Think back to time where a family member or friend did something that was regrettable or could cause guilt in the future. In the two novels, Ordinary People by Judith Guest and, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, a character either wants to embrace their past or wants to move on and forget it. The first story, Ordinary People by Judith Guest, the character, Conrad wants to forget the past and move on because of the guilt that carries with every memory. In the other novel, The Book Thief, the character of Leisel wants to go back to her past and bring it back. Both characters have a different view of their past, which affect their feelings towards it. The theme of the story is developed through these feelings and attitude. The two main examples are, Conrad’s opening feelings in the beginning of Ordinary People, and Liesel's determination to go back to the past. In Conrad's shoes he wants to forget the past, while Liesel wants it back Right as the story of Liesel Meminger opens up, she is on her way to leaving her past behind and starting a new life. The young german girl in the novel, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, is moving from her home with her parents to a foster home in Molching to start a new life. She is leaving her family because they were caught with having communist’s affairs in a time where that was strictly enforced as illegal. Tragedy strikes Liesel as the first sign of her wanting to go back to her past shows, Liesel's brother, Werner, dies on the train to their new home. Later on in the book Liesel has nightmares of her late brother’s passing because she saw Death take the life right out of his eyes. Later on in the story, the Huberman's learn that Liesel does not have the ability to read or write, so they begin to teach her. When she can read and write well enough, she begins to reach back into her past by writing a letter to her mother. But, heartbreak is brought with this later when her parents have to break it to her that the letter will most likely never reach her birth mother. Hans, who has been nothing but kind to Liesel since her arrival, says, “You know, Liesel? I nearly wrote you a reply and signed your mother's name. […] But I couldn't. I couldn't bring myself."(Zusak 16.1). This is
Occuring her brother’s funeral, main character Liesel Meminger is stuck pondering in thought. This quote hints at the main point of the story referencing basically nazi reign. Following her brother’s funeral, Liesel stumbles upon a book that one of the gravediggers had dropped and Liesel proceeds to pick it up. This is the first book she steals. This is Liesel first noted instance of her grief. 2.
"No matter how many times she was told she was loved there was no recognition that the proof was in the abandonment" (Zusak 32). The novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is the story of Liesel Meminger, a young girl who struggles through WWII and faces the pain and suffering of abandonment. When one is faced with such an abandonment and is forced to cope on their own, they may feel lost and alone. These emotions force people to find comfort. As in Liesel 's case, some people find comfort in books and words. Liesel 's perspective on abandonment can be seen through how she coped with her childhood trauma, Max 's illness and the Himmel Street bombing.
The Book Thief is set in the time of World War 2 where the Holocaust is present and disaster is everywhere. Throughout the story, Liesel, the main character, learns that words are extremely powerful and hold the ability for people to use them for good or for evil. Among the disaster and altercations, Liesel uses her literature to comfort her and make herself more powerful due to her knowledge, which demonstrates the theme of the story, the comfort and power of literature and words softens the pain of loss.
Liesel is given a black book from Ilsa Hermann where she will write about everything that happened in her life this far. When she starts writing she learns that words are good and bad for people. She wants to make sure she made it right by writing a story of love and friendship.
