Max And Liesel In The Book Thief

Improved Essays
The Book Thief
In The Book Thief, there are two characters that really influence each other throughout the course of the book. These characters are Max and Liesel. Max and Liesel understand one another on a deeper level than any of the other characters, because they have both gone through a traumatic experience. Their experiences help them create a gigantic influence on the other throughout the book.
Max and Liesel help one another a lot throughout the book. With them both being left by (or leaving) their families, they help each other cope with the pain. Their bond is based on the pain they both feel, that the others around them are not sure what it would even feel like. In a way the way they both cope with the pain, influences the other.
…show more content…
They each play a certain role that makes the story come together. If these roles were somehow changed, in even the slightest way, it would create a whole different story. One way they could be changed is changing the gender, of the main characters. By changing the genders of the main characters it would make the story feel different overall. All the relationships would be effected. It would also make things in the story very different. Situations wouldn't have the same feeling and some things might not be as …show more content…
So, Salamanca and her grandparents set out on an adventure to go visit her mother. While Salamanca faces many problems throughout the story, I believe that her parents splitting up is a major one. It is also a problem many other teens face today.
In the novel the issue is handled by her mother leaving and Salamanca and her dad moving to a farm in Euclid. Salamanca doesn't get to see her mother for a while, because she is so far away. This makes her very sad and miss her mother very much. That is why Salamanca and her grandparents decide to head out on an adventure to visit her mother for her birthday.
Salamanca is very devastated by her mother leaving, so she tries to do some things to keep her mind off of it. She tries to help her new friend Phoebe. Phoebe's mother had recently gone missing and Salamanca and her try to figure out where she went and why. While trying to find her they find out many secrets of Phoebe's mom. They find out things such as, Phoebe's mom had gone to visit a son she had put up for adoption, that she had never told anyone about. Salamanca also tries to blame her dad for her mom's leaving, as a way of trying to cope. But deep down she knows it was not his fault and he is hurting just as much, if not more, than

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    It took the two a bit of time before they were used to being around each other. Liesel had to get used to a Jewish man hiding in her basement and Max had to get used to being watched by a little girl every time he went to sleep. Once they felt comfortable around each other they treated each other like brother and sister. The reason they bonded so quickly was explained on page 227, it says “During the nights, both Liesel Meminger and Max Vandenberg would go about their other similarity” This is saying that Max and Liesel discussed their nightmares and fears on many occasions. Realizing how similar they were, they became very close. In the book Max wrote called The Standover Man, he says “Now I think we are friends, this girl and me. On her birthday it was she who gave a gift to me. It makes me understand that the best stand over man is not a man at all.” This really shows how much Liesel means to Max, in the book itself he explains that he’s always been afraid of people standing over him, until Liesel came along. He could talk to her and express how he was feeling. This is very important because he’s the type of person that doesn’t like to express how he feels, so the fact that he could admit the feelings that he couldn’t admit to himself, to Liesel, means that he trusts her deeply. Liesel shows how much Max means to her on page 325 “ For hours she sat with him as he…

    • 782 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    These conversations ideally consisted of staying far away from Colombian men and getting as close as possible to a White American. Their hopes fell short when she falls in love with Julio, a Colombian man, and Hernandez, essentially, resents her family for looking down on him. Their relationship, unfortunately, falls apart when new possibilities are revealed—the idea that a woman can date another woman. Hernandez writes that “two women in love confirms for me that there is a love beyond what everyone else says is possible.” As time goes on she mentions to her mother that she has not dated a guy in while and that she instead had been dating women, leaving her mother speechless and mimicking the Virgin Mary pose. She tries to explain Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender (LGBT), feminist, and women’s rights movements in hopes of providing a foundation for understanding but instead her aunts accuse her of trying to kill her mother, as she hyperventilates, crying that such instances do not happen in Colombia. One of her aunts, Tia Dora even stops talking to her out of fear of her reputation and what others might say, ironically resurfacing seven years later when she dates a man again. Not only did Hernandez not have her family’s support but society, too, was not accepting of anything outside of heterosexual relationships. As a bisexual female, this social issue put Hernandez at…

