the Nazi’s become suspicious of Hans and search his house. Max is no longer safe in the basement and must leave. Liesel now has another loved one taken away from her.

Over time, they find things that draw them together and they become close friends. This is amazing because at the time Germans were completely against Jews and the only thing most of them wanted for them was for them was to be sent to concentration camps. Sharing the fact that they both “lost” their families, they realize that both have misfortunes, but they also realize that they can never give up. Eventually, they overcome their fears and nightmares. Liesel also teaches Max that he can express how he feels about everything through words. Liesel and Max both had some kind of a passion for reading and writing which created another strong bond. In times of hardship, they were both the quiet man, and the outgoing girl that were able to support each