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How does this book compare to others you have read?
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2. No text-talk: writing style counts.
3. DON'T YELL WITH CAPITALS!
4. Stay on topic: our purpose is to discuss literature.
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Did anyone notice how interestingly the pages ‘numbers are painted? Especially the zeros. They look like someone's eyes, creating an effect of someone always watching you. Brrrr, creepy...
ReplyDeleteNow that you've mentioned it, yes I do think it's a bit creepy.. I like how the numbers look, it's artsy and creative, even though i always have trouble telling the 5's and 6's apart.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed the numbers on the page and I thought that the author probably made them like that on purpose. I sometimes find it hard to tell the numbers apart from each other. My question is why is the window to Ilsa's house always open? Is it because they like the fresh air or is there some other reason behind this? I find it very weird that someone would leave there window open all the time especially during the times that they are in.
ReplyDeleteI was also wondering why Ilsa always had her window open. That struck me as strange. The character of Ilsa seems like a very weird character to me. Why is she always so distant? Why does she not show much emotion? I know it might be because of her son dying, but is anyone else thinking it could be some other reason? Something that she is trying to hide, using her son’s death to cover it up? I’m not sure, just a thought.
ReplyDeleteShe leaves her window open because she knows that Liesel has been going into her library (Ilsa found footprints in certain areas of the room) and so she purposely lets her go in, as this is all revealed in a note. I think it's funny how both Liesel and Rudy think they were so good at not getting caught, but they did. Ilsa just didn't do anything about it. In the note she also says that she'd like it if Liesel would go into the house properly, through the door, to read her books one day because it would take a thousand visits to steal all of those books. In the letter, I find that strangely, Ilsa seems different. When I read it I thought she was definitely angry when she wrote it instead of being quiet like she usually is. Maybe she thought of what Liesel said to her that day and decided that it was time to move on...
ReplyDeleteI am convinced that Hans Hubermann knows something, either about Liesel’s mother, or maybe something else. He always seems to have a mysterious vibe to him, and it seems like he’s hiding something. My question is: Is he hiding something, and what would it be?
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure this has been addressed before (I've only been skimming through these posts), but several questions come to mind as I'm reading through the book. Why did Death choose Liesel? Out of everyone on the surface of the planet, it is Liesel and everyone related or interacting with her that he seems to be observing. I'm thinking that its because he is circulating around the area where the most deaths are occurring (Holocaust time), and he just happened to spy upon Liesel, who he thought was interesting. Why Liesel, though? Is he doing it from boredom? Are there perhaps other people he is watching over?
ReplyDeleteI really agree with you Jen. I am also wondering why he chose Liesel. There are so many other people that he could have chosen to follow, but he chose Liesel. I'm thinking that there might be a reason that will reveal it’s self to us at a further time. There must be some significance to it, but we just haven’t figured it out yet. As to Vicky, thanks for answering that question. I just read that part, and now it really makes since.
ReplyDeleteI have finished the book and Death does not give a definite answer as to why he chose Leisel. He does say that he's only seen her 3 times so according to him he does not follow her. But by having him as the narrator it seems to contradict that statement. So ignoring his comment and saying he is especially interested in Leisel, I believe it's because of the type of person she is and how she acts. She's gone through so much but still manages to be a positive and interesting person. Just the way she speaks to people, especially Max, makes you want to listen to her so personally I don't blame Death for his interest. In short it's who she is that I feel draws people and Death to her and makes them want to learn more about her.
ReplyDeleteOn pages 375 and 376 Death asks about whose fault the bombing of Germany is.
ReplyDeletePersonally I believe the blame can be divided. In Hitler's eyes and later his followers, it was the Jews fault because if they did not exists then there would have been no one to prosecute for being different and there far no enemies dropping poison on their heads. In some sense I guess it could be their fault but aren't we supposed to support individuality and not punish people for being BORN?
That leads me to someone I believe bears the majority of the weight of this blame: Hitler. If not for him no one would have been brainwashed by his words into believing them or were too scared to act. No bombs would have to fall in order to put equality back into Germany.
Though I believe history and Death when it says Hitler was a very persuasive person, I do believe some of the blame still rests with the people of Germany; all of those who believed it was easier to say nothing or follow along then to help many of their own. If Hitler was not elected by the people then his words could not have reached as many people. I know that is an outrageous demand because no one can foresee the future so how could they have known right? Even so after he starting spinning all his propaganda and lies people could have stood up to him and with enough people the power they could cause change and no bombs would have had to fall.
Many choices of various groups and people caused the bombs to fall; we can't go back and change what happened. But will placing blame ever compensate for what the Jewish peoples had to go through or make up for all of the deaths and ruined futures?
On page 145, we first hear about Ilsa Hermann’s son. On page 146, Death tells us that she has made suffering her triumph, and that she could have shot herself, or harmed herself in other ways, but instead she just kept her window open, and that she felt discomfort from the weather. My question is: was her idea of keeping the window open, and the house cold her idea to remind herself of her son, because he froze to death? Is this possibly her alternative to physically harming herself, such as slitting her wrists to make the pain go away? Also, why does she always seem so sad and quiet?
ReplyDeleteHow many of you guys like this style of writing? I think this is not really my favorite style, i find it a little werid that Death is a active part of the book. Also the fact that Death tells you things about later on in the book that i don't really want to know.
