In markus zusak’s the book thief liesel meminger and max vandenburg experience loss of hope and loss of loved ones. Liesel meminger experiences loss of loved ones when her brother dies. Proof of this is “still in disbelief, she started to dig. he couldn’t be dead. he couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t (5.60). The death of liesel's brother causes great suffering, it also sparks an understanding of max’s suffering. Liesel meminger also experiences loss of hope when max gets sick and falls unconscious. Proof of this is “don’t die” she whispered. “Please, max, just dont die”(zusak pg 316). The occurrence of max’s illness and coma this made liesel worry and the longer it took for max to wake up the less hope she had that it would happen. In comparison, max vandenburg experiences loss of hope …show more content…
Proof of this is “ push-ups and twenty-two sit-ups. When he finished, he would sit against the basement wall with his paint can friends, feeling his pulse in his teeth, his muscles felt like cake. He wondered at time if pushing himself like this even worth it.(zusak pg 251) this is crucial because he feels demoralized about his position and himself when facing adversity. Max also experiences loss of loved ones when he needs to leave his family because the jews were being transported to concentration camps and he had to leave them to survive. Proof of this is, she held him one last time, by the elbows. “This could be your last hope.” he looked into her agingface and kissed her hard, on the lips. “Come on.” walter pulled at him as the rest of the family said the goodbyes and gave him money and a few valuables. “It’s chaos out there, and chaos is what we need”(zusak pg 193). This is crucial because if max did not leave it would change the whole story he would immediately be dead or spend the rest of the text in a concentration camp.
The future is a series of unexpected chapters in our lives packed with thrilling mysteries and remarkable miracles. Although the future may blossom with new, budding experiences, unforgettable tragedies and misfortunes can alter an individual's life. Refraining from grief takes plenty of courage and determination to overcome. As an individual with numerous experiences and involvements throughout my life, I strongly believe that our hopes and beliefs are exceptionally powerful. Throughout The Book Thief ,there are plenty of reasons to support the countless themes that are mentioned in this book. However, I was intrigued by the symbolization of hope, how it had affected the characters and their surroundings, as well as their belief in hope.
In the novel the book thief by Markus Zusak, Liesel states, “as long as both she and Rudy lived she would never kiss that miserable, filthy Saukerl (Zusak, 55). Liesel Memiger, the protagonist in the novel, is the foster daughter of Hans and Rosa Huberman. When Liesel first arrives at Himmel Street, a boy with hair the color of lemons walks her to school for her first day, she does not like him at first, but little does she know he will become her best friend (Zusak, 25-34). This is ironic because Liesel never does kiss Rudy until after he is dead. Rudy Steiner is Liesel’s best friend he has hair the color of lemons `and is adventurous and courageous. He wants Liesel to kiss him throughout the whole book but she never does until he is dead. In the novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Death gives clear examples from Liesel and Rudy’s different points of view on their relationship and we can see how it changes throughout the story.
Max uses Mein Kampf as a kind of cover so people wouldn’t suspect that he was a Jew and he escapes to the Hubermann’s house as Hans promised to help the Vandenburg’s if they ever needed it as he was friends with Max’s father in the war and Max’s father saved Hans’ life. Liesel is curious but also scared of Max at first but they bond over the fact that they both have nightmares, have lost their families and are both “fist-fighters” Since Max is always hiding in the basement, Liesel begins to describe the weather to him and brought him snow where they had a snowball fight and built a snowman with Hans and Rosa. Soon after, Max falls ill and she brings him 13 presents, hoping that he will wake up and reads to him every morning and night. Max also begins to share stories with Liesel and for her birthday makes her a book called “The Standover Man” which is about his life and journey. Max also begins to have daydreams where he fights Hitler and Hitler always uses his words to excite the crowd and uses them as a weapon. Liesel and Rudy also begin to steal food with a group of
Guilt is a prevalent theme throughout The Book Thief. Liesel endures guilt multiple times, when she steals laundry money from Rosa, gets Max sick, verbally attacks Ilsa Hermann, and experiences the guilt of surviving. All of these acts caused Liesel to experience some sort of guilt which later causes her to perform questionable tasks.
All thanks to his friend Walter kugler. Walter is Max 's best friend. Walter and Max started battling each other growing up, yet soon got to be companions. In the early phases of the Holocaust, Walter helps Max avoid the Nazis and organizes Max to stay at Hans Hubermann 's place. Even though Max is going through tough times he is able to keep a strong relationship with walter. Despite the fact that Max is experiencing extreme times he can keep a solid relationship with walter. Secondly is the relationship Max has with Liesel. In spite of the fact that Liesel is apprehensive meeting Max to begin, they soon turn out to be great companions. They share bad dreams as their first talk together. Max has left his family and Liesel has lost her sibling. Sharing their mishaps the two get to be associated through sharing their souls and the printed word. Liesel instructs Max that he can express his sketchy identity through words. "i have hated the words and i have loved them, and i hope i have made them right” (528). Max and Liesel have grown to love and learn from one another. Lastly, is the relationship Max has with Hans before leaving them. Max left since Hans has shown love for a Jew in a parade, and Max realized that Hans ' home would be hunted by the NSDAP down evidence of
Throughout life many people face difficulties. Depending on the person’s strength some will get through tough times, but some will fail to overcome them. Two books where characters have to face many challenges include: Their Eyes Were Watching God and The Book Thief. These two stories deal with people overcoming the difficulties faced throughout everyday life. Some difficulties include racism, religious discrimination, and dealing with others’ cruelness or kindness. Examples from these books prove that the characters have challenges throughout the stories to overcome. In the face of adversity what causes some individuals to fail while others prevail?
Words have the power to affect people in many ways from empowerment or to taking upon action. Words are able to make huge changes in the lives of many and can make good or bad changes. In history, people used words in both good and bad function from making a promise to a nation or even manipulating multitudes of people within a nation. Words definitely have the ability to take situations a far distance but despite the fact that evil can manipulate the majority of people, individuals too can realize the true actions and evil buried inside the perpetrator. People can be both ugly and beautiful at sometimes with weapons along their sides. A novel called The Book Thief illustrates the power of words in a multitude of ways, showing the potential
After she had read Mein Kampf, Liesel had realized the true power of what books can bring. She discovered that not only can books bring joy and a sense of escape to the reader, but can preach hate and bigotry as well. This is then changed by Max’s story, The Standing Man. The story illustrates Max’s strong relationship with Liesel and how she has helped him out through his tough times. However, the important aspect of the story is not the story itself, but on what the story is written. To write his story, Max had painted over the pages of Mein Kampf and on those he writes his story. This symbolizes the fact that the kind words that were the reason Liesel had gotten into reading in the first place, and that they were not to be trumped by the evilness of Mein Kampf. Liesel believes that kindness, friendship, and love trump the hate and evil in the
In The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, beauty and brutality is seen in many of the characters. Rudy, Liesel, and Rosa display examples of beauty and brutality often without realizing what exactly they are doing, because it is a part of their human nature. Zusak not only uses his characters, but also the setting of the novel in Nazi Germany to allude to his theme of the beauty and brutality of human nature. The time in which the novel is set, during World War II, displays great examples of beauty and brutality, such as the mistreatment of the Jews. As a result of this time period, the characters have to go through troubling times, which reveals their beautiful and brutal nature in certain circumstances. Zusak uses his characters and their experiences to demonstrate the theme of the beauty and brutality of human nature in the novel.
They asked him if he had been crying. Of course he was but he denied it in paragraph 51. “Naw,” Max said. “ There was water dripping from the tunnel roof. But you said don’t move, right?
Liesel is shown to be suffering emotionally after her brother’s death, she was in disbelief and threw herself to the ground to try digging to her brother in hopes he would be alive, she only did this because her emotions were so unstable and she didn’t want to believe the truth. The fact Liesel was emotionally suffering after her brother’s death is evident when the author wrote, “Still in disbelief, she started to dig. He couldn't be dead, He couldn't be dead, He couldn’t --” (23). The thought Liesel had that her brother could not have been dead proves that she was not able to handle her thoughts and emotions. Which is clear that her emotions were all over the place and she was emotionally suffering. Since Liesel's emotions were all over the place and put her through a lot of emotional thoughts and actions she is a second example of a character who suffers
"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it."
In the sources used, the situations that are experienced seems like there is no hope to be found, only fear. Fear will protect us, we hope. Nevertheless, hope is everywhere no matter what. For World War II in The Diary of Anne Frank, Anne Frank is the secret annex’s hope. Anne Frank is a 13-year old girl that has the most hope of surviving the Nazi Invasion. All you can think is, “Ah, the Nazi’s are coming! Run for your lives!” That is what went through many minds during this time period, fear. Fear is a strong ally to have. You can worry all the time and no one will stop you. But, hope can be an even stronger ally, if you believe.
As Markus Zusak once said through the words of his character, Death, “* * * HERE IS A SMALL FACT * * * You are going to die,” (Zusak 3). While this may seem like a jarring statement to suddenly hear while going about life, in reality, everyone in his or her right mind knows that death will eventually come. Each and every life will reach an end at some point in time or another, and our kindred will be the ones left to deal with the aftermath. There is no eluding death. Even though some may try to overlook this actuality, mortality is not vague at all, especially for characters living in the world of The Book Thief. This New York Times best-seller and award winning novel is set in 1939, Nazi Germany and follows the main character, Liesel Meminger,
He stayed like that, until he one day found an blank book under his bed that Kevin had given him, before everything had happened. He remembered that when Kevin had given it to him he told Max to write down the tale of Freak the Mighty, since he wouldn’t be able to. So, Max began to write down their adventures as a way of coping. He also had gotten advice from Loretta, another character in the story. She had asked him “what he was doing these days,” when she saw him one day at a bus stop.