    • 1197 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Her biological parents are 60-year old Juan and 55-year old Maria Valdez. Rosa reports that her father was verbally and physically abusive to her mother. When Rosa was 12-years old her parents separated and she has had no contact with them since. Following the separation, Maria raised Rosa as a single parent. Rosa and her mother have a strained relationship. Rosa feels that they “tolerate each other”. Despite their relationship, Maria does babysit her grandchildren regularly. She is now refusing to watch Christopher because she feels that he is “too difficult”. Rosa graduated high school and worked as a bank teller until the birth of her first daughter, three years ago. Currently a stay at home mom, Rosa would like to return to work part-time but Miguel is against it. Lately Rosa has been feeling depressed and isolated from her support network, due to the recent move. She reports feeling overwhelmed, and would like her children to have friends to play and interact with. At her previous home, Rosa was very involved with her church and neighbors. She would like Miguel to help out more with the children and be more involved with Christopher’s attention deficit disorder (ADD). Rosa reports feeling fed up with Miguel’s verbal abuse. She is frustrated, emotional and refuses to allow her children to grow up in an “abusive”…

    • 2049 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In "The Book Thief" character development links with the creation and development of a relationship, especially with Liesel, Rudy and Max. We find how much Liesel has changed when Death says 'Sometimes she sat against the wall, longing for the warm finger of paint to wander just once more down the side of her nose, or to watch the…

    • 1489 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Book Thief is narrated by a persona of “death”. Throughout the book, Death explains his obsession with human behavior and the colors that appear when they die. He is particularly interested in Liesel who he first meets on a train when her brother dies during the journey. Liesel’s career of stealing books begins at her brother’s burial…

    • 1560 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In The Book Thief, the themes of survivor’s guilt, love, and the power of words express the kindness and cruelty of humanity. These themes demonstrate how different experiences, dismal and joyous, come together to shape who a person is. At the beginning of the novel, Liesel was a scared little girl with no hope in the human race. After experiencing guilt, love and the power of words, Liesel discovers light in a world filled with…

    • 1070 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The first step they are trying to approach in their life if marriage. As soon as Mama Elena had heard about this, she had furiously rejected this idea. “ For generations, not a single person in my family has ever questioned this tradition, and no daughter of mine is going to be the one to star” (Esquirel 11). Tita had undergoes a conversation with her mother about Pedro coming over to have a “talk” with Mama Elena. Tita’s mother knew what was going to happen and was not excited about that idea. Tita then had received a fierce command tone from Mama Elena reminding her about the family’s tradition and Tita’s role of it. Tita now has to give up this idea of marriage and now has to watch her sister Rosaura get married to Pedro, her lover. This is how Tita lost her right of freedom and now she has to earn it…

    • 1225 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Here is where her family tree began to sprout. She had 9 grandchildren, and all was going well for her and her children. Maria and Francisco were constantly traveling from Guadalajara to Lake Elsinore. Maria’s life and marriage began to finally take shape and she was the happiest she had ever been. Francisco even became the father he never was with his children, to his grandchildren.…

    • 1635 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    When she finally did a reunion with her children, she didn’t stay long. Grande, Mago and Carlos had to continually watch their mother leave several times within two years. She continues to abandon her children; while living in America she decides to have another child’s name Betty. How unbearable it must have been hearing that their mother had another child living the American dream with their mother; which they are longing to have. On another returning trip, she told Grande uncle that he should go to “El Otro Lado.” Later in the children’s adolescent, they did not know that their mother is living in Mexico and has been there for months. How cruel of a mother that does not tell her children of her return home. She also, left her child Betty in America, moved back to Mexico with her new boyfriend and three-month-old baby boy. No one knew that she lived on San Pedro street in Mexico, but…

    • 1690 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Family is more than biological relation, but it is a commitment and is build on years of trust and love. For example, Matt is related to El Patrón by blood, in fact he is El Patrón, but in the book it is found out that El Patrón was utilizing him as an organ dispenser. Meanwhile, Celia has given her more love and attention than she gave herself. She was there when he took his first steps and the first time he said anything. She went through good and bad times with him. These things were probably worthless to Maria and didn 't matter. In Chapter 20, Farmer wanted to introduce to us the character, Esperanza, in a rebellious form," So could anyone say they were being mistreated? I could! thundered Esperanza. El Patrón sold those people 's souls to the devil! When they died, he plowed their bodies into the dirt for fertilizer. The roots of Opium are watered with blood, and anyone who buys its foul weed is no better than a flesh-eating cannibal "(197). She seemed to have a lot of anger writing this, but that is not an excuse to leave a lifetime behind. Esperanza knew many things about what was going on, but in order to want a change a person needs to stay where the problem is and solve it. Running away from problems, doesn 't make it go away, but makes that person labeled as a coward. Mrs. Mendoza also helped save Opium, " 'One of them-the copy-has to be declared unperson. But when the original…

