Symbolism In The Book Thief

The Book Thief is a historical fiction novel by Markus Zusak set in Munich, Germany during the Nazi reign from 1936-1943. The novel incorporates a main character that is, in the beginning, an innocent child who doesn't understand the world and takes her on a journey where she grows up and matures through the hardships and challenges of her life. The story is narrated by the character Death, who is a fresh take on the Grim Reaper, only wearing the black cloak when it's cold and never carries a syte. Death describes the life Liesel Meminger, an orphaned girl who witnesses her brother's death and burial and finds herself being adopted by the benevolent old couple, the Hubermanns. The rest of the story follows Liesel's journey through her incredibly challenging life with the Hubermanns and characters such as Rudy, The mayor's wife, and Max helping her along. Symbolism in The Book Thief deepens the story by conveying many different ideas and emotions that supports the reader's understanding of the story. This is especially apparent with the use of the gravediggers to help the reader remember characters, the use of color to help the reader feel the proper emotions and remember the correct events, and the use of Liesel's changing feelings about Rudy to convey how Liesel grows and matures through the book.

Once she arrives at her new home, 33 Himmel Street in Molching, Germany, she meets her foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Rosa is violent to some extent, often beating Liesel over the head with a wooden spoon, as well as using excessively foul language, often calling Liesel and Hans 'filthy pigs'. Despite this however, Rosa still loved Liesel, and

Rosa Hubermann was not shy when she was first introduced and you hardly saw a glimpse of her quiet side. When Liesel, was dropped off at Rosa’s house, her first words were harsh towards the girl. She always used the word, Saumensch, which means bastard in english. Besides using harsh words, Rosa had a loving side

"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.

When Max first arrives at the Hubermann’s house he is in search of hospitality, he asks, “Do you play the accordion by any chance?” (187). Hans’ accordion was given to him as a gift by Max’s father in World War I. Max is really asking whether or not Hans will help him and respect his former friend. In this moment the accordion is a symbol of courage. Does Hans have the courage to help a Jew when the act is illegal or do the right thing and help a friend in need. Hans ends up helping Max showing that he has the courage to do what is right even though the risks are greater than the rewards. The accordion is also a symbol of hope as portrayed when Hans is sent off to war. The narrator explains, “Rosa Hubermann was sitting on the edge of the bed with her husband’s accordion tied to her chest” (422). In this scene, Rosa is in a place of sorrow as her husband is sent of to his likely death. The accordion is the only form of hope she has left. The accordion is a connection from her to her husband that gives her the slightest bit of comfort and

Liesel and her brother are travelling by train to Munich with their mother to be given to their foster parents when she notices her brother is sideways and dead. After Werner’s funeral, Liesel, overcome with shock and

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

Upon arriving at the home of her foster parents, housepainter Hans Hubermann and his wife Rosa, Liesel finds it difficult to adjust. She is haunted by nightmares about her mother and dead brother. She eventually develops a bond with Hans, who comes to her every night and stays with her until she is able to fall sleep again, Hans, upon noticing “The Grave Digger's Handbook” tucked under Liesel's mattress, decides to take advantage of the sleepless hours he spends with Liesel each night by teaching her how to read and write. Rosa Hubermann, whose personality is much coarser than Hans', takes Liesel under her wing in her own way by having her help with her job of washing and delivering laundry for other households. Shortly after

Liesel Meminger, who was a very sympathetic young girl which her words were used from her warm heart towards people. Frau Holtzapfel had lost both of her sons, so for her to be happy, Liesel would read to her a lot, which also made Frau Holtzapfel feel comforted. Also when Max was taken in by the Hubermann’s, he was a Jew, which meant he wasn’t allowed to see the outside world. Liesel would go outside and tell Max the

Her foster mother, Rosa Hubermann, collects laundry to provide necessities for the family; she collects laundry from the wealthier parts of town. Rosa takes Liesel with her on her laundry job; and because of this, the broken girl meets the silent woman. Liesel usually walks to Ilsa’s house, so it is significant her walking to a new pathway of healing. When Liesel first meets Ilsa, she describes her as a woman with hair like fluff and a bathrobe. Zusak uses the word ‘fluff’ because it is usually not given a second glance; it is normally ignored. This is used to show how Ilsa has ignored her happiness because she feels guilty about her son freezing to his death. Ilsa’s feelings are represented by her doorway, “Standing fluffy-head and shivery in her enormous cold-aired doorway. Always silent. Always alone. No words, not once” (94). “Cold-aired doorways” suggest frigid but open paths. The mayor’s wife shows no sign of friendliness or enthusiasm, although, on some level, she is willing to let Liesel in so that both of them can walk down a new path as different people. In the mayor’s wife’s state of coldness, she feels empty, blank. She is frigid because of the ‘home-cooked’ war that took her son, home-cooked meaning started at home. In Germany, a home that is supposed to be safe and welcoming it isn’t for her son. So Ilsa’s home is not welcoming either. Ilsa desires to suffer like her son does, “he froze to death” (146), and so she attempts the same painful exit from

Some characters had to make decisions that would be extremely difficult to for anyone else to make while living in Nazi Germany. One of these times occurred in the kitchen of Hans and Rosa

When Liesel Meminger moves to Himmel Street to live with her new foster parents, she befriends a young German boy named Rudy Steiner. The two become best of friends as they accompany one another throughout the book, going about their daily activities and adventures they embark on along the way. At first the pair are just neighbors, with Rudy helping Liesel adjust to her new home that is the small town of Molching. Soon though, Rudy starts to develop feelings for Liesel that can only be described as him having a crush on her. He is very forward with her as the book goes on, as he has become more comfortable with her. However, it appears that Liesel does not really find it in her to have the same kind of feelings toward him. “As long as both

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

Whilst Cliff and Sally’s relationship goes through it’s share of trials and tribulations; the woman who owns the boarding house, Fräulein Schneider, struggles to come to terms with the implications of her affair with Herr Schultz who is a Jewish boarder at her house. They plan to marry, but warnings given to Schneider at the engagement celebration by a member of the Nazi party open her eyes to the potential problems that their union would cause. He is correct in his prediction, the show closes with a jolting display, which served as a metaphor for the violence in Germany that

Hans is a passionate, caring man who earns his living as a house painter by day and an accordion player by night. Liesel believes his eyes show kindness, and is closer to him from the beginning than to her foster mother. He is one of a few in their village who is not a registered member of the Nazi party, which comes to have serious repercussions on the family as the book progresses. Rosa Hubermann is a stern, strong woman who looks like a “wardrobe with a coat thrown over it” and would be “cute,” but appears perpetually annoyed. She peppers her language with epithets like “Saumensch” and “Saukerl” and “Arschloch”. “Sau” refers to “pig” and mensch is girl and kerl is man, arschloch sounds pretty close to its English equivalent. From the beginning Liesel is “saumensch,” which at first refers to Rosa’s annoyance at taking this girl in, even though it does mean more money for the family. But by the end, it has become a term of true endearment. Liesel’s best friend in the village is a little boy named Rudy, “the boy next door who was obsessed with the black American athlete Jesse Owens.” Rudy is in love with Liesel and always pesters her for a kiss, which he does finally receive, after some pretty serious turns in the story. He is a simple, almost naïve boy, and would do almost anything for her, including jumping into a nearly