Similarities Between Liesel And Max In The Book Thief

Improved Essays
Imagine harboring a fugitive in your own home. The man is a stranger, but the desperation on his face as he asks for entrance into your home is so intense it’s almost palpable. By allowing him in, you accept the reality that the remainder of his stay will be days filled with paranoia and fear. This is exactly the fear the Hubermanns experienced whilst hiding Max Vandenburg, a Jew, from the Nazis. Following the story of Max and Liesel Merminger, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak tells the tale of their struggle surviving Nazi Germany together. Along the way, the relationship between Max and Liesel grew immensely, and ultimately helped them survive the war. In order to explore this topic, the similarities between Liesel and Max, their personal demons, and how they gave each other purpose throughout the novel must be addressed. Taking a look at the descriptions of Liesel and Max, one would think that the two of them are as different as different can be. …show more content…
Max is a 22 year old, rough looking Jewish street fighter, whilst little Liesel Merminger is a young German girl. In appearances, they are complete opposites. Yet, they share more common ground than any reader could have expected. Both of them came from a similar background due to the fact that they both lost their families due to the war. Liesel’s sorrows included her brother’s death from sickness, her father’s disappearance and the fact that her mother had relinquished custody of her in hopes that she could find a better life elsewhere. As for Max, he lost his father to the war and had no idea as to the whereabouts of his mother. Almost as though fate had commanded it, both of them were adopted into the Hubermann household. Due to their similar losses, both Liesel and Max faced personal demons that would arrive in their nightmares. “The nightmares arrived like they always did, much like the best player in the opposition when you've heard rumors that he might be injured or sick-but there he is, warming up with the rest of them, ready to take the field” (Zusak 220). Throughout the novel, Liesel remained rather distant towards Max. She didn’t trust him, because he was a strange man sharing her home. Yet when she sees him wake from a nightmare, she realized that she made the decision to talk to him about her nightmares as well. These involve her dead brother. Max shares that his nightmares the reoccur about him leaving his family. He went from being a man who could easily beat down his opponents to being powerless and running for his life. For both of them, the loss of their family members and control over their lives haunts them daily. This creates an immense sense of trust and camaraderie between the two of them. As the trust between them began to grow, so did their friendship. Additionally, Max and Liesel were able to give each other purpose. With Max hunkered down in the Hubermann’s basement all day, he has nothing to do but despair in the cold, dark basement. With Liesel’s help, his life isn’t so drab. She gives him newspapers, crossword puzzles and good conversation. On another note, to Max, Liesel

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Liesel discovers that kind words can be utilized to battle evil ones and I think that is part of what gives joy to Liesel and Max. You see, he took something that was hateful and discriminating and turned it into something that Liesel could enjoy, that was about Himself and his long journey to where he was then and even though Mein Kampf was full of hatred he turned it into something Liesel could enjoy knowing that she loves books it is a simple gesture that came from the heart of his character showing humanity inside him but it didn’t matter how well written the book was it was the fact that Liesel had something to remember Max by that brought her the joy and…

    • 949 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Through Thick and Thin "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb," a common proverb, suggests that a promise kept between two people is more important than genetic relations. However, relatives and family held great significance for Europe during World War II, where bloodlines and genetics were often the difference between life and death. Blood is a motif of war, and how fitting that The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, set in the bloodiest war in history, is not only a story of a girl living in Nazi Germany, but also a story about family and the difference between being of blood-relation and being together. Liesel Meminger, the protagonist, is a foster child who is taken from her old home to Himmel Street. Upon growing…

    • 1199 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Liesel’s papa has gone off to war. After another air-raid Liesel’s step-mother gives…

    • 367 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Study Questions for The Book Thief 1. Read pp. 3-35. Who do you think the narrator is? Why?…

