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How does this book compare to others you have read?
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4. Stay on topic: our purpose is to discuss literature.
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I think that a theme in this book is Fear. Everybody in this book has shown their fears in some way, though some aren't as obvious or as important as others. For example, in the beginning Liesel showed her fear of being left behind from her mother and brother. She stood at the gate of the Hubermanns house and didn't want to go inside. She also kept the Grave Digger book just because it reminded her of the last time she saw her mom. Hans' fear is the fact that he's hiding a Jew and is putting his family in danger. He agreed to help out the Vandenburg family, so now he's sticking to his word. Max is a character with many fears, starting from when he was younger, he was scared of sleeping because he didn't want to wake up and have a Nazi standing over him, ready to kill him. He was scared of leaving his family, but he was also scared of losing his life. Now that he lives with the Hubermanns, he is still afraid of the Nazis of course, but now he fears that he is putting Liesel and her family in danger. Many other characters like Rosa and Frau Holtzapfel showed their fears during their time in the air-raid shelter. When Rosa lost her job, she didn't want the condition of her family to become worse, but she couldn't do anything about it. The family had less to eat, less to spend during those times. The people with the most fear in this book would be the Jews. All of them are in danger, and their lives became so complicated not because of something they did. They didn't do anything, but it's because of their culture and religion. That's something they can't help though. The Nazi's gather all of the Jews and torture or kill them, so they'd probably have to keep running and hiding while hunger clings onto them. They have to keep worrying about not getting captured, how to live another day, but it's definitely not easy at all.
ReplyDeleteI think that words, reading and education are all tied up together and from a theme in this novel. Liesel learns throughout the course of the novel that words hold a remarkable power to force people to commit acts of cruelty. At age 9, Liesel is uneducated, and the first book she learns to read is “The Grave Digger’s Handbook”. Her father also educates her by reading with her late every night. She circles words that she doesn’t know and it helps her improve her grades. Some evidence for his is her transfer of grades, she moves from a class full of kids to her own grade. This all leads up to another theme I found important in this novel thievery. Liesel's thievery is a form of defiance and self-actualization. By stealing a book from a book burning, she defies Nazi control and takes her education into her own hands. When Ilsa offers Liesel a book, Liesel refuses it because she is enraged at Ilsa for firing Liesel's foster mother Rosa. Instead, Liesel breaks into Ilsa's home and steals the same book, later stealing others. Liesel steals more books from Ilsa by sneaking through her window when it was open. Ilsa is an encouraging figure who desires to help Liesel continue to read, even if it must be on Liesel's terms. Rudy and Liesel also steal food together from farms and Otto Sturm. They are also in a group of “food stealers” who take food from other places.
ReplyDeleteI think another theme in this novel is greed. People always want more; more power, more control more books, more life.
ReplyDeleteWars are always about greed, the want for what other people have. In the case of the war The Book Thief is woven around, it was Hitler's want for power, sameness, land and followers. He fought against those who he decided were too different, he expanded his empire over an extremely large piece of the earth and used words to help curb the feelings of greed that were ,most likely, eating him away.
Leisel craves books and even steals to get them. Though her intentions are far less sinister it's her greed for knowledge that drives her to do so. Her greed then leads her to an important discovery that relates to another theme: the power of words and the influence they have.
There are many characters in this novel that are always trying to live. Though some would not call this greed just human nature, the way the author portrays these characters with guilt about this feeling makes me believe it is greed. Max's greed for live leads him to leave his family behind in order to do so and Michael Holtzapel killed himself for his want to live.
So this leads me to the question: Is greed, or even want, always bad?
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ReplyDelete@Shandra,
ReplyDeleteI really like you post, and I agree that greed is one of the themes displayed in the novel. Nevertheless I am sorry not to agree with you on the fact that Max' abandonment of his family can be called greed. When Max's friend Walter came to the rescue, Max did not want to leave; he was determined to stay. But his family pushed him out because they understood that if at least Max will survive then their deaths won't be for nothing. Max's feel of relief afterwards in my opinion is very understandable. He was young, he was strong and most importantly he glowed with life; therefore his desire for life cannot be called greed.
