Liesel experiences abandonment throughout her life, and the novel during a suppressed time in World War II Germany. Through her experiences Liesel’s learns to equate abandonment with love knowing that circumstance have forced her loved ones to leave her. Liesel understand that her mother left by circumstance due to the unraveling war unfolding in Germany, while Hitler was trying to reign complete control over all the political parties. During Hitler’s birthday one of his men gave a speech stating, “.. the evil machinations plotting to infect the motherland with its deplorable ways.” (Zusak 110.) The man refers to the ‘evils’ as,’ kommunisten,’ which is when Liesel starts to understand why her mother had to leave. She starts to put the …show more content…
Hans is forced to leave Liesel to serve in the military due to the Nazi Party accepting his application. “Don’t go, Papa. Just don’t go. Let them come for you if you stay. But don’t go, please don’t go.”(Zusak 424) Liesel understand due to the circumstances Hans, and not because of his choosing. Even Max had to leave at one point in order to maintain the safety of the Hubermanns. This still is all do to circumstance, which has thrusted Hans, Max and Liesel Mother to leave her …show more content…
He feels miserable for allowing Erik to sacrifice his life for his when Erik had a son and wife to provide for. You can see this when he quotes, “You never told (..) You never told me you had a son.” (Zusak 179) Hans feels if he would of known Erik was a father, then he wouldn’t have left him save his life. He sees it as Max still having a father which haunts truly him. Guilt even makes Hans turndown him application for the Nazi Party, because a he knows it would be wrong to support a group who detested Jews, when in reality one saved him. The guilt of Erik’s death inspires him to assist others which in returns helps alleviates the guilt by letting him know he’s living the meaningful that Erik died for. One way he does this is by helping Liesel learn how to read and write.In this quote Hans states, “To tell you the truth I am not such a good reader myself,” (Zusak 64.), this quote represents Hans’s dedication. He sees it’s honestly important to her, and even though he can’t perfectly read, Hans makes it his obligation for Liesel’s
Liesel yearns to discover the power of words through reading books. Throughout the story, she repeatedly steals books to grasp more information. It all starts with The Gravediggers Manuel; Liesel attains this book the day that her brother dies, while he is being buried by the gravediggers. Liesel pilfers this book from the gravediggers because the book will symbolize her remembrance of her brother, Werner. This also will start the beginning of her acrimony for the Fuhrer, because Liesel discovers that he is answerable for his death.
Not that it was a living hell. It wasn't. But it sure wasn't heaven, either”. (5.87) Death tells us. She became really fond of Hans Hubermann; a painter and accordion player, but with Rosa things were more complicated; she was a rough woman who did the washing and ironing of Molching’s wealthy inhabitants. Liesel starts to have dreams of her brother dying and wets in bed which leads us to her first reading session; Papa finds the book hidden under Liesel’s mattress and after a while he notices that Liesel does not know how to read and doing his best with a fourth grade education he teaches her how to read and write. She also makes a friend that she would never forget Rudy Steiner or we can call it Jesse Owens too; they met on the street during a soccer game and since then they became
He has had so much happen to him even before Liesel even came into his life and made him so much more happier. Hans Hubermann was sent to serve in the Air Raid Special Unit, which rescues survivors of air raids and collects the bodies of the victims. He only left because he saw how horrible it was watching young men die in front of his eyes because after his best friend Erik vandenburg, max’s father dies in front of Hans he was speechless, he couldn’t say anything other than so he left and went back to Rosa. Years later after liesel came into his life they told him to join again and so he did and after breaking liesel’s heart he went to serve his country and came back safely. Misfortune had hurt Hans a lot because he lost his best friend and was told to help their family whenever they needed it. Hans felt the misfortunes evil side and the burden of him quitting the army made him very sad because he never thought that he was going to ever experience things like that. Fate and destiny took Hans best friend and away and when max comes for help to Hans, Hans was all in because after what happened to father he knows what it feels like to lose someone that meant so much him.
