The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, is a book told from the viewpoint of Death, set in Nazi Germany during World War II. It takes place in a poor neighborhood on Himmel Street. In the beginning, Liesel Meminger, the main character, is a young girl who travels with her mother and younger brother, to meet her new foster parents, Rosa and Hans Hubermann. On the way, Liesel’s brother became ill and died, which was very traumatic for Liesel. It is at this point when Death notices Leisel and follows her throughout the story. After her brother’s burial, Liesel noticed a book called the Grave Digger's Handbook lying on the ground. Although Liesel is illiterate, she takes it, which was her first of many stolen books. At first, Liesel is defiant to her …show more content…
Her papa never berated her, but instead, would read to her and slowly taught her how to read and write. Liesel’s mama, Rosa, on the other hand, is strict and would always go on tirades about everything that annoyed her. Despite Rosa’s mean demeanor, Liesel obeyed her by delivering the laundry Rosa washed and ironed to people because she knew Rosa loved her. When Liesel delivered laundry to the mayor’s house, the mayor’s wife let Liesel come in and read books in her library. One day, when money got tight, the mayor’s wife, along with everyone else Liesel delivered to, informed her that they could no longer employ Rosa. The mayor’s wife tried to give Liesel a book and told her she could come read anytime, but Liesel thought it was a pity gift and insulted the mayor’s wife unscrupulously. A few weeks later, the Hubermann’s took in a Jew, Max Vandenburg, who was recluse in the basement. Then Max got a horrific affliction and was forced to sleep in Liesel’s room. Even though Max’s recovery seemed hapless, Liesel was always optimistic that Max would recuperate. Liesel brought him gifts and read to him while he was ill, which shows how caring Liesel is to
Liesel grew as a person, began to wonder about the world, and realized the power of words. Liesel saw the meaning in the smallest things. In the beginning of the novel, Liesel became attracted to words when she stole her first book, The Grave Digger’s Handbook from her brother’s grave site. Even without having a clue what the words meant, the book became representative of the last time she saw her family and “as for the girl, there was a sudden desire to read it that she didn't even attempt to understand” (Zusak, 66).
20 July 1944, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg placed his briefcase beside the Fuhrer and left for a phone call. Moments later an explosion rocked the compound but the Fuhrer was alive and Stauffenberg paid with his life later that very same day. Although Hans Hubermann is just a character in Marcus Zusak’s novel, The Book Thief, he too resisted the Fuhrer and his party. Hans was an anti-Nazi much the same as Stauffenberg, although they went about their resistance in radically different ways, they both worked against the oppression that the Third Reich instilled upon the land it occupied.
The Book Thief (2013), directed by Brian Percival, is about a young old girl living in Nazi Germany (between 1939 and 1943) in the fictional town of Molching, Germany. Death narrates the story of the main protagonist, Liesel Meminger, beginning when she is nine years old and suffering from the death of her brother and separation from her mother. Liesel then goes to live with Hans and Rosa Hubermann (played by Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson). When Liesel arrives, she is illiterate and is made fun of in school by the other children. Hans, a painter and accordion player, teaches her how to read, using the book Liesel took from her brother's burial: The Grave Digger's Handbook. Over the course of the movie, Liesel develops a love for reading and decides to steal books because of the economical hardships associated with World War II. Liesel's foster parents also decide to help a young Jewish man named Max, whose father fought with Hans as in World War One as German soldiers. The Book Thief illustrates a different perspective in regards to the Nazi Regimen and its effects on the German people, specifically children.
What kind of person is Liesel in The Book Thief? Liesel can be described as caring, curious, and friendly. You see that she is caring throughout the book, including the time when Max is staying at the Hubermann’s house. She is worried about his wellbeing, and she is willing to stay with him, even when the conditions are poor, it may put her at risk and she would be missing out on other things. Liesel puts others before herself in many instances which has shown how caring she truly is.
In the middle of “The Book Thief”,Liesel becomes determined. She is determined to show her papa that she can read and write. Liesel shows she is determined because she learns how to read and she wants to write all the words that she learns on the wall. An example that shows this is “we're starving out here,and you're stealing books?”said Rudy. In this example Liesel wants to read the one book from the library so she steals it but will bring it back when she is done.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a moving, award-winning story that follows the life of a German girl, named Liesel, during World War 2.
Reluctance or stubbornness in ending impulsive actions can have consequences. In the Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Liesel Meminger’s inability to halt her dangerous habits put her and others’ lives in dangerous situations. Three main examples of Liesel’s dangerous activities are when she steals books, when she demonstrates kindness at improper times, and when she disrespects others for her own selfish reasons. In all these examples, there is always one moment where Liesel places her or others in harm’s way and narrowly escapes punishment.