To answer your question as to “Is the greed or even want for something is always bad”, firstly I would say that greed and want are two different things. Want is indispensable and natural feeling for a human. I mean we always want something and it is what drives us forward. But greed is not just a desire for something, it is inordinate want for more that you need or can possess. Then, I would say that greed is not always bad if you direct it into right course. For example Liesel’s greed for knowledge is not something bad at all. By stilling books she does not hurt or harm anyone or anything. If she did not pick up her first book The Grave Digger’s Handbook then it would’ve probably got covered with snow and completely lost. Her second book The Shoulder Shrug would have been striking by similar fate; it would’ve got burned and completely destroyed. So, if you look at situation from this perspective then Liesel doesn’t really still books, she saves them.
I believe that a theme of the novel is courage. Even if the setting is during the Holocaust, when many lives are at stake, new rules are made, and the world is at war, it's very hard to stay brave during these times. Although Liesel is not a person who is targeted directly by the war, she is definitely affected by it in some way. Her mother has disappeared from her life, her brother is dead, and she is sent to live with complete strangers, in an unfamiliar neighborhood. Her foster father has always been ridiculed from his lack of participation in the Nazi Party, and he hides a Jew in the basement, which puts their family in danger. Even with all the distress and tension, Liesel shows courage and the will to fight. For example, when the mayor's wife gives Liesel the book and the letter, she doesn't head back to her house, but instead returns to the their doorstep to let out her rage at the woman. After that, she doesn't even try to hide it from Rosa, and tells her what happened. She even encourages her to beat her. Max Vandenburg, as seen in The Standover Man, was afraid of who would appear before him when he woke up each day, but gained the courage and inspiration from befriending Liesel.
ReplyDeleteI believe that one of the themes of this novel is loyalty. If you want to gain trust you must earn it. In this novel it shows a few ways that the characters must stay loyal to their family and friends. First off, Hans asked Liesel to keep a secret for him when the time was right. This time is when Max Vandenburg stays with the Hubermann family. Hans asked Liesel to not tell anyone that Max was staying with them because it could be very dangerous for their family and for him as well because he is Jewish. Hans had to make sure that Liesel would keep the secret by threatening her with cruel thoughts, such as Hans and Rosa being taken away by the German's, Liesel being taken away from them and so on. I am certain that Liesel would not tell anyone about Max because the thought of her not seeing her papa again would be devastating. She will stay loyal to her new family.
ReplyDeleteI still think that Strength is a huge part of this book. Another strong character is Max he shows this when doing his push ups for the reason that someone might come. It is also another way of dealing with boredom.I thought about it and for me i would have a hard time dealing with first being stuck in someone elses basement, second the fact of knowing that a group of people is looking for people like you to kill. So to me Max has some great strength.
ReplyDeleteI also think that strength is a theme in the novel. Many of the characters show a lot of strength throughout the novel. There are some really bad things going on, and people are going through hard times, but they had the strength to carry on, and hope for the best in situations. If I was Max, I would have given up long ago. Having to be in a dark room, never going outside, and having to hide for 22 months would be too much for me to handle. Max had the strength to carry on, and make the most of his life. Liesel has amazing strength also, because she was so young, when she lost her brother and had to go and live with a new family. She had a hard time at school, not knowing how to read, and therefore got made fun of and bullied. She had a lot of strength to spend all of that time learning to read, and dealing with the people at school. Rosa and Hans showed strength when they took Max in to hide him. They knew what was at stake if he was found and what would happen to them. They had a lot of strength to put there fears away, and put there lives in danger, to save someone else’s. Strength is showed throughout the novel, and I’m sure it will been shown in what I haven’t read yet.
ReplyDeleteWhen Liesel goes to Frau Holtzapfel's house to read to her i think that take real strength on Liesels part. This woman has spit on there door every time she past there house and Liesel always had to clean it up. I personally would not want to step foot in the house of the person that spit on my door. That takes some crazy strength and courage to go into her house and read to her. But at least now Liesel won't have to clean up spit.
