It is often assumed that every occupant of Nazi Germany either hated the Jews or knowingly ignored their hardships; however, that is not entirely true. There were some Germans who attempted to make a difference. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a historical fiction novel about the life of a young German girl. Liesel is a young orphan growing up in a poor town in Nazi Germany. Although as far-fetched as it sounds, stealing books is what keeps her alive in the end.…
In this passage Hans is explaining to Liesel the consequences that would occur if she were to…
Hans first built his relationship with Liesel by reading The Grave Digger’s Handbook to her. He also respected her well, and treated her like a real daughter. When Hans found out about her stealing books, he was very calm and it became their own “little secret”. Hans helped Liesel feel like she was in “good hands”.…
Lucy Ren Ms. Dasho English 9H Period 1 10/7/15 Reading Log #1 (pg. 3-39) Strategy: Compare and contrast two characters In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, a German girl named Liesel Meminger is sent to live with her new foster parents Rosa and Hans Hubermann on Himmel Street.…
But on realizing that he was dead, she told him she loved him and kissed Rudy on his lips. When she found her Mama [Rosa] and Papa’s [Hans] bodies, she walked towards them, she grabbed Mama’s hand and reminded her when Liesel arrived at the front gate of mama’s house, Liesel remembered when she first time came to Rosa’s house and people started gathering to see what was happening. Rosa told the people to go away so Liesel was comfortable coming in the house. And for Papa, Liesel laid his accordion down on his body, and said, Hans loved his accordion and he played for Liesel to calm her down.…
The relationship between Liesel and Hans was based on learning words, playing the accordion, and rolling cigarettes together. The thing that Liesel loved to do was listen to her papa play his accordion it always made her feel happy whenever she heard it. The accordion was a symbol for the debt that Hans had to a Jew that saved his life during the war. “It said, ‘Huberman, sir.’ The voice belonged to Erik Vandenberg.…
Starting with her brother’s death on the train to Munich, she becomes familiar with the pain. Indirectly, Liesel meets other affected by death. This includes Frau Holtzapfel, who had lost her son. Ilsa Hermann, too, lost a child at an early age. Liesel is friends with both women and is influenced by them.…
In this passage, you see the depression settling in and you can relate to those times when you really need something to help you get through life. This is what is happening to Liesel during this time as she struggles with the death of her brother, her friend leaving, her father being sent to the war and her best friend falling into a deep depression as well. 12. In this passage, you see the true reason why Liesel tries to mask her feelings with books and thievery or picking up the washing. It is to hide from the death of happiness, which isn't deaths job.…
This really played a major impact in Liesel’s life because she had seen her brother die right in front of her own eyes. After a while, people were able to convince her to leave the car and enter the house, but when she did leave the car to go into the house, she clung onto the gate. “A gang of tears trudged from her eyes as she held on and refused to go inside” (....). Liesel Meminger showed the negative emotion of crying in this situation. This negative emotion of crying happened because of fear.…
Literary elements help to make up a story; for this reason they are extremely important. The elements of literature, are the ground beneath the feet of a story. In The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak, the literary element, man versus society, plays an extremely detrimental role in the story. Almost every character, goes through some form of man versus society conflict during the story. Some of the characters that are most affected by this are; Liesel, Max, Rudy, and Hans.…
This quote shows us how her papa would come in and help her get through her nightmares. Hans and Liesel have a close bond and it is fate that they got put together on this earth. In Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, Hans shows that fate can affect our life more than our own decisions can. This can be seen through when he is watching the parade and gives the bread to the Jewish man, When Max’s friend is able to find Hans to see if he will help Max hide.…
Themes and Humanity in The Book Thief The Holocaust was arguably one of the most devastating events in history. The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak, is an illustration of how dangerous this era was. The Book Thief tells the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster child who develops a love of books and words after her foster father, Hans Hubermann, teaches her how to read. However, Liesel’s life changes when the family begins to hide a Jew, Max Vandenburg, in their basement.…
Anne Frank once said, “Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.” This powerful quote runs with a prominent theme seen in The Book Thief. That in which there is beauty in and after destruction. When good is seen in the midst of evil, that is truly a beautiful thing. In the novel The Book Thief written by Markus Zusak, the author expresses his inspiration and disgust towards humanity.…
This event marks the beginning of Liesel’s journey, though it is the one experience that continually haunts her. Throughout the novel Liesel has recurring visions of her dead brother in her arms which leads the reader to believe that she has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Liesel learns to deal with this trauma in the basement. “This is hugely symbolic as in Freudian psychoanalysis the basement represents unconscious drives, repressed fears, traumas, and fantasies. All of these elements do in fact play out in the basement.”…
WWII can be seen through many eyes and The Book Thief tells its story through the eyes of Death (Zusak 3). Death tells a story of a German young girl named Liesel and her experience of growing up through WWII (Zusak 5) In the book, the reader sees the importance of reading through the stages of Liesel’s childhood. To her, the books she steals are not just words on pages. They remind her of a turning point in her youth. The importance of reading in Liesel’s life can be reflected in the reader’s life.…