The Book Thief: The Beauty Within Human Actions In Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, Death states “I’m always finding humans at their best and worst. I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both” (491). The varying characters in the novel help show the true beauty that can be found within humans through their actions. Hans, Rudy and Max all prove that there can be a light in the darkness in hard times like the holocaust. To start off, throughout the novel Hans Hubermann shows that he is a loving and caring man who always shows his beauty through his selfless actions. During one of the weekly death marches, he gave a Jew a stale piece of bread: “The Jew stood before him, expecting another handful of derision,
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One of the most beautiful actions in the book is when Rudy puts his teddy bear on the dying enemy fighter pilot. In that moment, “he placed the smiling teddy bear cautiously onto the pilot’s shoulder… the dying man breathed in… [and said] ‘Thank you.’” (490). Rudy knows that the man is dying so he thinks that the man should have some peace and not die in pain in his last moments. Also, in many instances Rudy stands up for Tommy Müller when he is getting bullied by Franz Deutscher about his hearing problem. Tommy always does the wrong things in Hitler Youth since he cannot hear the instructions and every time Franz yells at him. Eventually “Rudy step[s] forward. He face[s] Franz Deutscher, looking up at him” (259) and helps Tommy out. Rudy does not like how Tommy was being treated so every time from then on, he helped him out no matter the consequences he would later face like running laps or doing push ups in the mud. Additionally, one afternoon Rudy goes into the freezing December water to get Liesel’s book that is thrown in by Victor Chemmel, another bully. “His hand reached in and collared what was now a soggy block of carboard and paper” (303). He knows the importance of the book to Liesel so he wants to make her happy at all costs. Even though he did not understand her love of books, he makes a beautiful decision to help her …show more content…
One action of Max that stands out is when he gives his hand made book, The Word Shaker to Liesel after he left. When Liesel receives the book, “she [makes] her way through the countless sketches and stories, and the pictures with captions. Things like… the records of countless nights in the basement or by the fire” (444). The book symbolizes Max and Liesel’s relationship since they share a bond over words therefore it is very special to Liesel that he shares it with her. Additionally, Max hugs an kisses Liesel during the death march that he is forced to participate in since he is a Jew. In the middle of the road “he let his mouth kiss her palm. ‘Yes, Liesel, it’s me,’ and he held the girl’s hand in his face and cried onto her fingers. He cried as the soldiers came and a small collection of insolent Jews stood and watched” (512). This action takes a lot of courage for both Liesel and Max since there can be a lot of punishment for a Jew in the death march to associate with a German girl. Max knows that it is safer if he ignores Liesel’s calls but he also knows that some actions, such as this one, are more important than his safety. Finally, a beautiful action of Max is when he comes back to town to find Liesel after the Holocaust ended. He walked into a shop and “approached the counter. ‘Is there
One of the most beautiful actions in the book is when Rudy puts his teddy bear on the dying enemy fighter pilot. In that moment, “he placed the smiling teddy bear cautiously onto the pilot’s shoulder… the dying man breathed in… [and said] ‘Thank you.’” (490). Rudy knows that the man is dying so he thinks that the man should have some peace and not die in pain in his last moments. Also, in many instances Rudy stands up for Tommy Müller when he is getting bullied by Franz Deutscher about his hearing problem. Tommy always does the wrong things in Hitler Youth since he cannot hear the instructions and every time Franz yells at him. Eventually “Rudy step[s] forward. He face[s] Franz Deutscher, looking up at him” (259) and helps Tommy out. Rudy does not like how Tommy was being treated so every time from then on, he helped him out no matter the consequences he would later face like running laps or doing push ups in the mud. Additionally, one afternoon Rudy goes into the freezing December water to get Liesel’s book that is thrown in by Victor Chemmel, another bully. “His hand reached in and collared what was now a soggy block of carboard and paper” (303). He knows the importance of the book to Liesel so he wants to make her happy at all costs. Even though he did not understand her love of books, he makes a beautiful decision to help her …show more content…
One action of Max that stands out is when he gives his hand made book, The Word Shaker to Liesel after he left. When Liesel receives the book, “she [makes] her way through the countless sketches and stories, and the pictures with captions. Things like… the records of countless nights in the basement or by the fire” (444). The book symbolizes Max and Liesel’s relationship since they share a bond over words therefore it is very special to Liesel that he shares it with her. Additionally, Max hugs an kisses Liesel during the death march that he is forced to participate in since he is a Jew. In the middle of the road “he let his mouth kiss her palm. ‘Yes, Liesel, it’s me,’ and he held the girl’s hand in his face and cried onto her fingers. He cried as the soldiers came and a small collection of insolent Jews stood and watched” (512). This action takes a lot of courage for both Liesel and Max since there can be a lot of punishment for a Jew in the death march to associate with a German girl. Max knows that it is safer if he ignores Liesel’s calls but he also knows that some actions, such as this one, are more important than his safety. Finally, a beautiful action of Max is when he comes back to town to find Liesel after the Holocaust ended. He walked into a shop and “approached the counter. ‘Is there