One may hear the words love and abandonment and believe they are opposites, but this is not the case in The Book Thief. Markus Zusak uses abandonment to bring together two characters. One night Liesel and Max reveal to one another their reoccurring nightmares. Liesel has a dream where she feels abandoned by her mother and brother while Max has a dream where he abandons his family. Even though Liesel is abandoned and Max is the abandoner they both feel the same way toward what had occurred to each of them. Through this sharing of nightmares comes a special unspoken connection between the two. Liesel and Max go from strangers to practically brother and sister who love one another, which may seem odd for the love came directly from abandonment. Liesel’s first encounter with abandonment came from her brother dying on the train on the way to Liesel’s foster home. Liesel was very upset and hurt by her mother and did not under stand why she was doing this until later. “She saw it all so clearly. Her starving mother, her missing father. Kommunisten” (Zusak 111) Liesel connected the dots and realized that her mother was married to a communist, which was a great danger during the reign of Hitler. Liesel came to comprehend that her mother gave her up to keep her safe and away from Hitler. Her mother did all of this out of love for her. All the pain and suffering that Liesel has gone through has been caused by
Throughout Night Wiesel’s most important motivation remains his father and almost nothing else. When Chlomo finally passes on at the end, Wiesel has nothing left to care about. Wisel writes, “I have nothing to say of my life during this period. It no longer mattered. After my father’s death, nothing could touch me anymore” (Wiesel 107). This book reminds us not only of the terror of the Holocaust, but of the importance of family in life.
The feeling of guilt can be revealed through Hans’ character due to the death of his friend, Erik Vandenburg. For example, after Erik’s death, Hans felt responsible to visit his family. When he came back from the war, Hans told Erik’s wife, ““You know,” Hans explained to her, “he saved my life.” [...] “He—if there’s anything you ever need.” He
The main character Liesel, known as “the book thief” is who Death is looking over. Liesel, her mother, and brother are on a train to Munich. On the train ride her brother dies. She and her mother get off the train to bury him. The first book Liesel steals is from the gravediggers. They continue the journey to a town called Molching, where Liesel will be raised by foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Liesel adjusts to her new home life. Hans teaches Liesel how to read. The war is escalating in Germany. The town holds a book-burning to celebrate Hitler’s birthday. That’s when Liesel steals another book from the flames. Liesel’s job is to deliver laundry to the Hermann family. The Hermanns’ have a library full of books. Liesel is allowed to read them in the study. Meanwhile, a German-Jew named Max needs help, so he seeks out the Hubermanns. Max hides in the basement, so he is safe from the Nazis. Liesel begins stealing books from the Hermanns. The Nazis parade the Jews through the town of Molching on their way to the concentration camp for everyone to see. Liesel is given a blank notebook to write her own story. One night the neighborhood is bombed. Hans, Rosa, and the rest of the neighborhood is killed. Rescue workers find Liesel under the rubble. She leaves behind her finished book, called The Book Thief. Death, who has been watching, rescues the book. Liesel ends up living with the mayor
The novel The Book Thief is a book about a young girl by the name of Liesel Meminger. Observing the life of this young girl is not easy as this is the time of Hitler’s reign in Germany. In a short period of time, this girl faces many difficulties. More than any child should ever have to encounter. She has to deal with being abandoned by her mother, the death of her younger brother, and relocation to another part of Germany. Immediately when Liesel arrives to Molching, her life is forever changed. She is forced to live with two strangers, now her new mama and papa. Liesel faces much abuse both at school and at home. At school she is made fun of for her illiteracy and at home, mama speaks very rudely to her calling her a swine and other insults.
Fellow classmates in Liesel’s class mock her because she didn’t read the passage he was instructed to read. This shows Liesel experiences unhappiness because of her lack of reading and the power of words.
