Liesel Character Changes

A main reason Liesel develops into the character she is by the end of the novel is due to the individuals she meets and her relationships with them. When Hans Hubermann becomes

Change is an inevitable aspect of life; however the most significant changes occur when an individual develops a sought after skill or learns imperative information. In the novel The Book Thief the novel’s main protagonist Liesel Meminger encounters numerous moments which help define her characterization as she grows as a character. Firstly one of Liesel’s most poignant moments occurs once she pieces together her vague past and during the same process discovers her reason for loathing Hitler. When Liesel heard the word communist being mentioned in a negative connotation at the book burning, she became stricken with fear as this word was all she knew of her past life. Liesel’s desire for answers on her Mother’s disappearance leads to her asking Hans if Hitler was one

The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak, is about Liesel Meminger, a young girl from Germany who faces the inevitable pains of growing up in a time of war, Holocaust and Nazism. The story is told in the first-person point. It is a view of Death as he narrates. “The Book Thief” has a great deal of tragedy in it but it also is a celebration of life. In fact, it’s full of opposites.

Sebastian Mejia Mrs. Porter English 2 Pre-AP/GT – 5th Period 17 September 2015 Part 1 English 2 Pre-AP/GT Summer Reading Assessment – The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 5. Hans gains Liesel’s trust through patience and understanding. Whenever she would cry or wake up from a nightmare, he would be there for her and protect her. He would say “Shhh, I’m here, it’s alright” to console her and let her know that he won’t leave her. (Zusak 36)

‘That [Death] in a way was a metaphor for the idea that this book is about people doing beautiful things in a really ugly time.’ (Zusak, 2010) One of the central themes presented in The Book Thief is the idea of family. It is evident in the text that the idea of a family is not just limited to those in which we are inherently connected; it encompasses those we care for. Her arrival on Himmel Street, leaves Liesel struggling to face the abandonment she has experienced with her mother leaving her for a reason she does not understand and the devastating loss of her brother, Werner, whose ghost haunts her throughout the novel.

Liesel has realized she must respect the man who was the reason for her and her entire families suffering. She has realized she officially has lost her home, that she is completely isolated from the community. “It was quite a sight seeing an eleven year old girl try not to cry on church steps, saluting fuhrer”(Zusak 115). After losing all of these emotionally wrecking things Liesel learns and understands she needs to keep going forward. She refuses to give up she although times are rough manages to think, it could be worse.

Having no one familiar to turn to, she finds a passion for words and continues to steal more books and develops strength through her burgeoning intellect of words. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is about the power of words; in this novel Zusak reveals that one who truly knows the hidden strength behind all words, can dominate others because words are more powerful than any weapon. The importance of words is shown through the symbolism of certain words throughout the novel; the motif of hunger, how it leads to her hunger for words; and how different Liesel’s world would be without words. Simple words can have deeper meanings.

Liesel was the last one to part from her brother’s grave and upon walking back to her mother she notice that there was a book laying in the snow. It belonged to one of the gravediggers but she didn 't know that at the time so she took it. It was the first book that she had “stolen.” Later that day she was separated from her mother and taken to her new home on 33 Himmel Street to live with Rosa and Hans Hubermann, her foster parents.

During the novel perseverance is demonstrated by many characters, including Liesel, by showing their resilience towards the constant conflicts that torment them and impact their ability to accomplish or complete many tasks they would otherwise be able to do. The many formidable bonds between the characters exhibit how friendship can impact every decision and action you make, including when Liesel resists from disclosing the secret of the Jewish runaway within her home because of the relationships it would considerably affect. The contrasts of power are validated during the book by showing how it can be used in many different ways: these systems of power include manipulation, comfort and knowledge. As evident throughout the pages of this novel, The Book Thief shares compelling perception on the real world themes of perseverance, friendship and

In the Book Thief, Liesel’s life represents beauty in the wake of brutality in her relationship with Ilsa Hermann, in her relationship with Rudy, and in the Hubermann’s house. Ilsa Hermann is the mayor’s wife and her connection to Liesel is through books. Throughout some of the book, Liesel went to the mayor’s library and read with Ilsa Hermann. The beauty is the books and reading, and the brutality is that Ilsa fired Rosa Hubermann and Liesel ripped up the books in the library.

Liesel, known as the book thief to the audience has a distinct passion for books and how much they mean to her. Stealing book after the book becomes a hobby for the young girl whose love of books is fostered by her foster father, Hans Hubermann. As Hans teaches Liesel how to read and write they develop an

The Book Thief- Markus Zusak Assignment: 2 Dialectical Journals, one for each of the following sections: Pages 1-266 (through chapter “The Gamblers”), Pages 267-the end! Dialectical Journal for The Book Thief From the Book Write down the 2 or 3 most important things that happen in this part of your book. An important part of the book was in the first chapter where liesel's brother dies. It start the book of by giving the point of view that the story is writing in and it also introduces one of the main characters.

At the beginning of the book, Liesel and her brother are on a train to Molching, where their new parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, will take care of her since her biological parents might have been caught by the Germans because they were communists. Right at the beginning of the book, Liesel’s mother has left her kids with the Hubermanns because she doesn't want anything to happen to them if she gets taken away by the Germans, which she does. This is a family problem because she is only nine years old and she has already lost both her mother and father and she doesn’t know if she will see them again. For their own benefit, Liesel had to go on the train ride with her brother to her new parents; however, it wasn’t as easy as it seemed. Liesel’s little brother “died in the third carriage” (Zusak 19).

From a young age, Liesel had to grow up and keep a brave, tough face. She realized early on that she could not really rely on others due to her feelings of being abandoned by everyone. Through out the entirety of her story, she kept picking herself back up, and moving along. She is a survivor. When everyone around Liesel had died, Death had a curious thought, “It amazes me what humans can do, even when streams are flowing down their faces and they stagger on, coughing and searching, and finding” (Zusak 536).

Though Markus Zusak has written many other good books, The Book Thief is his bestselling book for its outstandingly distinct writing, perspective, and story of love. The story starts off with an abrupt death of a young boy, which sends Liesel away to the Hubermann’s home in a state of grief. Despite her low spirits, she quickly makes friends with Rudy Steiner and learns to love her adoptive parents, Hans and Rosa. Hans develops a close and loving relationship with Liesel, who sees him as her support and guidance throughout her adolescent years.