Air Raids In The Book Thief

Reflection: The Book Thief contains many important concepts, but three of them play major roles in developing the characters and creating themes. One key concept discusses the power and significance of words. As seen in the novel, words can be used to influence people in negative and positive ways. For example, reading and writing save the lives of Hans, Max, and Liesel in the form of letters, a copy of MKPF, and Liesel’s life story. On the other hand, Hitler uses words to encourage the German people to hunt down and kill Jewish people. This shows how words can kill people and save people’s lives. Another important concept in The Book Thief is that life is unpredictable, and it can’t be meticulously planned out. Fate and chance will make a difference. This is shown when Hans switches seats with Reinhold Zucker in the military vehicle. Neither of them knows that the bus will crash, and the person in that seat will be killed. But fate isn’t tested, so Hans’s life is spared, and Zucker’s life is taken away. The last major concept, and perhaps the most important, is used as the framework for one of the most crucial themes. It is that humanity displays its duality in extreme ways. From Hans risking his life to give a piece of bread to a frail, old man, to Hitler killing six million Jews in cold blood, humans are capable of the amazingly kind and the incredibly

In the novel The Book Thief , by Markus Zusak, there are many different characters but Liesel was the one who stood out. Liesel had many different positives and negatives which changed her into the character that she was in the novel.These positives and negatives showed the viewers who Liesel really is and how she copes with everything.Liesel had many big events which changed her when she went to live with the Hubermanns , another is when max leaves her,last but not least was when Himmel street get bombed and Liesel stepped out onto the street and saw all her loved ones gone.

Hans Hubermann felt guilty because he was confused about why Erik Vandenburg would die for him. Hans felt unworthy of what Erik did. He channeled this guilt into different emotiions and actions. Hans had the compassion to take Liesel in as one of his own, he had no problem with working through her problems. Hans stepped out of the social normality at the time to help a Jewish shop-keeper paint his vandalized door. He also took Max Vandenburg, a run-away Jew that was sent to Han’s house, fully aware of what though times may lay ahead. Throughout the entire book Hans uses his guilt to preform good deeds for others.

Liesel discovers that by educating herself, she has the capability to allow herself to survive her desperate circumstances, while developing bonds with others. Liesel has gone through a lot and been in desperate circumstances. She uses her books as a way to persevere, she discovers the “book [with] silver writing on it,”(pg 21) it represents the end of a phase and a beginning of a new one. Liesel quickly adapts to reading, to mourn the loss of her brother, since she found the book where they buried her him. During the book burning, there is an opportunity for Liesel to retrieve more books, “the book thief [has] struck,” (pg 22) for the first time.

Every time Liesel steals books from people, she consistently places the lives of others at risk. An example of this is when Liesel is worried about Max dying and wants to steal a book and read it to him

The Book Thief’s plot is character driven in the beginning. Characters choose to make their own decisions and consequently feel the effects of later on. For example, Liesel and Rudy intentionally make the decision to steal books from Ilsa Hermann’s library. The Hubermann and the Steiner families both make the subconscious decision to dislike the Nazis. Finally, Hans Hubermann makes the potentionally incriminating decision to harbor a Jew, Max, in his basement. These characters choose to go against their morals, yet their decisions work in their favor. Nearing the end of the book, the plot structure switches to plot driven; external forces disturbing the characters more than their own decisions and actions do. This novel is centered around the Holocaust and the war was taking place, and without this, many of the major events would not have happened, resulting in a different outcome for the characters. The bombs set off due to the war also influenced the characters by a great deal, causing their panic and fear to control their

At the library, she was offered a book by the mayor’s wife multiple times but Liesel declined. After being removed from the job because the mayor couldn’t offered job, Liesel must leave. Though she declined the book many times, she returns to the house to steal food but instead retrieves the book. She steals it for her close friend Rudy. The book itself represents the connection between the two especially Rudy valiantly saves the book after it was almost thrown into a river.

However, he felt that it was a proper action and did not allow danger to stop him. In addition to Hans’ act of kindness, the Hubermanns took

To begin, in The Book Thief, books seem to provide Liesel with hope in many ways . First, Liesel reads her books in hope that they will distract her from her harsh reality of living during a war, and having Hitler as a leader. This is displayed in the following quotation,”Liesel opened one of her books and began to read. The book on the top of the pile was The Whistler and she spoke it aloud to help her concentrate,” (Zusak 381). Within this quotation, one sees that Liesel reads her books to in the hope

From what has been established so far in The Book Thief, I believe that Liesel is hungry for knowledge and the power of literacy. Since the beginning, she has longed for this ability which is why she stole books in the first place. It just so happened that Hans was willing to teach her how to read and to teach her the things that she wouldn’t learn at school. I think that she has many longings for things throughout the book, but this is the most important in her mind. Along with just the ability to read, I also think that she wanted the chance to show that

Throughout “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak, we see a growth in the main characters, Liesel and Hans. Liesel is Hans’ foster daughter and together, their relationship has grown as if they are biological father and daughter. Hans took Liesel into his arms and unquestionably made her apart of his family. We can relate their relationship to the lyrics of “Butterfly Fly Away,” by Hannah Montana.

future of Liesel’s stealing career with books. Liesel owned fourteen books, of the ten most

Germans and Jews: More Similar than Most Think “Only through hardship, sacrifice and militant action can freedom be won.” This quote by Nelson Mandela shows that people must suffer in order to get what they desire, and the population of Nazi Germany knew this all too well. Many, many innocent human beings died at the hands of Hitler and his minions, and through these hardships, people found their strength. In both Markus Zusak’s book, The Book Thief, and the real Holocaust, both the Jews and the Germans face hardships that ultimately guide them to freedom. The purpose of The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, is to teach people about the hardships that both the Jews and the Germans endured during the Holocaust.

Liesel Meminger is the main character in Marcus Zusak's novel, "The Book Thief". She had hair that was "a close enough brand of German blond, but she had dangerous eyes. Dark brown" (Zusak 31). From the age of nine, Liesel had to overcome many hardships during Hitler's rein of power. The fact that her real parents were communists made the situation worse. However, she still managed to be a loyal, caring, courageous, understanding, strong-willed girl who loved stealing books to flourish her love of words.

Liesel loves to read and it doesn't take her long to withhold her title as Book Thief. She starts with The Grave Digger’s Handbook which is the book she picks up after her brother’s death. Hans teachers her to read and painted her a “chalkboard” in the basement so that she can write down the new words she has learned. There ends up being a town “parade” which is really a book burning event where Hitler and the Nazis are commemorated, during this time Germany was looking towards invading new countries. Liesel is handed a book and pressured to throw it into the fire, to which she eventually does so. However, once the fire has been put out and everyone has gone home, she notices a book that is only slightly charred, not destroyed by the fire and picks it up. A car drives by and a woman, who is Ilsa Herman, the mayor’s wife, sees her take the book, but Liesel hides it under her coat and runs away quickly back home.