... In return, she explains what her own dreams [are] made of” (Zusak 333-334). Liesel exchanging conversations with Max over their dreams defies the Nazis' rules since Max is a Jew and having polite conversations with one is prohibited. Anyone caught having relations any relations to a Jew is a traitor to the Nazi regime. Thus, the kids are opposing the Nazis through their exchanges with the opposition.
Besides stealing and reading words, Liesel Meminger made constant bonds with people. Being moved from place to place and relying on people who ended up leaving her made Liesel not able to trust anyone as quickly as others. Her insecurity sent many other people away but the people who truly loved her. When she first arrives in Himmel Street, she refuses to get out of the car and enter the house until Hans Hubermann comes with his cigarette and coax her out. After that, she has always trusted Hans Hubermann and knew that he would always be there for her unlike the other people previously in her life. When she blocked Rudy’s kick in soccer, he hit her with a snowball and ever since then, he would always follow Liesel and make sure she was okay. He never gave up on her even when she would be annoyed and they ended up being best friends and partners in crime. Finally, Rosa Hubermann, Liesel’s foster mother, would bash her with a wooden spoon and cuss at her but she knew she loved her. Rosa never stopped which made Liesel know that she could trust her foster mother. Although her insecurity drove off many people, it allured the people who have the patience to help her. They never left her intentionally like the other people previ...
Accordingly, to the book, Book Theif on page 86, Death says that liesel was a girl” with a mountain to climb.”what does this mean? In this situation Liesel is trying to live through the frightening Nazi Germany which most certainly creates a huge part of that mountain. However, she does has climbing partners. The three main points were on the three partners which were Huberman's, Rudy, and Max. They seem to help Liesel carry through the suffering and pain of being neglected by her own mother on top of that, She then is armed to live with her.
The language used between Liesel and those close to her redefined the meaning people are more familiar with: “‘Yes,’ Liesel promptly agreed. Quick answers were appreciated in this household. ‘Yes, Mama,’ Mama corrected her. ‘Saumensch. Call me Mama when you talk to me’”(35). The English translation of Saumensch is pig. A lot of people would take the word for what it is, a filthy swine. For Liesel, this was her own brand of love. It was through this word that Liesel knew she was talking to a loved one. At the beginning of the story Liesel started off timid and sorrowful. In the later course of the story she built confidence around the words exposed to her, going as far as opposing the Nazi
Throughout the book, Hans uses situations and ideas to teach Liesel what is right and wrong, and shows her how she has the ability to give hope and life to those around her. “He came in every night and sat with her. The first couple of times, he simply stayed-a stranger to kill the aloneness. A few nights after that, he whispered, “Shhh I’m here, it’s all right.” After three weeks, he held her. Trust was accumulated quickly, due primarily to the brute strength of the man’s gentleness, his thereness. “ (Zusak 36) When Hans appears every night to comfort Liesel, he is demonstrating how love and care for someone can change their view on a situation, and even influence the people around them. Hans and his “thereness” relieved the terror and pain Liesel felt every night while having nightmares about her brother. After her brother’s death, Liesel feels that she has no purpose with this new family, and feels like her life will be miserable without her mother and brother. However, Hans is willing to step in and provide an honest and truthful man for Liesel to confide in and love. By giving Liesel this backbone to lean on after such a loss, he is also showing her what it means to give others hope, and how she can make a difference in the world even as a small poor girl. “They read through the early hours of the morning, circling and writing the words she did not comprehend, and turning the pages toward daylight. A few times, Papa nearly slept, succumbing to the itchy fatigue in his eyes and the wilting of his head. Liesel caught him out on each occasion, but she had neither the selflessness to allow him to sleep nor the hide to be offended.” (Zusak 86) Reading is an act of love between Hans Hubermann and Liesel Meminger. By reading to Liesel every night, Hans is creating a real father-daughter relationship with Liesel. Hans wants the
Hans Hubermann is Liesel’s father that helped her educate herself along with providing Liesel with support and materials. He is a painter yet he doesn’t agree with the doings and acts of the Nazi Party which allows Liesel to open her eyes and see this too.