ReplyDeleteI know that people have addressed this before, but I am wondering about the colors of the sky that Death mentions quite often. It seems that he is mentioning them after he collects souls from dead people. On page 336, Death says “By the time that I was finished, the sky was yellow, like burning newspaper.” I am not really sure what this means. It seems as though he is mentioning the colors of the sky more often. I never really noticed it before, but now I am noticing it a lot. Another time he refers to the sky is on page 349. He says “For me, the sky was the color of Jews.” Does anyone know why he is addressing the color of the sky as objects?
ReplyDeleteOn pages 336-338, Death is talking about Cologne, and how it got bombed. He talks about a group of 10 year old girls, and an empty fuel container. The girls are fighting over who can keep the fuel container. One of their dads won't let them keep it, so another girl goes to ask her dad if she can keep it. Is there any significance to the empty fuel containers? As of right now, I don’t think this connects to the novel in any way; it just seems to be there.
ReplyDeleteOn page 394 it says "you filth! You swine!" anyone know why they would refer to jews as that? I mean you think they could come up with something better.
ReplyDeleteWhat made the change of heart for Frau Holtzapfel? Why does she all of a sudden want Liesel to read the rest of the book to her? The werid she even offers to pay! What happened to her? i always pictured her as a mean cold hearted character and now she is offering to pay to have Liesel read to her.
ReplyDelete@Serena
ReplyDeleteI thought of the same question when i came to that part in the novel and you're right why would Frau even dare to come up to Rosa's door throughout all the drama between them, my guess is Frau really enjoyed Liesel's voice and the way she read it and was intrigued by the whistler and wanted liesel to finish the book.
@ Josette
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you! It seems like something is missing. It doesn't even make sense that a bunch of girls would want to keep pieces of garbage. The only thing that I can think of, is that Death is trying to show the innocence of children. Those girls didn't realize the seriousness of the fuel containers, they didn't realize that those containers helped destroy their home. To them, the containers were new toys.
The book mentions the parade of Jews. I tried looking up information on this but I could not find much on this. I was wondering if anyone knew exactly what the parade of Jews was and what happened during that time?
ReplyDeleteYeah I'm really curious about the parade of Jews too, I mean was it just added in the book to make it interesting? Or was there a parade for Jews durring the holocaust?
ReplyDelete@ Serena B
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about how the Germans refered to the Jews as filth and swine was as if they put no thought into it. However, it kind of made sense because the Germans thought the jews were useless pieces of meat during the war, and in life people think of pigs as useless dirty meat so i can kind of see the how the two go together, but it was still so cruel to refer to anyone by the names they used.
One of many things I noticed while reading the book was the frequent use of insults and mild profanity. Rosa Hubermann is particularly at fault in this area, generally referring to Liesel as “Saumensch” and even her own husband as “Saukerl”. The book gives a definition (the prefix Sau- means pig) and I know what the words mean, however I don’t understand why they refer to people they like in such sordid terms. Was this a common practice in Holocaust-era Germany?
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the Germans referring to the Jews as swine, I find it interesting that they chose that symbolism. Sure comparing them to pigs seems logical: Pigs are dirty, stupid and as Jordyn mentioned, "useless pieces of meat", however at the same time, they often refer to each other, German to German as Saumensch or Saukerl, which ALSO means pig. So how is it that they can use "pig" as a degrading term for Jews and as a harmless nickname for each other?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis is kind of stupid but how old is Max? I totally forgot about his age or if the author even told us.
ReplyDeleteHow many are finished? and if you are How did you like the ending? For me the last 50 pages where the best out of the whole book. By the end i felt like i knew the characters and the way it ended was a good ending the writter left no questions left undone about the characters.
ReplyDeleteI now understand where the book is coming from thanks to all the people that responded to my questions. As for your question Ryan i could not find anything on the net about referring to the ones you love as pigs. I agree that it is a little odd.
ReplyDeletemy question is why did everyone listen to the orders that Hitler was commanding? Why did the people of Germany think that Hitler was doing such good for their country when it was really wrong? There was more of them and only one him so why didn’t they stop hurting their own land and people?
ReplyDelete@Faven
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know, there were no actual parade of Jews. They would just stick the Jews in the back of truck and drive them to a concentration camp like that. Yes that would envolve going through towns and what not, but I do not believe that they actually walked the Jews through the towns.
I have kind of a random question about this book. At the beginning of the book there was a plane crash and there was a boy there i think it was that brought a teddy bear to put beside the pilot as he died. Who was this person and why did he put the bear there? Does he eventually come back into the story?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete@ Breanne
ReplyDeleteThat is a really good question actually i was wondering the same thing because i didn't really understand how it was really related to the story. I have not come accross if he comes back in the story or not either. So hopefully someone will be able to answer that question.
I have a lot of questions. My first one is, are both of Frau's sons dead or just one? Is Max going to come back? Is he already dead? Finally about the parade of Jews, I'm very curious about that, was it an event during the Holocaust?
ReplyDelete@ Gurdeep
ReplyDeletelike I previously said to Faven, there is not proof of these parades anywhere on the internet, at least not that I have found. I think that Markus Zusak just made them up so that the character of Liesel could try and search for Max after he left.
@Eskender
ReplyDeleteThere is one simple answer: "They just did not know the truth until it was too late to change anything."
Do you think Hitler told everyone about his plans and intentions? Of course not! Everything was very secret. Even if you were going to go against Hitler with the goal to return the justice and fairness into people’s lives, I don't think you would very successful. No one would've even listened to you. The bullet would've sold the problem. I know it is horrible, but unfortunately it is the reality....
One of the things I found odd about this story is when Rudy told Liesle that he lost the race on purpose, (page 364) why did he lose on purpose? Did it have something to do with the fact that some people might quickly forget about Jesse Owens victory if Rudy won as many medals as him especially since Jesse Owens was black?