    • 2045 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Another thing is that Max always wonders what it is like to leave the basement because he is always stuck running away and hiding, never being able to come out in fear of being found. Both Liesel and Max are curious about the books they read about people, their lives, and what they contributed to society. Liesel is particularly curious about Hitler and why everyone thinks that he is so great and what he is all about, which can get her in trouble for all her questions. Both Max and Liesel are very curious people and they want to learn more about the world and having an…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Additionally, Liesel’s books also link her to Max. Liesel begins to talk to Max when she finds “the courage to ask her question” about Mein Kampf (217). He tells her that it saved his life and he begins to tell her about his life before he came to Himmel street. Liesel and Max are “held together by the quiet gathering of words” (248). If Max and Liesel had not bonded the way they do, Liesel would not have looked for Max in the parades of Jews.…

    • 1319 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Since The Book Thief is a historical fiction text, the fictitious characters interact in a realistic WWII setting in Germany. Three characters in the book, Liesel, Rudy, and Hans develop their identities within the parameters of the Nazi controlled society. However, if Liesel, Rudy, and Hans were characters in today's society, their lives would be different. The society and the character’s identities would influence the choices they make. Liesel was skinny and pale, she has dangerous brown eyes, and have german blond hair.…

    • 862 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the other hand, Max and Liesel are only seen as common people of the society however, heavy weight of emphasis was placed on the protagonists by Death. “Max had a full collection of the pages of Mein Kampf painted over in white.” The rejection of high and low culture is evident as a commoner like Max paints over the words of an influential man to write his own story. As for Liesel, Death compliments her book the Book Thief, “There’s a multitude of stories… The Book Thief is one such story.”…

    • 780 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Book Thief Theme Essay

    • 1556 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Various works of literature portray childhood and adolescence as times graced by innocence and a sense of wonder or is sometimes depicted as times of tribulation and terror. In the novel, The Book Thief written by Markus Zusak, it narrates the life of Liesel Meminger who is a young German girl living a tough life and also those around her. Throughout the times of the Holocaust, the tragedies they suffer are traumatizing and life changing. The reduction of childhood and adolescence shapes the work as a whole and can be observed through the loss of their loved ones, what it is like to live in Germany, and finally through poverty.…

    • 1556 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In a chilly night, a passing train that contain our book thief, Liesel is with her brother but unfortunately on the way to Himmel street, her brother died therefore they had to bury him near the train track. Himmel street is located in Germany, where Hitler is dictating therefore Germans will always have to comply with Hitler 's rules, no matter what or else they will get punish. Ironically, Himmel Street means Heaven Street but with Liesel’s fortune as of right now, losing her brother and having a new foster home, Heaven street is not matching her situation right now. As Liesel said “Whoever named Himmel Street certainly had a healthy sense of irony. Not that it was a living hell.…

    • 1076 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He carries around a copy of Mein Kampf, the book that has killed his friends and family. Ironically, it has saved his life because in it he carries his required documents for escape. Instead of escaping he ends up living in Liesel’s basement. Much like Liesel, Max has nightmares and visions of past traumatic events, representing his constant internal state of terror and fear. To Max, the basement could easily just be another place to hide in from the Nazis, but instead he is able to find his coping mechanism for trauma in the basement.…

    • 1047 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Any avid book lover or anybody interested in the history of the Nazi’s reign over Germany should immediately go to the nearest library or bookstore to pick up The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (550 pages). Through the words and actions of the novel’s main character, Liesel Meminger, this famous Holocaust novel can help young readers understand what life was really like during this period of suffering. This book contains numerous twists and turns that will leave readers questioning who was the actual narrator. This narrative takes place in Molching, a small suburb in the Nazi-infested town of Munich.…

    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    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…

    • 685 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Book Thief proposes a different take on the telling of the Holocaust. With a narrator like Death, and a German protagonist, the book successfully gives the audience insight on the evolution of Nazism, and the assurance that not all Germans were as cruel as their countrymen. By using descriptive imagery and intriguing foreshadow, Zusak is capable of creating a relationship between the novel’s audience and a narrator that they never thought they would want to hear more…

    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Book Thief Reflection

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The novel is about a young German girl, Liesel Meminger during World War 2 who lives with her Foster parents. Throughout the story Liesel grows from a little girl to an alert and careful adult. She must keep a Jew hidden and in secret in her basement. Max, Liesel, and her family encounter a lot of danger while hiding away Max during this awful time in Germany. I felt Liesel’s emotions of anger and love throughout the book.…

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays