The Book Thief Character Analysis

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. No point in seeking explanations. Like where Death says; ‘you think you’re the only one God never answers?’ Liesel is significantly changing in the story because of friendship, deaths, and words. I would like to tell you about the talents of Liesel and Hans, the stepfather of Liesel.

You truly don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Everyday things are taken for granted. In “The Book Thief” It shows incredible examples of how loss transforms you for the better. “The Book Thief” Written by Markus Zusak is a novel based on Nazi-Germany during post World War 2. It Features the scary truth along with harsh humor, The story is told through the eyes of brave, Jewish girl named Liesel. The story shows how you should always be thankful for what you have because it could be gone within a second. Growing up underprivileged definitely teaches you things that you would not have learned or viewed in that way if you were middle class/upper class. Growing up poor can have a huge effect upon yourself, but you learn, develop and become

Many books have the same themes and even some books have the same setting, ideas, or characters. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and Night by Elie Wiesel, both Liesel from The Book Thief and Elie for Night both share a common theme: suffering. Both Liesel and Elie suffer from the loss of their family. It is very hard on them since they have almost no one to depend on; they are by themselves essentially. Suffering is a major problem that both Liesel and Elie have to endure with in order to survive.

“Look proud, he advised himself. You cannot look afraid,”(Zusak Ch 25). Max fought for the safety of his life for two years by hiding out. No matter how hopeless your situation might look, keep fighting because you never know what will happen unless you try. Having Max living in Liesel's basement teaches her first-hand how serious things are, and the dangers of what Hitler can do. Max not only is in danger himself, but puts Liesel's whole family at risk. “Now I think we are friends, this girl and me. On her birthday it was she who gave a gift to me,”(Zusak Ch 12). Liesel gave Max the gift of friendship, and that meant a lot to Max. Liesel hugs Max as an act of pity, but Max sees it more than that. After years of being lonely, Max feels like he has a friendship with Liesel. They try their best to protect each other as they both go through this hard time

The characters in a story. They are hard to bring to life, yet a story would be incomplete without them. I love to write, and I often don’t have troubles creating my characters. But what makes every character stand out is that special thing about each and every one of them. That’s one thing that I loved about “The Book Thief,” by Markus Zusak. Each and every one of the characters in “The Book Thief” were different in personality and I made different memories with each and every one of them.

Liesel had a very tough childhood with her mother abandoning her and her brother dying, plus everybody else she lost. Even though she suffered many terrible events during her childhood, she still prevailed through it by reading books and using her words. Her obsession with stealing books and living in the Hubermann household represented the beauty in her life in the wake of the brutality caused by the Nazi party. She spent quality time learning how to read with Hans, and was amazed how kind and patient Hans was. Liesel bonding with Mas was also a part of the beauty in her life, in spite of the brutality and the despair happening in her life. She read books with Max and spent a lot of time with each other, even writing books together. Their friendship adds to the beauty that Liesel’s life represented, even though Max was a Jew, she still befriended him. Markus Zusak’s poetic writing enhances Liesel’s story by adding imagery and many bold headlines to write important statements. Without these elements, the story would have been overwhelmingly boring and depressing. The bold headline is used as emphasis, such as “I am haunted by humans” to add more meaning to the quote. (Zusak

No single person is free from the toil of this world, or the hardships associated with it. This comes as brutality towards the ill-fated. These people cope with brutality in order to function. To cope with brutality, many find beauty to be their escape from pain by finding distractions from this brutality. On Himmel Street, the characters of The Book Thief share the hardships of their past and current situation, along with the necessity to cope with it. In the novel The Book Thief, Marcus Zusak exemplifies beauty appearing within the wake of brutality, as well as the resilience of spirit in times of hardship with Max, Liesel, and Death

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

Nelson Mandela once said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” This quote is relatable to Markus Zusak’s novel, The Book Thief, due to the courage portrayed by several characters. The novel follows the life of a young German girl, Liesel Meminger as she becomes the book thief. Throughout Liesel’s life, she faces many battles, yet none are as invasive as those of Hans Hubermann, a stubborn yet fearless man. In the novel, Zusak introduces Hans, a character that must face several moral conflicts to lead him towards actions involving others. In Zusak’s novel, The Book Thief, courage is portrayed through Hans’s morally correct actions involving Liesel, Max Vandenburg, and a bypassing Jewish man.

To Heal and to Hurt: The Importance of Words in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Markus Zusak has assembled ‘The Book Thief’ using a variety of narrative conventions. These include a unique narrative viewpoint, plot structure and use of imagery, all of which provide meaning to the reader.

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.

Based on the circumstances that they are developed in, humans are capable of both good and evil. Markus Zusak's The Book Thief explores the complexities of human nature through his use of setting, symbols and characters. Different characters possess different qualities based on their experiences. Symbols are used to illustrate both the beauty and the ugliness in humanity. Also, in the novel, the setting in which the character is raised has either a negative or positive effect on the characters actions. Therefore, in The Book Thief, Markus Zusak's develops the theme the theme that humans are often capable of both good and/or evil depending on the experiences they face. These experiences will then groom them for the future.

Everything Rudy does after that moment, when you know he’s going to die at the age of 14, everything is in the shadow of that.’ (Zusak, 2010). Max Vandenburg is the Jewish man who seeks refuge in the Hubermann’s basement putting their lives in great danger. Max’s father saved Hans’ life in World War II and caring for Max is Hans’ way of repaying Max for what his father did for him. Max and Liesel’s match of personalities and shared qualities enable the two to become such great friends, giving each other’s life purpose and the drive to survive the horrors of the war. An important role model in Liesel’s life is Ilsa Hermann. After seeing Liesel steal a book at the book burning, she gives her the ‘window of opportunity’ (Zusak, pg. 155) inviting her into her library and sharing her own love of books with Liesel. The reader eventually learns that Ilsa is still mourning the loss of her own son many years before. Ilsa takes Liesel into her care after the tragedy of the bombing raids that results in the death of Hans and Rosa leaving Liesel traumatised and

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. On the first night she began living there, she began to have the same horrible and vivid nightmare of her brother’s death. She would wake up in the middle of night in a cold sweat screaming. Hans would stay with her till dawn either talking or playing the accordion making her feel more calm and at ease. Liesel became more comfortable around Hans and started to love him