ReplyDelete@ Serena
ReplyDeleteI think that the reason why the Nazi referred to the Jews as filthy because they thought that they were filthy people, in other words the Nazi thought that they had better hygiene than the Jews, and I think that the Nazi and or Germans did refer to the Jews as harsher things than just as filthy, they just weren’t mentioned in this novel. I also noted that they were also refered to as filthy in the book Maus.
When Liesel gets the letter from the man, why is he saying sorry? also why is everyone so worried about what is going on around their household? my third question is what does the letter say that Liesel's family is worried about, and why are they so worried?
ReplyDeleteWhen we first meet Ilsa Hermann, it says that her window is always open. My question is: why was her window all of a sudden closed then? Maybe it had something to do with what Liesel said, but maybe there’s a different reason behind it...hmm...
ReplyDeleteI don't really understand the story that Max wrote for Liesel on pages 445-450. It doesn't seem to tie into the novel very well and just doesn't make sense that Max would write it to Liesel. Why do you guys think it's in the book? Why do you think Max said that Liesel might be to old for the story?
ReplyDeleteI don't quite understand how the book "Mein Kampf" saved Max's life. I understand that Hitler wrote the book, but couldn't anyone have a copy of it? So my question is how did Mein Kampf save Max's life?
ReplyDelete@ Alex
ReplyDeleteI think that "Mein Kampf" helped Max Vandenburg because It tells Hitlers story, it says what he likes and dislikes throughout the book and why. He can use it to get inside Hitler's head to find the way of how he thinks and what his problems were.
@ Alex, personally when I read that the book Mein Kampf saved his life, I thought that it was because when Hans sent that book, he didn't want for it to look suspicious. If he bought that book and sent it, people would have no reason to suspect anything, except that he wanted to learn more about Hitler. Also when Max was on the train, and he was reading that book, it wouldn’t attract any attention to him. Hans hide the tickets in the book, so that could also be a reason why he was saved because of the book. That is just the way I interpreted it.
ReplyDelete@ Josette
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about Mein Kampf and how Hans sent it trying not to look suspicious. I think it was the best way to cover up what they were doing, and taping the key to the inside of the book was very smart. If Max was reading a different book on the train, someone could have asked him what he was reading but this way with Mein Kampf, no one would ask questions because they already know.
@ Alex, I think the book Mein Kampf saved Max's life because if anyone were to find out Max was a Jew he would not have made it safely to the Hubbermans. Reading a book about Hitler and his accomplishments is something somebody supporting Hitler would do, so everyone around that also supported Hitler would treat Max with respect and not doubt that he was German.
ReplyDeleteI was just wondering, how does Death find the time to always watch Liesel with everything else he has to do. I mean, he could hardly have any breaks if he was supposed to gather every sould out of every dying person. Was he there with Liesel always, or did he have some other source of information. The way he tells the story is as if it is out of his perspective, but right in the prologue he says that he only saw her three times.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why the mayor's family doesn't want the Hubermanns to clean their clothes anymore? They obviously are rich enough to live in a big and fancy house, why can't they support the Hubermanns when they know they don't have much money? Especially since the mayor's wife had made a connection with Liesel by inviting her into her house to read which she knows Liesel loves doing.
ReplyDeleteOn Page 497 and 498 Death poses the question: No one wanted to bomb Himmel Street. No one would bomb a place named after heaven, would they? Would they?
ReplyDeleteI found this comment rather irritating being as this novel is woven around a time period were people were murdered because of their religion. How can Death except Germany's enemies to respect religion or religious symbols if the Germans are violating others due to their beliefs? Though we have no proof that Death is a German, for me at this moment he seems like one and his comment seems unreasonable and extremely hypocritical.
If you were in this situation do you think you would try to get an eye for an eye or would you try to lead the Germans by example.
When I read the chapter about Dominoes and Darkness, I was really fascinated at the idea that dominoes might represent the dead bodies. I myself would have never thought of that, and I still can't get the connection between those two things. Does anyone have any ideas on this topic? Could the dominoes represent the destruction of Jewish race and how vulnerable and defenceless they were in the eyes of Nazis?
ReplyDelete@Martina,
ReplyDeleteI was also confused about this question. Hundreds of people were dying each minute around the world at that time, and how Death being so busy had time to learn so much about little ordinary girl’s life? It seems like he was always there, watching over her, following her every step... But how? Since it says in the book that Death had only seen her three times, I can only suppose that after Liesel's death, Death had taken her diary, in which as it was mentioned Liesel had written a lot of about her life. Maybe that is where he got so much facts and stories about her.
Shandra,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading you post, I only now realized how much irony there is the novel! Himmel Street is of the poorest streets in the Molching, nevertheless it is named after heaven. How ironic...
Elvina,
ReplyDeleteYou are right, there is a lot of irony in this book. Something I find ironic is Max painting over the pages of Mein Kampf to write a story of a friendship between a German and a Jew. This I find ironic.
Did Hans Hubbermans son die?
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to the first leader of the group that Liesel and Rudy would go steal stuff with?
ReplyDeleteHe moved away and then they had that new mean guy.
ReplyDeleteI was just wondering if anybody noticed that all of the "parts" of this book were titled with names of the books Liesel had stolen? I didn't notice until Death told us at the end, but I think that is an interesting way to incorporate all of her prized possessions into the story, especially because they were also used as the names of the parts in the book Liesel wrote herself.
ReplyDelete@ Elvina (about the dominoes)
ReplyDeleteI think you are right about the dominoes symbolizing the Jewish race, and how just one push by the Germans can send them all tumbling down.