Exposition – The story begins by death, the narrator, explaining to the reader the times he has seen Liesel, the book thief. He first saw her when her younger brother died on a train and he had to go collect his soul. The second time was when a pilot crashed a plane and death went to collect his soul. The third time death saw Liesel was when a bomb went off in her
Liesel Meminger is a main character described in “The Book Thief”. After her mother can no longer support her Liesel and her brother, although he does not make the journey, are sent to a foster home in a small town in Germany called Munich were Liesel meets Hans and Rosa Hubermann or Mama and Papa. Although the initial warming up is hard Liesel soon becomes very close to her Papa. “Over the next few weeks and into summer, the midnight class began at the end of each nightmare” (Zusak,69). Hans teaches Liesel each night how to read and write to ease her mind when all Liesel can think about is her dead brother. Hans truly becomes Papa when Liesel trusts Hans will never let her be
Her enthusiastic attitude can only be calmed down by the sound of Papa’s accordion. Nothing can come in between her and her words, not the darkness of the room, and of course not even the Nazi Germans. Furthermore, in the book A Girl Made of Darkness, it is shown that Liesel is intrigued by the smallest thing in life as she questions her parents about her Christmas present (Zusak, 89). Understand her family situation, Liesel is not expecting for any present for Christmas, however her dad has been able to trade cigarettes for some books . To most of us, when we receive presents we will just accept the present, no questions asked. On the contrary,many questions have been proliferating in Liesel’s mind when Papa gives her the gifts. Not to mention another obvious evidence is when Max first arrived at the Hubermann’s house. As can be seen, Zusak has portrayed Liesel as the book thief because her inquisitive characteristic indicate those who questions the Nazi German
11 million people died during the Holocaust. In Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, Liesel Meminger loses many of her loved ones. At the beginning of the book, Liesel’s brother dies of illness on a train, and her mother is taken away by the Nazis for being a communist. After losing everyone she ever cared about, the story drags Liesel into a humble household where she discovers her passion for books, and her love for her family and friends. However, her loved ones are once again torn away from her as Himmel Street, the street she lives on, gets bombed. She loses her foster parents, her best friend, and everyone else she came to know. As a result of these adverse events, Liesel’s innocence was stolen from her. In The Book Thief, loss plays an essential role in developing characters, especially Liesel. After losing Werner, her brother, Liesel is plagued by
In The Book Thief, a work of historical fiction, written by Markus Zusak introduces the main character Liesel Meminger, the reader starts to see how she keeps having many conflicts but always stays positive. Liesel has many conflicts, for example her brother dies early in the book and that shapes the way she is. Later on Liesel steals books and that makes her happy because the first book she stole was the grave digger's handbook and that is how she remembers her brother. Liesel steals and reads books this is how she finds happiness with all the bad things going on around her. In the end of the book most of the people she loves die and it is hard for her to find happiness again. The author uses the setting and point of view to express theme and to make the reader feel sympathy; He uses this because with the theme of finding light in the darkness, deaths perception, and the setting of Germany makes the theme clearer.
In the beginning of The Book Thief, the reader meets Liesel Meminger, her mother, and her brother, Werner Meminger. The father is never introduced. It is only said that he is a communist. Werner dies on the train to Himmel Street, the place that Liesel is left with a couple, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Liesel’s mother is never seen again, but the reader assumes that she was taken away for being one of the Nazi’s targets. According to The Book Thief, “What came to her then was the dustiness of the floor, the feeling that her clothes were more next to her than on her, and the sudden realization that this would all be for nothing—that her mother would never write back and she would never see her again.” Nazis were the epitome of evil. They tore families apart and killed millions of innocent people.
Liesel’s intense love for books engulfs her and yet she lived in a nation where the revulsion words and books has reached its peak. The fact about her is that “she was a girl. In Nazi Germany. How fitting that she was discovering the power of words”(Zusak 147). This passage really captures the true meaning of The Book Thief. The author’s way of incorporating such gorgeous language is incredible and very attractive to the eyes. Zusak’s use of sentence fragments increases the reader’s need to continue reading and understanding the novel. The qoute shows how Liesel was determined to keep what was most beloved to her closest, her books. Liesel enjoyed All around her were book burnings where beautiful literature was destroyed and it broke her heart
"Trust me, the words were on their way, and when they arrived, Liesel would hold them in her hands like the clouds, and she would wring them out like the rain"(Zusak Ch. 8). Narrated by Death, The Book Thief communicates Liesel's power of words during one of the devastating times in history, World War II. When Liesel, an eleven year old German girl, comes to the Hubermann's house angry about leaving her mother and still mourning the loss of her brother, they show her compassion in their own various ways. While facing many trials, Liesel and her family hold themselves together with love and compassion through gifts and words. Although it can be argued that words are used in petty and weak ways, Zusak captures the idea that just a few words
Goodbye, Papa, you saved me. You taught me to read. […] The book thief wept till she was gently taken away” (538-539). When Hans dies Liesel remembers everything he did and taught her. While she was holding his dead body she thought about how different her life would be now but, she needs to stay strong not just for herself but all those who had died before her.
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.
The Book Thief is a novel written by Mark Zusak, it tells the story of a girl named Liesel Mariner, who has to move to a foster’s home after her mother is taken by the Nazi party. The novel is narrated by Death and is set in Nazi Germany in 1939, a place where the narrator describes as “busy work”. It is revealed that since Liesel’s mother is a communist, she has to give up Liesel and her brother to a foster home. But as she goes to do this, Liesel’s brother, Werner, dies due to malnutrition. This death places a heavy influence in Liesel’s life, who has to learn to adapt to this new traumatic experience.