Over the summer I read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. The novel contains many memorable quotes, with powerful meanings that can be applied to the reader’s life. The novel is the story of Liesel Meminger’s journey through the eyes of the narrator, Death. Liesel has many hardships in her life, but also a lot of good fortune. The novel shows both Liesel and Death’s reactions to each situation she encounters.
In capitalism, privately owned businesses set prices for their products. Due to this, nothing is free. Similarly, in The Book Thief, Markus Zusak illustrates that language’s symbolic representation of Liesel saves her humanity and simultaneously ruins it. This demonstrates that everything comes at a cost, even humane. Liesel connects with The Shoulder Shrug due to its resemblance to the average German citizen, allowing her to find her humanity.
The Book Thief is about a young German girl named Liesel Meminger as she goes through life while living in Germany in 1939. Liesel and her foster parents live a normal life on 33 Himmel Street. There is only one difference between their family and the others, they are hiding Max Vandenburg (a Jewish man) in their basement during the time of the Holocaust. This story, narrated by Death follows the life of Liesel from her first step into 33 Himmel Street, until the day she died in Sydney, Australia.
The Book Thief is a historical fiction novel by Markus Zusak set in Munich, Germany during the Nazi reign from 1936-1943. The novel incorporates a main character that is, in the beginning, an innocent child who doesn't understand the world and takes her on a journey where she grows up and matures through the hardships and challenges of her life. The story is narrated by the character Death, who is a fresh take on the Grim Reaper, only wearing the black cloak when it's cold and never carries a syte. Death describes the life Liesel Meminger, an orphaned girl who witnesses her brother's death and burial and finds herself being adopted by the benevolent old couple, the Hubermanns. The rest of the story follows Liesel's journey through her incredibly challenging life with the Hubermanns and characters such as Rudy, The mayor's wife, and Max helping her along. Symbolism in The Book Thief deepens the story by conveying many different ideas and emotions that supports the reader's understanding of the story. This is especially apparent with the use of the gravediggers to help the reader remember characters, the use of color to help the reader feel the proper emotions and remember the correct events, and the use of Liesel's changing feelings about Rudy to convey how Liesel grows and matures through the book.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak begins and ends rather abruptly. This, however, adds a sense of realism to this moving novel. At the start of The Book Thief, a young girl named Liesel, her younger brother and their mother are on a train to Munich, Germany. The mother was delivering her starved children to foster parents. The boy, however, did not survive the journey. Liesel was still given to the couple, in hopes she won’t receive the same fate of her brother. The exchange does not happen easily, as told on page 28, “ It took nearly fifteen minutes to coax her from the car...There was the gate next, which she clung to...she held on and refused to go inside,” (Zusak 28). As the novel continues Liesel grows to love Herr and Frau Hubermann. The novel continues and the tension begins to build. In the basement of 33 Himmel Street a Jew is hidden. The wrath of Hitler is marching closer and closer to Munich as Liesel learns to love the outlaw. Soon she would know her sins, as told on page 390, “Liesel was playing soccer when the noise arrived…’What is that?’...’A herd of cows?’...’The Jews’...They watched the Jews come down the road like a catalog of colors. That 's not how the book thief described them but, I can tell you that’s exactly what they were, for many of them would die” (Zusak 390). During the march Mr. Hubermann’s
One of their customers was Ilsa Herman, the mayor's wife, and one day when Liesel was returning the washing to Ilsa, she gave Liesel some terrible news. She told Liesel that she had to stop the washing with Liesel and Rosa. She explained to Liesel her reasoning for stopping the washing and later tried to give Liesel a book in return, but Liesel did not accept it. Liesel got so furious with Ilsa Hermann that she started to explode and go off on Ilsa. While Liesel was blowing up on Ilsa, she was saying some things she never should have said.
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
The Book Thief, is a Death narrated novel by Markus Zusak. The story takes place in Nazi Germany, 1939, where Liesel Meminger arrives on Himmel Street to start a new life with her foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. She lives to a very old age and when Death finally comes to take her away, he wants to tell Liesel about beauty and brutality. But what could he tell her about beauty and brutality that she didn’t know, the Book Thief had lived through it all. The time she saw Max marching to Dachau, the time Rudy went into the Amper River to save The Whistler, and the final moments she spent with Mama. Liesel Meminger’s life had always represent beauty in the wake of brutality.