I think the dominoes also (although less significantly) represent the chain of events that lead to the people on Himmel street’s deaths or misfortunes. For example, Hans Hubermann deciding to help a Jew brought along a chain of trouble for him and his family (even though Hans was un-selfish enough not to care, but helped Max anyways.) Also, when the Steiners decided to not let Rudy join the “’elite group of German citizens in the name of the Führer….’” (Zusak, 409), because they knew it would probably not be a good idea, this lead to Rudy still living at home when Himmel street was bombed, costing him his life.
I think the dominoes are a good representation of dead bodies, but may also symbolize a link in events, which lead to a disastrous fate.
@ Shandra (about Death and Himmel Street)
ReplyDeleteI think maybe Death has just grown to know and love Himmel Street, and all of the people on it, especially Liesel Memminger. Although I do agree with you that assumptions Death has made make him sound like he is a German, I think it is just his emotions speaking when he expresses his grief about what has happened to Himmel Street.
So I was wondering if anyone had an idea as to why Max let Liesel cut his hair. I first thought that it was because she was the only one he trusted, but he clearly trusted everyone in the house, so why did he choose her?
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone else think the book was written in a very unique format? I know i did! I thought it was helpful the way he had the little bolded blurbs to add some more detail about certain things.
ReplyDeleteAs Hailey asked does anyone know if Hans's son dies i also would like to know the answer to that because when i was reading that part of the story where Hans Junior runs away it kind of just leaves us with no answer so i just wondered did he die or what?
ReplyDeleteDoes Liesel get less annoying later on?
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know what Liesel's brothers name was? either i missed it at the start of the book of it doesn't get mentioned at all! I find him to pretty important in the novel because she thinks of him a lot and how he dies on the train.
ReplyDeleteLiesel's brother's name was Werner.
ReplyDelete@Harjinder Sidhu,
ReplyDeleteLiesel's brother name is Werner. It mentions this on page 20.
@Jordyn Weselake,
ReplyDeleteI am not completely sure as to what happens to Hans's Son. But on page 106 after he called Hans a coward and ran away, the Narrator pointed out,"...I wish I could tell you that everything worked out for the younger Hans Hubermann,but it did not." "... He would hurtle through events of another story, each step leading TRAGICALLY to Russia...”
@ Shandra
ReplyDeleteI don't think that Death was favouring Germans when he was upset over the bombing of Himmel street. When he asked why anyone would ever want to bomb this street, named after Heaven, I think he might have just meant that if the bombers could see what kind of people they were killing, they never would have done it. Death obviously felt he had a connection with the inhabitents of Himmel street (his obsession with Liesel) and mentioned various times that he did not think Rudy deserved to die like this. I think that Death is impartial to whether or not you are a German or a Jew, he just happened to like these Germans. The people bombing could not tell what the name of the street was, so Death didn't really believe that it would make a difference, he just regretted what happened. The fact that the street was named after Himmel just added more irony, since it started off poor then got destroyed. Could this irony demonstrate Death's, and through Death, Zusak's religious view? It is possible that Zusak does not believe in Heaven at all, and so he showed us that Heaven was not all it was cut out to be. On another note, he might just have been showing that you have to make it through hardships before going to the real Heaven. Any ideas?
@Daniel
ReplyDeleteI do not feel that at any point in this novel that Liesel is annoying. I do not know exactly why you think she is annoying but personally I do not find her annoying because I mean she is still quite a young girl who has already had to face many tough challenges. She has overcome many rough situations and has become the young lady that she is.
@Harjinder
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. I too find that the fallen brother of Liesel plays a major role throguhout this novel. She thinks consistently about him and his death, which lead to the finding of her first book. Had she not had this book she would never have had the drive to learn to read, and much of the filler parts in this novel would never have taken place. So we can all thank the death of her brother for pushing the story along.
@Alex
ReplyDeleteI feel that the reason in which Max chose Liesel to cut his har is because above all else, she was his only friend. Yes, Hans and Rosa did take him under their roof and defended him all they could but Liesel is the only one that is always there for him. He feels that even through the roughest of times Liesel was there. She brought all the presents to him. She was also, very dedicated when he was sick and almost dying, she read to him every night even when she knew in all honesty that he was probably not listening. Fianlly, I feel that they shared a special connection through the way in which they dreamed. They both woke up form terrible nightmares and both had the same reaction to their own. That is why I beleive he chose her above everyone else.
@Martina
ReplyDeleteBefore reading your opinons, I had not realy thought much about the name of the street and it's significance to the novel. But, now that I think about it, I feel that a potential reason why he may have chosen this name is to show us, that even though we may have one opinion about a certain group or area. They may come out and show us something differently. It may also, be trying to show that Heaven is what you make of it. Every person's Heaven changes based on what they want and what they like. So even though we think of this street as potential Hell, for them it was normal living. They had everything they wanted and never asked for anything more. So maybe this was their idea of personal Heaven. Let me know your opinions?
@ Martina
ReplyDeleteYou made some really interesting points there about the irony of naming a street that gets destroyed "Heaven", and to work off those ideas, I think one reason Zusak might have named it as such is to show that nothing and noONE is impervious to destruction. No matter who or what you are, eventually you will meet your downfall. As Death mentioned at the beginning "***HERE IS A SMALL FACT*** You are going to die." (p. 3) Essentially what I think he's saying is that not even Heaven can avoid being destroyed if that is its fate. Even Himmel Street (Heaven in German) can be brought down.
I know this may be a ad question but, I am curious about how the war, let Hans find Rosa his future wife? Does this mean they met during the war or met after he was done serving?
ReplyDeleteTyrenn, I am curious about that too. My guess would be that Rosa and Hans met after the war. If they met during the war Rosa would have probably been a nurse because that was usually the only job done in the war by women. If Rosa was a nurse in the war she would most likely be a nurse during the rest of the book instead of running a laundry service.
ReplyDeleteHow did Liesels brother die?....i have been wondering for so long, but never could i recall that i read how he died.
ReplyDeleteOn page 307, Death talks about the way that he looks and how he doesn’t carry a sickle or a scythe. Basically he is saying that he does not fit the stereotypical version of Death – or the Grim Reaper. Instead he says, “You want to know what I truly look like? I’ll help you out. Find yourself a mirror while I continue.” So I wasn’t quite sure what he meant here. Does he mean that he looks like every individual person in the world, and he is able to change how he looks, or is it just saying that he looks like a regular human that has the unfortunate task of taking peoples souls?
ReplyDeleteJessie, Liesels brother died on the way to the Hubermanns. They were supposed to take both Liesel and her brother, but he didn't make it. They were on a train there and her brother had a coughing fit and died. I hope that helps.
ReplyDeleteI don’t really understand the references Death makes to colors. Like in the first chapter on page 4 when he says “Your soul will be in my arms. A color will be perched on my shoulder.” And also further down the page Death says “The question is, what color will everything be at that moment when I come for you? What will the sky be saying?”, and so on. Can someone explain this to me please?
ReplyDeleteI was just looking back at the beginning, and there was this phrase involving Rosa.
ReplyDeleteThis phrase was "her face was decorated with constant fury" (page 33) I know what the main meaning is about this phrase but....
I want to know what would that mean in detail ?
I still don't see what the deal with the colors was, even though I just finished the novel. I mean it seems like it was just to make the readers wonder and to capture there attention, and of course to describe the setting. But other than that I don't really get the significance of the colors if anyone wants to tell me I would be happy to know.
ReplyDelete@ Jessie
ReplyDeleteIf I'm not wrong I think that what that line was saying is that Rosa's face seemed constantly furious or angry, I figure that because she was mad at Liesle for not bathing and she seems to always have and angry mood throughout the novel although there is also a soft side to her. I hope it makes sense.
How would the story have been different if Liesel didn't keep on having nightmares about her brother ?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI know that this question has been brought up a million times, but what is with all of the colours? There are so many of them, and they’re really starting to intrigue me...
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody know how death looks or where in the book it explains how he looks and how he can tell the future ?
ReplyDeletei am really curious to know.
@ Jessie
ReplyDeleteOn page 307 it says "I do not carry a sickle or scythe. I only wear a hooded black robe when it's cold. And I don't have those skull-like facial features you seem to enjoy pinning on me from a distance.You want to know what I truly look like? I'll help you out. Find yourself a mirror while I continue.
In the chapter "THE TRILOGY" pages 359-370.
ReplyDeleteThere was a track meet did Rudy end up winning all four events?
I know this is kind of a wierd question but, how did Hans and Rosa meet and fall in love? They are basically completely total opposites of each other.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAt the begining of the book it says that Leisel finds a book and she picksit up at the graveyard. What i dont understand though is why was she hidding it from Mr and Mrs. Hubermann.I was thinking about this trying to figure it out, and i came to the conclusion that she was embarassed that she could'nt read the book but she had it.
ReplyDelete@ Cristina
ReplyDeleteRudy did not win all four of the events. He won the 1500, 400, and 200 meter races but he was disqualified from the 100 meter race. Rudy also gave Liesel his medals.
@ Cristina
ReplyDeleteContinuing on what K-A said, he purposely lost the last race because Jesse Owens was his hero. He was an olypic winner in 1936 of those 4 events. Rudy didn't want to be considered as good as his hero, because if he was Jesse Owens would no longer be his hero.
When Liesel was delusional was that right after the bombing was that later on in time. I only think this because the way it is said it really sound like it is around a year later this is on page 533-534.
ReplyDeleteWould the story be any different if Hans had joined the Nazi party ?
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why Leisel's brother appeared next to her when she was yelling at the mayor’s wife. Is there some sort of significance to it?
ReplyDeleteI don't think it would have been any different if Hans would have joined the Nazi Party. He probably would have had the same feelings as he did before. The events that took place would have still happened (ex. Max coming to their house and the suprise attack at the end of the book). So Hans joining the Nazi party might have changed things a little bit but not drastic enough to change the entire outcome.
ReplyDeleteI don't quite understand why Death hates living humans, and has to use these colours he keeps talking about to ignore them. Can someone clear this up for me?
ReplyDeleteIf Death only seen Liesel 3 times, then was he narrating/reading from the little black book that Liesel wrote? There's obviously no way that he'd only seen her 3 times and knows what happened every year.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Hans joining the natzi party would of made a big difference.He had a welcoming feeling towards the jews,and i think those feelings would of still stayed with him. He knew Max from before as a child, so when Max came to their house,I think he would still let him in, even if he was in the Nazi Party,because I think Hans is much to caring to turn down an innocent person.
ReplyDeleteI have a quick question that i did not quite understand. Is Frau's sons both dead or just one?
ReplyDeleteRudy did not win all four races,he won his first three, then got forfeited on his fourth race because he purposely false started twice.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your favourite/least favourite thing about death being the narrator?