    • 1235 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    She begins the story with her in taxi in New York City. She shamefully passes by her mother, Rose Mary Walls, ¨rooting through a Dumpster.¨ A similar pattern seems to occur throughout the book. Jeannette and her siblings find their mother continuously going under the covers. ¨Brian yanked the covers back. Lying on the mattress next to mom is one of those huge family-sized chocolate bars… she´d already eaten half of it.¨ The Walls family always struggled to get food and fed, while the mom of the family is eating her own chocolate bar. She gives the rest of the chocolate bar to the children, Lori, Maureen, Jeannette, and Brian, and says to ¨forgive her the same way we always forgave Dad for his drinking.¨ Although, Jeannette´s fathers drinking is never truly forgiven by her when he drinks and becomes drunk. In my opinion, the Mom of the Walls is not as great as she appears to be. She seems alright because of her strong morals and beliefs, but sometimes she is not as strong. Jeannette even says at one point that ¨it was hard for me to believe that this woman with her head under the blankets, feeling sorry for herself and boohooing like a five-year-old, was my mother.¨ Every person breaks down once in awhile, but she broke down quite…

    • 937 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Mama Elena Quotes

    • 181 Words
    • 1 Pages

    In Chapters September, October, November, December, Mama Elena had cursed Tita for being in relations in Pedro. Mama Elena eventually dies, leaving Tita and Pedro to do as they please with their love. Rosaura tries to keep their tradition alive by keeping her daughter from marrying John’s son, but she eventually dies and the young adults are free to marry.…

    • 181 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Rafaela is a woman who is also a part of the Mango Street community, but has a horrible life because of her possessive husband. Esperanza says, “And then Rafaela, who is still young but getting old from leaning out the window so much, gets locked indoors because her husband is afraid Rafaela will run away since she is too beautiful to look at. Rafaela leans out the window and leans on her elbow and dreams her hair is like Rapunzel’s” (Cisneros 72). Rafaela traded in her freedom for a husband. She is now a prisoner in her own home while her husband goes in and out as he pleases. She is locked away from everyone because her husband does not want to lose his ‘prized possession’. Rafaela compares herself to Rapunzel in this chapter. This is because her circumstance is very similar to that of Rapunzel’s; both women are locked away by a man who exerts power over them, and are hopelessly waiting to get rescued. Instead of leaving, Rafaela leans out the window and listens to the music from the bar down the street, wishing she could go there to dance before she gets old. Through Rafaela’s experience with her marriage, Esperanza learns that she does not want to get married to a husband that controls…

    • 1155 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It shows the growth and development of a character, as well as the trying approach to defiance. While a number of characters go through this conflict, the four of them that truly stand out are Leisel, Hams, Max, and Rudy. These characters face many challenges in order to get where they are and all share one thing in common, they don't agree with their government. In The Book Thief , man vs society conflict is like watching a boxing match where the smaller opponent only gives weak punches, but is able to rally up the crowd, because of their determination. To conclude, man versus society is extremely important and is one of the most important parts of a…

    • 742 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Book Thief Analysis

    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages

    But the reader also sees that Liesel is not completely frank to new people who help her create relationships with the truly compassionate people. She discovers friendships and words’ abilities and takes advantage of them. She reads these books while her foster father is away, the bombings, and while Max was hidden away in their house in order to forget about these things for a while. Words also save her life. When Himmel Street was broken into fragments by the Allies, she was in the basement making her own words. She got this idea from the other people around her and her books. Liesel, the mayor, and the mayor’s wife were the only ones left alive in the community. The most important message is that words have an impact on us for it is the theme of this story. This is what the author wants to convey to the readers. Words have an influence on peopleto do good and bad things.One person that helps Liesel change was Max. Max was the son of Hans Hubermann’s dead friend who is sought after for being Jewish. While Max hides in their basement, he writes his own books that were titled as The Standover Man and Word Shaker.In the Word Shaker, Max wrote about Liesel and how Hitler realizes that words have an effect on people. He also wrote that the people on top are the ones that fully understand words. She benefits from the friends she had. Liesel learns how to read from Hans Hubermann and steal what she loves with Rudy. As Liesel Meminger concludes her narrative, she says, “I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right” (Zusak 528). Like Liesel, people need to make sure that they use their words properly, whether it is to their advantage or for…

    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays