“The gates of thievery would open just a crack, and Liesel Meminger would widen them a little further and squeeze through” (Zusak 79). At that moment, Death asked: “would they have the goodwill to let her back out?” (Zusak 79). Both Rudy and Liesel steal throughout their time on Himmel Street and symbolically, others do, too. But do the “gates of thievery” ever fully close, or are they left open just a crack, so the good ones can sneak back out? In The Book Thief, Markus Zusak uses the motif of crime and stealing as fulfillment for the characters lost sense of power and control, their basic needs, and relief and healing for their pain. But, as the characters grow and learn, they find that giving is a better form of fulfillment.
Rudy, Liesel, …show more content…
Despite Rudy’s background of stealing things for comfort, Rudy changed to see that other people have struggles, too. When Liesel and Rudy watched another march of Jews through their town, Rudy had the idea to hide in the bushes and give the Jews bread, like Hans. Liesel saw Ruddy from a different perspective and “watched the boy. How things had changed, from fruit stealer to bread giver” (Zusak 297). Rudy finds that using his fortune, even if it’s only a piece of bread, to help someone else feel better is power in that he has control over someone else’s emotions. He also finds that making them feel better gives a greater sense of pride and accomplishment compared to committing a crime. After Liesel’s papa leaves for the army, she finds herself awoken by her grieving foster mother. Struck with worry and her own sadness, her motives change. She noticed that “usually it was stealing that cheered her up, but on this day, it was giving something back” (Zusak 321). As the characters grow and see the people around them face great struggles, they find a greater relief of pain, for both themselves and their loved ones, in giving. Because they learn that by making other people happy, even if it's only for a minute, makes them happy too. And their pains fall away. When Liesel and Rudy are ambushing Otto for his food, they make him fall down pretty hard. At first, they think he’s dead but as they are …show more content…
Why? Because they saw how others had greater struggles than them.Rudy and Liesel really start to change after seeing the pains the Jews face. They follow Papa’s example and fulfill both needs and wants by helping others. They learn that the smallest thing to make someone else’s day better, instead of worse, could help them, too. Death asks if the gates of thievery would let Liesel back out, and they did. They let her out with new knowledge and insight that taught her being kind and loving was a better way to live her life than
Rudy, Liesel, …show more content…
Despite Rudy’s background of stealing things for comfort, Rudy changed to see that other people have struggles, too. When Liesel and Rudy watched another march of Jews through their town, Rudy had the idea to hide in the bushes and give the Jews bread, like Hans. Liesel saw Ruddy from a different perspective and “watched the boy. How things had changed, from fruit stealer to bread giver” (Zusak 297). Rudy finds that using his fortune, even if it’s only a piece of bread, to help someone else feel better is power in that he has control over someone else’s emotions. He also finds that making them feel better gives a greater sense of pride and accomplishment compared to committing a crime. After Liesel’s papa leaves for the army, she finds herself awoken by her grieving foster mother. Struck with worry and her own sadness, her motives change. She noticed that “usually it was stealing that cheered her up, but on this day, it was giving something back” (Zusak 321). As the characters grow and see the people around them face great struggles, they find a greater relief of pain, for both themselves and their loved ones, in giving. Because they learn that by making other people happy, even if it's only for a minute, makes them happy too. And their pains fall away. When Liesel and Rudy are ambushing Otto for his food, they make him fall down pretty hard. At first, they think he’s dead but as they are …show more content…
Why? Because they saw how others had greater struggles than them.Rudy and Liesel really start to change after seeing the pains the Jews face. They follow Papa’s example and fulfill both needs and wants by helping others. They learn that the smallest thing to make someone else’s day better, instead of worse, could help them, too. Death asks if the gates of thievery would let Liesel back out, and they did. They let her out with new knowledge and insight that taught her being kind and loving was a better way to live her life than