ReplyDelete@Barscello
ReplyDeleteAs he states from the beginning of the book, death does not have a particularly cheerful job. Unfortunately, he only arrives somewhere after someone has died, meaning it's likely not the most joyful location he could be. The reason he tries to ignore the living humans (It's not that he hates them) is so that he doesn't have to see the grief he causes as he carries away someone's soul.
@Vicki
If you look on page 14 and 15 you'll see that it detalis how death picked up her story and kept it as a reminder of the beauty of human existence. The story is told from what he reads in her book as well his own (rather unique) "personal" view of events.
One of my favourite things about death being the narrator is the little side comments. I like reading some of interesting things he has to say, except for when those side comments are upcoming events that he warns you about. That is my least favourite part, when Death tells you about things that are going to happen ahead of time.
ReplyDeleteWhen Max tells Liesel about his dreams of fighting Hitler, why does he tell her that he wins ?
ReplyDeleteHow does death watch Liesel so much? Think about it, so many people are always dieing all over the world and as death you would have to be travelling constantly to be doing your job. He would have no time to sit around and watch whats happening in Liesels life.
ReplyDelete@Jordan
ReplyDeleteOne of her son's dies in the war after losing his legs to a bomb blast. The other son kills himself because he cannot stand the death of his brother or the memories of the things that he has seen and done.
@ Vicki
ReplyDeleteI was a little curious about that too, so thanks for clearing that up Jeremy.
I remember at the beginning (apparently pages 14 and 15) when he said that he picked up Liesel's story but I never actually connected that to his narration until the end when the book came into the story.
@ Alex
ReplyDeleteI think Max tells Liesel that he wins his fight with Hitler because he doesn't want her to worry about him. He doesn't want her to have to face the reality that it is likely Hitler will win, metaphorically.
@Hailey
ReplyDeleteRead the response to Vicky's post I made at 11:46
@Alex
I think the thing is not that he wins the wrestling match, but I think it's more of a promise or a moral victory.
@ alexlucyshen
ReplyDeleteMy least favourite part of Death being the narrator was that he tells you events that will happen but not for a while. Some people liked that but I thought that it sort of ruined the surprise of the book. Examples are the deaths of certain characters (not going to say who is people haven't finished the book yet).
My favourite part of Death as the narrator was that it gave the reader an outside perspective of what was going on. It wasn't one of the characters telling you what was going on in their opinion like a typical story.
@ steph.
ReplyDeleteHans also painted jewish peoples houses previously didn't he? So i agree, joining the nazi party wouldn't have made a difference because he does like jews.
Yea, Ryan's explanation sounds about right too :) I don't actually remember the scene that well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Hailey, I waws wondering the same thing. There are so many people in the world how can he focus on just one person's life? His job is for people to die and how can he do this when he is focusing on Liesel, just one persons life so much.
ReplyDelete@Steph
ReplyDeleteI think it would have made a difference. First of all, if he did join the party he would be expected to no longer associate with Jews, and if he did he would likely get thrown out.
Secondly, it's a matter of principle. If he joined the party he was stating that he either believed in what they believed, or that he was willing to comprimise his morals in order to make life easyer for himself.
I think it's a lot like if someone were to claim to be your friend anytime you were around them, and yet they weren't willing to tell anyone that you're friends. Technically you should be reassured by the fact that they really are your friend, but I don't think anyone would really see it that way.
@Karlee
ReplyDeleteAgain.. he is reading from the book that Liesel wrote. You can check out pages 14-15 if you want to see for yourself.
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ReplyDelete@Jeremy
ReplyDeleteThat makes a little bit more sense.
But how does Death have the time to read a little girl's life story when it should be doing it's job around the world? And he also takes the time to stay and linger around the places Liesel is because she intrigues him. It's understandable for her to intrigue him, it's just not logical in my mind for him to have that might time on his hands to follow her around and read her book.
In Tamara's question about why Liesles brother apeared next to her while she was yelling at the mayors wife. I thought it could be that Liesel was at a time of frustration, sadness, and fury. Sometimes when people are angry, past troubles and problems come rushing back to them, causing an overload of stress and problems. Liesel could have been angry about her brothers death, and even frustrated. When she was expressing her true feelings, and bottled up anger to Ilsa, thoughts of her brother, and how he died also came back to her. He wispered for her to stop, but she ignored him, she was pushing him away. She was denying his help, and memories of him.
ReplyDelete@ Tamara (better late then never, eh?)
ReplyDeleteI think the appearance of Liesel's brother also symbolizes innocence, as she was still so young when her brother died and that his death essentially stole some of her innocence, forcing her to experience things no child of that age should have to. And by pushing her brother down the stairs, I think was a metaphor for her abandoning her innocence and casting aside that gentler part of her.
Okay so throughout the book i have been wondering if Himmel street actually exists so i decided to go on google maps and see. Turns out it does exist and IS in Germany. My question is did the author have a reason to use 33 Himmel street or was it completly random?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think the author did have a reason to use Himmel Street. I think Himmel Street symbolizes something such as war and friendship in the novel because most of the events occur on Himmel Street.
ReplyDelete@ Karlee
ReplyDeleteAfter finishing the book, I assume that the reason why death chose Liesle as his main focus because she was the only one who survived the bombing that hit Himmel street, and to your main question at some point in the book I thought that he was everywhere at once he was just more intrigued by Liesle because she was a survivor. I noticed that while he did know a lot about Liesle he still seemed to know what the other characters were doing and what was going on with them, like (page 431). And if I'm not wrong he did mention at some point in the book that he was at many places at once.
Just wondering... what do you think the book would have been like if Liesel was the one telling the story? Would it have changed or basically stayed the same?
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if anyone knew why Rudy intentionally lost his fourth race at the Hitler Youth carnival. He told Liesel he did it on purpose, and Liesel had thought it might have been he was scared of losing the last race, but I was wondering if anybody knows a definite answer? It just seems strange to me that he went to the carnival to win all his races, but intentionally disqualified himself for the last one.
ReplyDelete@ Jordan
ReplyDeleteI think the story would have been completely different if Liesel had been the narrator. With Death as the narrator, we were able to catch glimpses of what was to come, and he was also able to give us much more information on all the other characters. If Liesel told the story, we would not hear what other people were thinking or doing, because the story would have been only from her own point of view. I think Death was the perfect narrator, because he was everywhere at the time this story was set (because an excess of people were dying from the war). Besides, what would have happened when Liesel died at the end of the novel if Death was not the narrator? It would not have had the same dramatic effect of them meeting and looking at the book Liesel had written herself as a child if Liesel had just died and the book ended without any loose ends being tied up or any further explanation.
I also think my enjoyment of reading the book would have been diminished, because Death as a narrator was so different and more interesting than any book I have ever read before. If Liesel had been the narrator, the book would not have had the same unique factor that I found so fascinating with a thing that is not a human (or even a noun for that matter!) telling us the story.
Why was it that Hans kept going to the Amper river? and it said he found a note their from Max saying You've done enough and those were his last words, it doesn't really make sense to me if he's saying thanks or if he's saying, good job at screwing stuff up for me.
ReplyDelete@Doug
ReplyDeleteI think that Max was just trying to say thank you to Hans, because he felt like he was such a burden for the Hubermann family. Max felt as if he was intruding on a German family who had no desire to be keeping a forbidden Jew in their basement. I think that Hans kept going to the Amper River because he thought it was his fault that Max left. In other words, both characters were blaming themselves for what was happening, even though they both actually helped each other in different ways.
I have some questions still left on my mind. Did Alex Steiner die or his he still alive? Would the book have changed if Death wasn't narrating it? Is it better with Death as the narrator?
ReplyDeleteI know that this was mentioned at the beginning of the book but i have a question of what actually happened to Max's dad. I mean i know that death said that he was blown to pieces on a hill, but i would like to know how that happened.
ReplyDeleteI am a little bit confussed about the seven sided die. In the book it says it is bad luck, but I thought that seven was a lucky number?
ReplyDeleteI am confused about why the story has moved away from Liesel and Rudy and Rosa Hubermann. because for one i really liked Rudy and secondly it seems like the Hubermann family has kind of grown apart since the arrival of Max Vandenburg. I was just confused as to why this has happened.
ReplyDelete@Madison
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I know about Max's dad or Erik Vandenburg was that him and Hans became good friends during World War 1 and he taught Hans how to play the accordion. Then when it was time for them to go into battle their sergeant called upon them for who had the best handwriting, and Erik nominated Hans. Hans followed through with his letter writing duties, while no one from his platoon returned. Erik saved Hans life and he felt he owed that to the Vandenburg family, and thats why they took in Max during the Nazi reign.
@ Gurdeep
ReplyDeleteI think the story would have changed if death wasn't narrating it because it would have changed the whole books perspective and you wouldn't know what was going to happen next because the narrator explains everything after it occurs. But if death wasn't the narrator I would have chosen Liesel to be the narrator because the story revolves around her and she would have made it more interesting and different. But i think death was chosen to be the narrator for a reason.
How would the books events changed if Liesel's brother, Werner, had remained alive? Would it have made the book more entertaining, or boring?
ReplyDeleteWhy would Hans leave his accordion behind during the air raids if it had so much sentimental value to him, since it belonged to one of his friends who saved his life in WWI and was a gift after his death?
ReplyDelete@ Doug ,
ReplyDeleteI think that part of his leaving the accordion behind had to do with the fact that he also had to leave Max behind. The two were just kind of connected, and I think that bringing a musical instrument while leaving a human being behind would've been shallow for Hans. That's just my opinion though.
I agree with Stephanie he had a choice of bringing Max or his accordion he had to chose from one of them. It would have been worthless of keeping Max safe in his basement and at the end just letting him die for his accordion. I think he left his accordion behind for a reason to show that the thing he loved a lot was not as much as important as someone else's life even though it was a Jewish man.
ReplyDeleteThey accepted Hans into the Nazi Party before they sent him away to war. His letter said "a memeber of the party would be happy to play a role in the war effort," (p.417), so I have a question. Was accepting Hans into the party the only way they could FORCE him to go to war??
ReplyDelete**member**
ReplyDelete@ Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteI think that the only reason they did accept Hans into the Nazi party was because they wanted to send him off to war. After offering a Jew bread, the Nazi party considered it a betrayal. Going to the war was a dirty job, one likely to end up in death, so they wanted to send the people they thought were worth the least amount. Once he became part of the Nazi party, he was forced to do their bidding, so I do believe that he was only accepted so they could ship him off to war.
@ MPanchii
ReplyDeleteI think that Liesel’s brother surviving would’ve definitely changed the way the story I played out. In my opinion that would’ve made the story a bit more boring, and the story couldn’t have happened as it does. Without his death, Liesel never would’ve found, and then stolen, the Gravedigger’s Handbook and would neither have been as obsessed with learning how to read or as inspired to continue stealing books later on. Also, had she had a family member around, she wouldn’t have spent as much time and wouldn’t have needed Rudy’s friendship as much, and without her nightmares caused by Werner’s death, she wouldn’t have needed Hans as much either. So I think that he had to die in order for her to connect to the other characters the way she did and to justify her connection with books.
Why do you guys think Hitler did what he did to the Jewish people? Didn't anyone else in Germany have anything to say to him? Why couldn't the people like Hans stand up for right thing?
ReplyDeleteMPanchhi, Hitler did what he did to the Jewish people because he thought they were filthy and were going to take over Germany eventually. There were people like Hans who believed that wasn't right but if anyone was caught helping a Jew they would be punished and treated just like a Jew. That is why the Hubermanns are so paranoid about anyone finding out that they have a Jew in their basement.
ReplyDelete@ MPanchhi
ReplyDeleteI think Hitler did what he did to the Jews because he was one of those people who thought they were right, and everyone else was wrong. He must have had a very strong opinion about the Jews because what he accused them of and punished them with was extremely cruel. I think the reason people like Hans couldn't stand up to him, was that Hitler just had too much power. He 'brainwashed' Germany into thinking the Jews were evil, and because words have so much power, people listened and believed him. So an odd person here or there would not have had any power over a man like Hitler who punished people if they were not like him and did not think like him.
I believe that if people like Hans really wanted something, they should have just tried to get it, because if enough people were brave enough to stand up to Hitler, his actions regarding the Jews might not have been so drastic and cruel.
Protagonist means like the hero of the story and antagonist is more like the anti hero, so if thats what that means I kinda figure that Hans is more of the Protagnoist and the Nazi's are the antagonist, but Liesel is the main character, would that work? or does anyone else feel like that?
ReplyDeleteOn page 279, Max drew a picture and underneath it, it said, Not the Fuhrer- the conductor! I was just wondering if anyone knows if that symbolises something important?
ReplyDeleteThis isn't really a question or an answer but one thing I noticed about the book is that all the chapters titles sound like a song title or a name of a band it's pretty interesting. For example "The visitor", "Thirteen Presents", "Punishment", "The Promise Keepers Wife" and "The end of the world"
ReplyDelete@ MPanchhi,
ReplyDeleteI researched Hitler when I first started reading, and found out that he was basically just a sweet-talker. He never had anyone’s blood on his own hands because he could make anyone believe anything he wanted, simply because he knew the right words to say. He was extremely convincing. So, he convinced everyone that the Jews were going to take over Germany eventually, like Tamara said. And if anyone tried to oppose, they would be punished as severely as the Jews.
I usually just automatically thought of death as a he, but on page 309 we know for sure. Death says, "And then. There is death. Making his way through all of it."
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think was the most unforgettable part of "The Book Thief"?
ReplyDeleteFor me the most unforgettable part of the book was near the finish, when the bombs struck the city. The narrator, Death had been warning the entire time that Liesel's best friend Rudy would indeed die but I never really wanted it to happen. Rudy was such a great kid. His honesty, his vulnerability, his love for Liesel, and the many adventures he would have made him very memorable in my mind. All of these things really made me want Rudy to make it through and survive. But indeed, Death did not lie and Rudy was hit by an air raid after all. When Liesel leans over him and finally gives him that kiss he’s always wanted (but it was too late) that was an unforgettable moment for me.
At the back of the book under ‘Questions for Discussion’ it says “Near the end of the novel, as Liesel’s life is at an end, Death says that he wants to share with her the beauty and brutality of humanity, but she has already lived it. How do you think this story shows the beautiful side of brutality? Can one exist without the other?”
ReplyDeleteAn example of a beautiful act would be when Liesel’s kissed Rudy, or the mayor's wife allowing Liesel to steal her books. Both acts stand out in brilliant relief against the grey background of the world around them. We also see the true beauty side of brutality as Rudy hands the dying enemy pilot a teddy bear. Another example that shows the beautiful side of brutality is when Liesel was reading to the people in the bomb shelter.
For the “Can one exist without the other” part, I think they are two parts of the same thing as good and evil. They just need each other to exist and the book was full of both good and evil.
What do you guys think?
@kirstin bilous and Elvina (about the dominoes)
ReplyDeletePersonally, I thought that one index finger on the cover of the book represents Hitler and the dominos represents the Jews. If that one finger were to push that domino then every dominos behind it would start tumbling down. It’s amazing how that finger can just gentle touch the first dominos and demolished 90% of those other dominos. Similar to how amazing that one person can kill so many Jews with so little effort. I said 90% of dominos because from my previous experience with dominos, not all dominos would fall down. The 10% of dominos were lucky or in other words they were survivors. Max is one of those survivors along with many other Jews who survived the Holocaust.
I do agree with Kirstin that the dominoes are a good representation of dead bodies.
@ Faven Zewde (about Rudy and his medals)
ReplyDeleteLike what Alex Quint said which I thought was correct, he purposely lost the last race because he didn’t want to over shine his hero’s victory. But I think there’s another reason behind it. Perhaps he only wanted to prove himself that he was capable of winning all 4 medals, and after he won his third he knew he would win the last one but decided not to out of respect for his own hero and to not demean Jesse Owens victory. Then he gave Liesel his medals because he doesn’t want to show it off in his living room because he’s already proven to himself he had done it.
Here’s a crazy question. Liesel Meminger lived to be an old woman. My question is, will Liesel marry just anyone or will she marry Max?
ReplyDeletewho do u think would be a better match for Liesel if she had a choice Max or Rudy?
ReplyDeletei would go with Rudy because she has more chemistry with him through the book.
@Mantu
ReplyDeletei think it would have changed the book a lot if her brother had not died because throughout the book it mentions a lot about how she misses him and that were "dead" first saw Lisel when he went to go get her brother. So it would have changed a lot of the book and i feel like the book is great how it is right now.