The Unexpected Visitor Many novels were written about World War II, specifically featuring families that helped hide Jewish people. One book that fits into this category is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. This book features a story about a German family with a young girl housing a long lost Jewish friend, Max Vandenburg. Obviously, during this time, the stakes were very high for the family, as housing a Jew was punishable by death. Despite these risks, Max Vandenburg’s presence brought the family together in the dark times of WWII. The decision to house Max Vandenburg helped not just Max, but also the whole family. During the 1940’s, German children were constantly being told that they were the superior race. If the Hubermanns had
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The conversation that really brought them together was known as "The swapping of nightmares" (Zusak 220). This was where Max and Liesel realize they both had nightmares about losing their families. They also both appreciated the power of words. Max wrote a book for Liesel, and Liesel spent a lot of time learning to read with Max. Gina Hagler writes: "One major difference between the novel and the film is that the film portrays the relationship between Max and Liesel as a brother and sister relationship. In the novel it is less clear, leaving the reader to wonder how exactly Liesel feels about him." (Hagler). I disagree with this, I think that it is very clear that Liesel feels strongly about Max. In Max, Liesel found a friend that she had lots in common with, a friend that made her stay in Munich a little more bearable. People may say that the Hubermann’s should not have helped Max, because if they would have gotten caught, they would have lost everything they had worked for. It is also true that Max did cause some hardships among the family. However, Max helped to teach Liesel that Germans were no better than Jewish people. He livened the Hubermann’s lives and basement, and formed an important friendship with Liesel. Because of all this, housing Max Vandenburg was a good
The conversation that really brought them together was known as "The swapping of nightmares" (Zusak 220). This was where Max and Liesel realize they both had nightmares about losing their families. They also both appreciated the power of words. Max wrote a book for Liesel, and Liesel spent a lot of time learning to read with Max. Gina Hagler writes: "One major difference between the novel and the film is that the film portrays the relationship between Max and Liesel as a brother and sister relationship. In the novel it is less clear, leaving the reader to wonder how exactly Liesel feels about him." (Hagler). I disagree with this, I think that it is very clear that Liesel feels strongly about Max. In Max, Liesel found a friend that she had lots in common with, a friend that made her stay in Munich a little more bearable. People may say that the Hubermann’s should not have helped Max, because if they would have gotten caught, they would have lost everything they had worked for. It is also true that Max did cause some hardships among the family. However, Max helped to teach Liesel that Germans were no better than Jewish people. He livened the Hubermann’s lives and basement, and formed an important friendship with Liesel. Because of all this, housing Max Vandenburg was a good