Liesel Analysis

During this time period, Germany and Russia were in a horrific war. There was constant bombings and raids in cities including Himmel Street in Molching, Germany. This kept everyone on their toes just in case they were bombed in this area. They needed to get out of the area as soon as possible so they didn’t die. In the book during the second raid, people scared out of their mind sat around, “That was still an immutable fact, but at least they were distracted now, by the girl and her book” (Zusak 382). Liesel read to the scared people to try and comfort them. In this dark time, Liesel gave people comfort and she was able to make the situation slightly better and not as scary for many people. Sometimes, the right words can make the situation a lot better. Words can be comforting and make everything feel better. For example, “For at least 20 minutes,s he handed out the story. The youngest kids were soothed by her voice” (Zusak 381). Even though it is a dark situation, it made it better. Comfort during this dark time is what these people needed. Being calm in a situation like this had a positive effect on everyone around Liesel. Next, when Max, a Jew and the son of Hans Hubermann’ s friend, moved into the Hubermann household, it put the family in a very risky and life threatening situation. If they had gotten caught with a Jew in their basement, there would have been horrible consequences for all of them. But, the more time that Max

When readers first meet Liesel Meminger, she is a young girl standing quietly with her mother and brother on the train. At this time, she seems confused and a little bit afraid. She doesn’t know exactly

With the power of words, that causes the destruction of Germany and the world, Liesel’s uses that same power to deal with the terror of death that looms over them, allowing her to give power and hope, to those that need it, especially in the midst of the chaos of World War II. Where the German forces were deteriorating, and the Allies only grew stronger with each bomb that they drop, Liesel and her neighbors hide within one of the basements, in attempt to survive the onslaught of attacks, fearfully and anxious. The only things that were with them was each other, and their most precious items, and for Liesel, it was her books. All they could do was wait for sirens, and because of this uncertainty, Liesel took it upon herself to ease her distress.

When Liesel arrives in Molching she is unable to read or write. Hans Hubermann teaches Liesel to read when he discovers that she has a book. Thereupon Liesel learns to love reading. She decides to record the story of her life in a notebook given to her by Ilsa Herman. This decision leads to Liesel’s survival during the bombing of Himmel Street. "Only

This part of the novel resembles a point in Liesel’s character in which she was passionate about the things she was feeling - almost as if she was determined to do something about it. As this event occurred, Liesel was filled with anger about her parent’s disappearance. She had recently found out that Hitler had something to do with it, which pushed Liesel to the conclusion that Hitler was not a man to be celebrated. As her hatred for Nazi ideals grew, so did her bravery.

“Earlier, kids had been playing hopscotch there, on the street that looked like oil-stained pages… Then, bombs. This time, everything was too late” (12). In the beginning of the book, Death reveals the bombing of Himmel Street as he recounts the times he saw Liesel Meminger. The feeling of grim anticipation lingers throughout the book because of this foreshadowing.

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

Throughout the novel Liesel is known for having a close relationship with her father, Hans Hubermann, when Liesel first moved to Munich and started school she was falling behind the other students in her class. In order to help Liesel advance in her studies, Hans taught her to read and was her confident when she needed to discuss something. Hans Hubermann was one of many of Liesel's loved ones that died during the air raid on Himmel Street. Liesel's close relationship with her father left her devastated when she learned of his death, she also stated “Goodbye, Papa, you saved me. You taught me to read. No one can play like you. I’ll never drink champagne. No one can play like you.” (Page 361) The short and choppy sentences found in this quote may represent the fast heartbeat Liesel had as she said goodbye to Hans and felt the numbing attitude of guilt from having to start a new life without him or a home - the air raid destroying both. Survivor’s guilt is also felt by Michael Holtzapfel, a veteran of war and the son of Frau Holtzapfel. During the war his brother, Robert, dies in the field. When Michael is granted leave to return home, he “killed himself for wanting to live.” (Page 339) Also, during an aside that contains the

Rosa Huberman is Liesel's new mom. Another way is when, after death, the narrator looked at the good in Rosa Huberman when Liesel was only looking at the bad. “She was a good woman in a crisis. Even when the arthritic Helena Schidt canceled the washing and ironing service, a month after Max’s debut.she simply sat at the table and brought the bowl to her. Good soup tonight.

When the people set fire to the books, Liesel steals one from the fire, “Beneath her shirt, a book was eating her up. ”(Zusak 122).In her new surroundings she meets lots of new people that make her life better but even so she is still saddened by her lost family. With the new people she befriends, she progressively gets happier. A character who greatly helps her feel better is her foster father Hans.

At this point, Liesel has started calling the Hubermanns “papa” and “mama.” This quote is important because she is starting to move on. She is finally accepting her new life. After her brother’s death and the separation from her mother, she has gone through a lot of change. From this quote, one can infer that the worse is over. She had gotten over her period of grief and can now adjust.

According to Markus Zusak, the world is full of unexpected events. Throughout this book Liesel had to face many challenges like the death of her brother, hiding a Jew in her basement, losing Max, being abandoned by her mom, etc. However the hardest challenge she faced was when she woke up one morning and her life had changed. Liesel was blindsided by devastation when she realized her whole world had been turned upside down. “’What’s happened?’ Liesel asked. “Is this still Himmel Street?” “Yes.” The man had disappointed eyes. What had he seen these past few years? ‘This is Himmel. You got bombed, my girl. Es tut mir leid, Schatzi. I’m sorry, darling.’” Through this conversation she knew her neighborhood and house had been atom bombed.

“As it turned out, Ilsa Hermann not only gave Liesel Meminger a book that day. She also gave her a reason to spend time in the basement, her favorite place, first with Papa, than Max. She gave her a reason to write her own words, to see that words had also brought her to life” (524). When Liesel first arrives in Molching, she does not trust anyone. She is angry because she doesn't know how to read and her classmates make fun of her. Her foster father, Hans Hubermann, teaches her to read and during their time together, Liesel finds a true love for reading. Liesel meets Ilsa Hermann while delivering her laundry to her. One night at a Nazi book burning, Ilsa sees Liesel steal a book. The next time that Liesel delivers their clothes, Ilsa waits for her with a stack of books in her hand. Liesel discovers that Ilsa has a library and that they connect through books. In the novel, The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, his character, Ilsa Hermann, elucidates the theme of compassion through her actions towards Liesel. She shows this by letting Liesel read in her library, taking Liesel in after the bombing, and giving Liesel a book to write her own story.

After losing her mother and her brother, Liesel’s life and identity is changed drastically many times. It is through books that she discovers and becomes comfortable with this change. When she first meets Hans and Rosa Hubermann, her new foster parents, she does not wish to speak with them or get to know them. However, once Hans discovers Liesel with the book she stole when her brother was buried, The Gravedigger’s Manual, they bond over Hans teaching Liesel to read. Liesle describes the first time her and Hans have a lesson in the middle of the night: “She had done this at school, in the kindergarten class, but this time was better. … It was nice to watch Papa’s hand as he wrote the words and slowly constructed the primitive sketches” (Zusak

The beginning of Part Two shows a motive that is seen throughout this book. It is that Liesel Meminger is hungry for something and that something is words. For example, the first chapter starts out with saying when she stole her first book, her second, and the duration of time between the two. Liesel was just learning to read with her foster father when she stole her second book because it was not until her papa found the first one that he started to teach her. After having stolen her first book and was starting to be able to read it, she wanted more words. She wanted another book. She later got two books from her papa for Christmas, got to read in the Mayor's wife's library, and read the books she had stolen. The hunger for words grew as