Max And Leisel Relationship

In The Book Thief, Liesel Meminger is a caring person. When her foster father, Hans Hubermann, is lecturing Liesel about not telling anyone that they are hiding a jew named Max in their basement; Liesel starts crying. Hans tell her that if she speaks of Max, himself and Liesel’s foster mother Rosa, will be taken away and they will never come back. Liesel starts bawling at this point in the lecture. This shows how much she really cares about her family. Liesel cares about the people that she loves and their presence in her life. Liesel cares about others and fights for justice when she sees someone being treated unfairly. One example of this is when Liesel stands up for Rudy when she sees Victor beating him up and giving him a bloody nose.

Max and Liesel were scared of each other at the beginning of the novel because they didn’t know what was going on. Throughout the book they both become very close friends and start to give presents to each other. “As it turned out, the gift was delivered on paper, just over a week later. He would bring it to her in the early hours of the morning, before retreating down the concrete steps to what he now liked to call home” (pg.222). Max has been hiding in the basement for many weeks now and he makes a book called The Standover Man. This is the book Max is delivering to Liesel so they can have a closer relationship and become like family. This is the first item that Max gives to Liesel and Liesel will give lots more because her love for Max is very strong and cannot be broken. A quote from this novel that explains their unbreakable relationship would be when Liesel sees Max walking to a concentration camp. “‘You have to let go of me, Liesel.’ After a long line of steps, the first soldier noticed. He pointed his whip. ‘Get out of there.’ When she ignored him completely, the soldier used his arm to separate the stickiness of people. The soldier took her. ‘I said get out!’ he ordered her, and now he dragged the girl to the side and flung her into the wall of onlooking Germans. She reentered” (pg.511). This passage shows the unbreakable relationship of Max and Liesel. Even though the soldier pushes

He's being punished with poverty and lack of medical treatment. He is not alone.Liesel's book stealing never quite qualifies as criminality, unless you're being strict. As Rudy points out, it's almost silly to call taking books from Ilsa Hermann's library "stealing." Her book thievery presents a pleasant counterpart to the very real crimes of the Nazis.Being a Jew in these times means being a criminal. There is no move a Jew in Nazi Germany can make that isn't considered a crime.Death explains to us that sau means a pig. Saumensch is an insult for women, Saukerl is an insult for men. Arschloch is "asshole" (sorry for using the term, but it’s nessecary to describe this part of the book). These terms become terms of endearment between the characters as the novel progresses.At this early stage, though, being called a pig-girl isn't exactly endearing. Liesel soon learns that calling Rosa "Mama" is one big way to stay on her good side.Death tells us that this is a definition that isn't found in the dictionaries. As we see when we get into the Duden Dictionary sections of the novel, it's sometimes hard to find the right words to express what we see and feel.This theme is repeated over and over in the novel, by anyone who survives. Michael Holtzapfel's guilt over his brother's death (which he had nothing to do with and couldn’t prevent) drives him to commit suicide.The passage does a lot to highlight Max's suffering. Two years hiding in dark sheds has made him an

Some people perceive kindness in different ways as what they might think seems nice, could be harmful to others. When Liesel tries to communicate with Max, she does not pause to think that such an action would put her and Max in danger. On page 513, the book narrates “He cried as the soldiers came and a small collection…Standing, he was whipped”. It was Max who was the one whipped by the soldiers because they saw Liesel hugging and talking to him. Max’s life was placed in danger because Liesel thought she was being kind by talking to him. It is understandable that she wanted to communicate with Max after a long time of not seeing him, but the manner in which she conveyed her emotions to him was too obvious to the soldiers watching. Had Rudy not been quick on his feet to go and help her, she would’ve been punished more for speaking with Max. In addition to the immediate damage done, other people who witnessed the situation would think that Liesel’s family was sympathetic to Jews, something not considered good at that time. The long term consequences of Liesel’s stubbornness to speak with Max set an even deeper impression to when Hans gave the bread to the Jews and therefore puts her and her family in more danger. This is another example of Liesel’s stubbornness, or perceived kindness, which place her and others’ lives in danger.

Liesel experienced awful events, such as losing her brother and Rudy, and hiding in air-raid shelters. When Liesel lost her brother, “Somewhere in all the snow, she could see her broken heart, in two pieces. Each half was glowing, and beating under all that white”(Zusak 24). Using imagery,

Liesel displays physical courage when she injures herself to warn Hans and Rosa that soldiers were coming to inspect their basement. Zusak uses exaggeration in the quote, “The boy turned with the ball just as Liesel arrived, and they collided with such force that the game stopped automatically. As the ball rolled off, players ran in. Liesel held her grazed knee with one hand and her head with the other.” This quote displays exaggeration because he writes “they collided with such force that the game stopped automatically.” This phrase is just an exaggeration for when the two players hit each other. This also creates a happy atmosphere because Liesel can warn her family that Nazi soldiers are coming to check basements. Therefore, Liesel displays physical

In a way, Liesel and Max give each other purpose. Max needs Liesel to brighten his life with stories from the outside world and to bring him the energy of youth. Liesel benefits from Max because she learns a lot about suffering and he is someone with whom she identifies. They both rely on each other for comfort, friendship, and trust. They quickly become good friends. They share their nightmares because they are the only ones that can relate to one another,. Max has left his family and Liesel has lost her brother. Sharing their misfortunes the two become connected through sharing their souls and the printed word. Liesel teaches Max that he can express his scrappy personality through words "I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I

First to go is Max Vandenburg and then her beloved Papa. Hans Hubermann did help a Jew, which started the downhill spiral of loved ones leaving. Liesel wanted to comfort her papa from his decision for, “she’s never seen a man so devastated,” but she also knew Max had to leave and she knew, “Hans Hubermann was to blame” (399). Yet another downfall in Liesel’s life, her treasured relationship with Max was torn away by the foolish actions of her papa. She wanted to forgive him, but she knew she could not. Max, the person that built Liesel up and believed in her words was gone. A flame of inner conflict arose in her body, she loves Hans dearly, but today he was not a remedy to the numbness. He was the cause. In a matter of time Hans knew he would also leave Liesel and that day did come. She begged him: “Don’t go, Papa. Please. First we lost Max. I can’t lose you too” (423). During this time period, the consequences for helping anyone of the Jewish faith is being sent to the battlefront or death. Liesel does not realize this now, but Hans being sent away is a much better fate than being sentenced to death. She needs him to stay. She can not take anymore loss right now. The most important people in her life have vanished and all she can do is wait and hope they will come back one day. More cracks are pushing towards the surface of her heart, and it is slowly breaking. The only saving grace is words. Sharing words with Frau Holtzapfel undoubtedly disguised the sadness and brought small amounts of bliss. In the beginning, reading to Frau Holtzapfel was a job, “Come to my place and read it to me,” she said to Liesel (387). Goods were exchanged for Liesel’s work, which was helpful for the Hubermanns, but after Hans left reading to Frau Holtzapfel was much more. Reading is no longer a chore, it is an escape. Daily readings created an unseen realm that takes her on journeys far away from Himmel

The most obvious relationship is that between Hans and Liesel, which is at first facilitated by their reading The Gravedigger’s Handbook. However, words also act as a catalyst for Liesel’s relationships with Max and Rudy, as well as for the comfort of everyone in the shelter. Liesel’s relationship with Max started by asking about Mein Kampf, and upon learning that it was the, “best book ever,” and, “saved [his] life.” Also, stealing books from Ilsa’s library brought Liesel and Rudy, her, “best friend,” closer.

