Character Analysis Of Hans Hubermann In The Book Thief

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Hans Hubermann stood strong through moments of adversity. He stuck to his beliefs and personal opinions under the unrelenting reign of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. In The Book Thief Hans Hubermann displayed his morals, a comforting essence, and trustworthiness under horribly negative conditions.

First off, Hans Hubermann kept to his own moral beliefs despite the ever-changing society that surrounded him. “Who else would do some painting for the price of half a cigarette? That was Papa, that was typical, and I loved him” (354-355). This quote from Liesel
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Throughout the story people stayed relaxed around him because of his positive, easygoing attitude. “Sitting in the water, she imagined the smell of it, mapped out on her papa’s clothes. More than anything, it was the smell of friendship, and she could find it on herself too. Liesel loved that smell. She would sniff her arm and smile as the water cooled around her” (72). This quote demonstrates how Papa calmed and comforted the people around him, especially Liesel. At first, Liesel struggled to feel safe or comfortable around people, then she bonded with her new papa, Hans Hubermann. “It took nearly fifteen minutes to coax her from the car. It was the tall man who did it. Quietly” (28). Liesel had no intention of going inside her new foster home on Himmel Street, until Hans spoke with her. Liesel immediately gravitated to the calm air surrounding Hans. Even though she had lost her brother and her mother, Liesel felt comfortable around Hans after a few short minutes. Yet again, this illustrates how Hans exhibited a positive, comforting quality despite living under the horrors of Nazi
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“He - if there’s anything you ever need” (179). Hans Hubermann made a promise to Erik Vandenburg’s wife to help out in any way he could. He stuck to this promise and, consequently, agreed to house Max twenty years later. This shows how Hans kept to his promises and people could trust him. Housing a Jew in Nazi Germany could have lead to severe punishment, nevertheless, Hans decided to help Max in his time of need because he knew that he needed to stick to his commitment.“‘Papa,’ she whispered, ‘Papa’ and that was all. He could probably smell it. He lifted her gently from the bed and carried her into the washroom” (63). In this passage of the book Liesel wetted the bed, Papa discovered this and simply washed the sheets without saying a word. Furthermore, this demonstrates how people trusted Hans with pertinent information. Liesel trusted her papa even more after this encounter, Hans knew to keep this a secret to protect Liesel’s feelings. With all the negativity and poorness in Hans’ life, he would have been expected to respond negatively, but in reality, Hans did the complete opposite.

Hans Hubermann showed his morals, a comforting essence, and trustworthiness despite living under horribly negative conditions. Under the tireless regime of Adolf Hitler, Hans clung to his personal beliefs. He did this in several ways, he helped two Jews, and helped Liesel develop into a better person. Next time an individual