The Book Thief Response Log Analysis

There is a part where we watch as humans are so ugly that it is hard for us to imagine that what they had done is possible. Liesel is playing soccer in the park and all of a sudden all the kids stop because of a noise they hear coming down the street. They think it could be a herd of cattle, but that not what it is. It is a group of Jewish people being led, or forced, to the death camps by German soldiers. On there way we watch a man die “He was dead. The man was dead. Just give him five minutes and he would surely fall into the German gutter and die. They would all let him, and they would all watch”(Zusak 393). This is talking about how when a Jewish person would die, the Germans wouldn’t do anything. They wouldn’t care that a man died right in front of them. While the Jews are walking Hans, Liesel adopted father, gives them bread. While Hans is giving this man bread a German soldier notices what is going on. He walks over to the man and, “The Jew was whipped six times. On his back, his heart, and

To start off, Max's impacting personality really changed Liesel as a person. Before he came she was a scared little girl only hoping for her mother to come save her. But when Max came and their connection formed Liesel left much more comfortable and happy in the Huberman home. All Liesel knew about the feud between Jews and Germans was what learnt in school, Max showed Liesel what was actually happening in the war, and opened her eyes to the big picture. Millions of Jews just like Max were being killed daily in Nazi Germany. In school all Liesel learnt was how to hate the Jewish religion, but when she met Max she started to have a mind of her own and formed her own thoughts and ideas. Showing Liesel the brutality against the Jews, received from her own country, caused Liesel have a bigger heart and give bread to

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

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, takes place in 1940s Nazi Germany in the small town of Molching. The main character, Liesel Meminger, takes on a role as the foster child of Hans and Rosa Hubermann. She also meets a young boy named Rudy Steiner, who goes on to be her best friend and lover. In the book, Liesel faces many challenges big and small. From hiding a Jew in the basement to a thieving lifestyle, Liesel has to learn to overcome all of life's problems. Through all of this, she is supported by her foster father Hans Hubermann who is caring to people he barely knows, intelligence despite his lack of education, and generosity even when he has little for himself.

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.

At one point in the novel, the reader is introduced to Max. He is a Jew. Jewish people were the Nazis main target and the scapegoat for the loss of World War I. Max would have been sent to a labor camp to die if he was caught in public, so he hid in a dark room for two years. According to The Book Thief, “A GUIDED TOUR OF SUFFERING To your left, perhaps you're right, perhaps even straight ahead, you find a small black room. In it sits a Jew. He is scum. He is starving. He is afraid. Please—try not to look away.” Max may have survived Dachau and World War II altogether, but so many other Jews -and people of different religions, sexualities, races, etc- died because of the Nazis. Only

2. How did Max make time pass as he spent days and weeks in the Huberman’s basement? Filling in

Liesel Meminger is the daughter of Paula Meminger. She is also the sister of late Warren Meminger. Consequently, she steals the first book in the novel, called The Gravedigger's Handbook. Therefore, Death gave her the nickname of “ the book thief” before us knowing that she would become “the book thief”. Liesel Meminger is the hardworking, book-thieving, kind-hearted protagonist of The Book Thief. She loves books so much that she steals them, even before knowing how to read. All of this started because stealing books reminds her of Warren Meminger. This is even she bonds more with Hans Hubermann, her foster father, dedicates his time to teach her how to read. We might be asking, why hasn’t she gotten an education at the age of 10. The answer is not as clear as others, but it definitely has to do with Liesel father’s communist affiliations. He was part of the German Communist Party, that was popular when Hitler took over. This is also the reason why she had to be fostered.

She stole from the Nazi book burnings on the street, the Mayors library and wherever she could. Liesel also received two special books written by a Jew hiding out in her basement. She related to the Jew, Max, in many ways. They discovered that they both frequently had horrible nightmares and that they share the same passion for words. She was able to befriend an unwanted Jew in Germany because she was able to see past the hatred everyone normally felt. Liesel saw Max as another human being, and was loyal enough to keep him a secret. When Liesel spotted Max marching to the concentration camp with the rest of the Jews, she risked her life by running up to him. Her boldness made them both suffer the ruthless consequence of being whipped by a soldier. She was also brave enough to beat up a boy in her class who made the mistake of teasing her. Liesel was filled with rage. "Her knuckles and fingernails were so frighteningly tough, despite their smallness" (Zusak 78). Liesel had the audacity to stand up for herself because she refused to be ridiculed.

Throughout the story, Rudy must grow up and become more responsible, as his father is drafted to the war, and he must help his mom take care of his family. The Jesse Owens Incident is a huge turning point for Rudy. Rudy’s father tells Rudy important things after he brings him home. “On the way home, Mr. Steiner decided to talk politics with the boy as best he could. Only in the years ahead would Rudy understand it all- when it was too late to bother understanding anything.”. This quote shows that Rudy was told things with the intent of helping him grow up, but he didn’t comprehend or use the things that were spoken to

Max, a jewish man was the son of one of Han’s befriends in war. The Hubberman but Max in hiding and gained a close relationship with Liesel. They became best friends overnight as the two share their respective nightmares. Liesel reads to Max every night even when he loses consciousness from hypothermia and starvation. Max was her role model.

When Max first comes to Liesel’s house he is trying to survive by not getting taken away. Throughout the book one can also see that Max is trying to search for a way to survive every day life. “The colder he became, the more he melted” (Zusak 316). In this quote max is struggling to survive. He was searching for a place to stay, but the basement is so cold, that now he might freeze to death.

Imagine being locked in a dark room for 2 years. This is what Max Vandenburg, Anne Frank, and Jaycee Dugard had to go through. They were all isolated, isolation means you are by yourself and kept separate from others. Because Max Vandenburg is a fictional character isolated by hiding in a basement, Anne Frank is a real life girl in isolation while hiding from the Nazis, and Jaycee Dugard is also isolated when she was abducted for 18 years, all three people experienced isolation.

One night after Max’s full health has returned, the family is awoken to the sound of air raid sirens. While Max needs to stay hidden, the rest of the family travels to the basement shelter down the street where a few dozen neighbors have gathered. While everyone seems quite frightened by the siren and sounds of bombs in the distance, Hans ends up playing the accordion he brought with him, taking people’s minds off the bombings until the air strike is over. In the meantime, even as the sirens go off, Max steps outside to look at the stars. Although this is certainly risky, it is his first opportunity to go outside in years to see the sky and breathe fresh air. As time passes, it becomes clear that it’s becoming a very dangerous time for Liesel

Everyone experiences isolation in their life but may not notice it. Isolation is the act of being alone or apart from others. Because Max Vandenburg a Jew in hiding in the Book Thief, Anne Frank also a Jew in hiding wrote The Diary Of A Young Girl: The Definitive Edition, and Jaycee Dugard a girl abducted at a young age kept in a tent captive, they all experienced isolation in similar and different ways.