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"The Book Thief" Themes
17
"The Book Thief" Themes
Written By Markus Zusak
By Nicole A. Kaastra
June 9 2017
Family is Not Always Who You are Related To
Family
Although Liesel had a brother and mother at one point, her real family is found on Himmel Street with two foster parents, the boy nest door and a fist fighting jew
Whether we like it or not, our family has a large part in shaping who we are. In the begining of the book Liesel is travelling with her poor, communist mother to be given to Hans and Rosa, her foster parents. Liesel's mom shows what real love is by doing this, doing it to keep her children safe. The theme of family is truly brought out when Hans and Rosa stop being foster parents and Liesel start seeing at them as Mama and Papa. Liesel's shaped by both of them. Rosa teaches her to be strong and hardworking, while Hans shows her how to read and enjoy life. When Max is brought into the household he becomes a part of this family and a part of shaping Liesel.
Sydney
Sydney
At the end of the novel when Death is taking Liesel in Sydney he describes: "In her final visions, she saw her three children, her grandchildren, her husband, and the long list of lives that merged with hers. Among them, lit like lanterns, were Hans and Rosa Hubermann, her brother, and the boy whose hair remained the color of lemons forever". This shows that even at Liesel's death, family has moved her. Even the family that she couldn't hold onto, the ones that had died long ago. They are who she thinks about.
Through this we also find out that Liesel ended up making a family of her own. Clearly an ideal she has carried ever since she was young.
Hubermann
Liesel just expirienced the traumatizing event of watching her brother die when she is being seperated from her mother. Now deposited in the care of the Hubermanns, Liesel is safer than ever. The Hubermanns come to love Liesel like their own children, if not more. Hans proves this by sacrificing his own sleep to comfort Liesel from her nightmares and teaching her to read. Rosa shows her love in an unconventional way, by being bossy and nagging Liesel. Liesel comes to love Hans and Rosa, and sees them as her parents. There is nothing this family wouldn't do to protect each other.
Hubermann
Vandenburg
Vandenburg
Max Vandenburg has his own family. When they are no longer safe, Max finds refuge because Hans owes the Vandenburg's a huge favour because of his father's actions in Wolrd War I (Erik Vandenburg saves his life by volunteering Hans for a job when the rest of the soliders go to die). Max's family is far from perfect. Before the cruelties of the war he enjoyed his days by being a fist fighter. He lived alone with his Mom because his dad had died when he was a small boy.
When Max is hidden in the basement at Himmel Street he becomes part of this family too. He makes two books, paints, and enjoys a snowman all for Liesel, a girl he will not soon forget. After he is forced to leave, is captured by Nazis, and the war is over he tracks her down and all they can do is cry.
Death is More Than an Omniscient Narrator
Death
During the war death was a theme for everyone, whether you were a jew, a solider or a child. Liesel deal with her fair of second-hand death early on, and makes Death himself take a second glance.
Death plays a huge role in The Book Thief. After all it is set in World War II. Death not only is an omniscient narrator, but an ending for all those in that time, whether a jew, a solider, or a bombing victim. Liesel has seen death first hand, like her brother on the train, the bombing on Himmel Street, and eventually her own.
Death's own obsession with the Book Thief shows us the story without human filters.
The Dead
The Dead
A List of the Notable People Who Died and Their Importance to Liesel
- Werner Meminger
Werner is her only other sibling. She was supposed to go to their new foster home together, but he died on the train there. This traumatizes Liesel. SHe has reocccuring nightmares of him and the train they were on. When she is stealing from the Mayor's wife, Werner acts like her conscience.
- Hans Hubermann
Liesel loves Hans so much. He is the only father she has ever known and he has been a good one. He read to her, taught her to read, and he fought of the nightmares. When he died she couldn't forget about his accordian.
- Rosa Hubermann
Like Hans, Rosa's death was huge for Liesel. These were her Mama and Papa that died, and with them maybe a small part of Liesel.
- Rudy Steiner
Rudy always wanted that kiss. When Liesel finds him in Himmel Street after the bombing she gives him their first and last kiss. Rudy has been Liesel's only friend. Her best friend
- Reinhold Zucker
Now Liesel may have not known this person, but because of him Hans got to come home to her. Surely a detail Liesel would find monumental.
The Bombing
This scene in the book was an absolute tearjerker. Liesel loses everyone she loves here. Hans, Rosa, and Rudy all die, leaving Liesel to crawl out from the basement to find them. She is heartbroken. Before the bombing, life was coming together for Liesel. In hindsight it was perfect. Anything is perfect compared to this tragedy.
The Bombing
The Narrator
Our narrator is Death, himself. This gives the book a modern feel. As we learn about Liesel and the world at this time we also learn about Death. He keeps himself as detached as possible to protect himself, but he can't help himself from watching Liesel's story. In the end we learn that death and ghosts don't haunts us, but we haunt him.
The Narrator
New Beginings Always Come at the End
You know the saying: when one door closes a window opens? Well, quite literally for Liesel... Anyway, I found it fitting to put this segment at the end. The different stages of Liesel's life seem to always be seperated by major events, and here we can analyze them.
New Beginings
You know the saying: when one door closes a window opens? Well, quite literally for Liesel...
Liesel's first fresh start was when she started living with the Hubermanns. Here she is given the chance to learn and grow in a safe and loving enviroment. She becomes strong and independant in a way she couldn't be before. Her pride from her educational triumphs bleed into confidence (which resulted in book stealing).
Ah! The book stealing! Yes, her first book, The Gravedigger's Handbook, marks the start of something truly special. Her begining in book thievery starts here and only gains momentum. By stealing back from the universe, Liesel is able to feel control while the worl is going insane outside her house.
When Max moves into Himmel Street is marks the begining of making a difference. This is how Liesel fights back against the Furher.
The last New Begining is by far the worst. The bombs that rained down on Himmel Street marked the end of Liesel's childhood and the begining of something unknown. Through the loss of her parents and friend Liesel barely survives, but she does. She carries on with her life, because it is the only thing she can do.
Guilt and Blame Make Their Appearance
All actions in the novel serve a purpose and the characters carry it all out beautifully, whether they are the victims of chance or their actions are from a solid base.
Blame
With humans comes human emotions. The Book Thief is blessed with interesting and layered characters that may not always have a clean conscious. The subject of their guilt varies from past wars andcurrent mistakes and everything in between. Blame is given a spotlight as people point fingers at others and themselves.
The blame that appears most often in this book is people blaming themselves, the blame society places, and the blame we put on other people. Liesel is blamed for when Max gets sick by Rosa, because she brought in the cold snowman. Hans, in the same situation blames Hitler. Hitler really is to blame for all the sorrows in Germany in this time. Society places their hatred and blame on the Jewish people, rather than themselves. Lastly the bomb is blamed for its destruction on Himmel Street, which is another branch of the Furher's fault.
Guilt
Guilt is defined as the fact of having commited a specified or implied offense or crime. Here we see many characters feel guily for their actions, but notably Liesel never feel guily about taking books. She mny feel guilty about yelling at the Mayor's wife, but not about the books. Liesel also feels responsible for Rosa's laundry services getting fired. Rosa knows this when the Mayor can her so she decides to not punish Liesel. Rosa has much less guilt on her hands than anyone. She is, after all, a good women in a crisis.
Guilt
Hans' Guilt
Hans survives the war when his other soliders die. Hans is grateful to be alive, but must feel survivor's guilt. He makes the most of his life by playing music and loving those closest. Hans always tries to be a decent human being, like helping jews, which is why his guilt almost eats him when he has to kick Max out.
Hans' Guilt
Max's Guilt
Max is a kind soul, he truly is. In the face of Jewish hatred Max lets some of this slip through his defences and he does feel guilt. Guilt over being a jew. As he lives in the basement at Himmel Street he constantly feels guilty for putting the Hubermanns in danger. Can you imagine feeling guilty for existing?