Throughout the story they all grow to love each other. Especially Hans and Liesel, for every night Liesel would wake up terrified from a nightmare about her brother, and each of those night Hans would comfort her by showing her to read. Liesel and Hans grow an unbreakable bond, for he taught her to read and write, and later in the story it would save her life. As for Rosa and Liesel, well let’s just say their bond was special. Although Rosa Huberman is harsh and foul mouthed she loved Liesel very much and there was no doubt about it. While living in Molching Liesel finds herself a best friend who falls in love with her, his name is Rudy Steiner. In many of Liesel’s adventures, Rudy is almost always involved. But Rudy was not her only best friend, Max Vandenburg was one to. He was the Jew Liesel and her family hid in their basement, Liesel grew very fond of

Two major components of Liesel’s life are to purloin books and help Max, a Jewish man who lives in the Hubermann’s basement. I have two questions regarding these major factors. My first question is, why does the mayor’s wife leave the window open? Throughout the novel, Liesel goes to the mayor’s house to read and take a book. She notices that the window is left open as if the wife wants Liesel to take more books. “***A SMALL SUGGESTION** Or maybe there was a woman on Grande Strasse who now kept her library window open for another reason - but that's just be being cynical, or hopeful. Or both,” (Zusak 328) There is a possibility that the window is open for another reason; however, it seems like it tends to be open when Liesel and Rudy are on

As she realizes at her Hitler Youth bonfire on Hitler’s birthday (111), Liesel’s father was a communist. She had always heard him referred to as one, but she never knew what that exactly that meant until that moment, standing in a crowd of brainwashed, propaganda-fed children heiling Hitler while books were being destroyed by the flames nearby. According to the Nazi Party, being a communist is just as bad as being Jewish. Realizing that she doesn’t belong among those around her, she flees. Liesel is alike Max in this situation. Both left their families to go live with the Hubermanns. Liesel came to the Hubermanns looking for a family and a better life after her brother died and her mother got sick. Max came to the Hubermanns to hide from the persecution of being a Jew. Liesel and Max become friends when they share their nightmares with each other (220). Liesel and Max each have persistent nightmares of their past. Her dreams are filled with her dead brother on the train. In Max’s dreams, he’s reliving the moment he said goodbye to his family. When she finds out that Hitler had taken her mother away from her, she is enraged and proclaims that she hates him

Liesel, the main character is able to strengthen her relationship with her father, because she spends more time with him. Her father, Hans Hubermann has trouble finding work. During World War II not many people had jobs, if they did have a job it was probably related to the war. Liesel is able to spend time with her father because he doesn’t support the Nazis and doesn’t want

Liesel’s life was difficult near the beginning of the novel. She was separated from her parents, and lost her brother. After joining her new foster family, she would have to work harder to adjust to it and it will not be easy. When Liesel was out with Rudy on their apple stealing activities, when Rudy was then caught by one of the nazis from injuring his leg. The nazi then disciplined Rudy by beating him up and they cut also his hair with a knife. After Rudy got disciplined, Liesel carries Rudy to the mayor's house. On page 251 Liesel says “I carried Rudy softly through the broken streets… with him I tried a little harder at comforting.” this shows that she was trying hard to comfort him even though she was already trying to carry Rudy. It shows that even when she’s at one hundred percent, she tries to reach one hundred and 10 percent. Near the end of the novel, on page 528, in the book written by Liesel called The Book Thief and on the last

Unlike the Nazi’s however, Liesel realizes the pain her words caused. "Blood leaked from her nose and licked at her lips. Her eyes had blackened. Cuts had opened up and a series of wounds were rising to the surface of her skin. All from words. From Liesel's words" (Zuask 253). A child, no more than 12 years old, was telling someone not to cry, that she was being “pathetic.” It was all because of one group of people taking the lives of millions that a young girl believes crying over your loved ones deaths was ridiculous. At one point, Death even compares itself to humanity saying, "You want to know what I truly look like? I'll help you out. Find yourself a mirror while I continue" (Zuask 307).