ReplyDeleteMuch of the story also contains the central theme of guilt. When Max stays with the Hubermanns, he constantly asks for forgiveness for putting them through many trials with Nazis and other situations. Another example is when Alex Steiner returns home at the end of the novel and realizes that his whole family has perished. He feels guilty for not letting Rudy go to the Nazi school which eventually got his son killed, to which he expressed he would rather have died in his son's place.
ReplyDeleteI think a theme that is shown in the book is Secrets. This book is filled with hidden secrets that make the story so interesting. Every character seems to have something that has happened to them that they want kept hidden. First, Liesel doesn’t really have a good understanding to what happened to her mother. Liesel’s mother hid the fact that she was a communist and didn’t tell Liesel, maybe she didn’t tell Liesel to protect her and thought it was best she shouldn’t know. Another Secret is that no one other than Hans, Rosa, Liesel and people close to them know that the Jew, Max is living in their basement and this was a matter of life or death for Max. Other examples are the real feelings Rudy and Liesel feel for each, the true personality of Rosa and how Max didn’t tell the Hubermann family he was leaving. There are many more secrets in this book, but overall I feel that the secrets play a significant role in the book.
ReplyDeleteA new theme that I found is Silence. In this story, it seems as though most people have to keep quiet about something, or they need to keep a secret for safety. For example, Liesel, although being a kid with a big mouth, needs to keep quiet about Max, as she is told to by Hans. Max is a hiding Jew, so he constantly needs to keep quiet and in hiding. Instead of having a secret, or keeping quiet, Max is the secret, or the silence. They also have the duty of keeping a straight face, and acting as normally as possible around other people. “Imagine smiling after a slap in the face. Then think of doing it 24 hours a day. That was the business of hiding a Jew,” (page 211).
ReplyDeleteOne theme that can easily be associated with The Book Thief is death. For one thing, Death is the narrator. For another, the book was set during the Holocaust, which means that death was a significant part of most people's lives. It was the death of their family members that Liesel and Max had to relive while sleeping, and it was death that many, for instance Max, were contantly fighting and trying to evade. Overall, one theme in the book might be struggling to prolong death and learning how to deal with the death of loved ones.
ReplyDeleteOne theme in the novel is how Hans Hubermann is not prejudiced towards Jews. Germans were obviously known for hating Jews but Hans is different. The theme develops the longer Max stays in the basement. It is super risky for Hans to let him stay there but he is willing to go through the sacrifices to save this Jews life as long as he can.
ReplyDeleteThis is similar to the theme in "To Kill a Mockingbird" how Atticus was not racist but in my opinion Hans' situation is more unsafe because of the strong opinions of Hitler. Hans is a very inspirational character because he is doing this and I think he contributes to theme a lot.
I think a theme/conflict to point out would be Cruelty vs. Willingness mainly relating to the cruelty practiced toward the Jews.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the entire book this is present and active. There are plenty of examples of this theme such as Hans hiding Max. If Hans was caught hiding a Jew he would surely be taking if not killed and If he did not hide him Nazis would torture him if not kill him. This simply means That by Hans possibly "Sacrificing" himself to save Max, he has saved max from his most certain death or "Cruelty". A less significant example of this would be Leisel's strong friendship with Max. By constantly being inside to socialize with him she brought attention to herself as well as when she brought many odd things into the house like many buckets of snow. Due to the harsh laws against the Jews she was putting herself in danger by treating Max with respect and the friendship that he deserved which probably was a major contributing fact of Max's recovery when he almost died. Again this simply means that by Liesel "Sacrificing" possibly her life as well as her own time she help have him from the "cruelty" of death due to the laws made by Hitler. Lastly there are plenty of smaller examples of this in the novel not related to Nazis and the Jews like when liesel was beating up the boys at her school, somebody could have jumped in and helped get liesel of the them but they just stood there and contributed to the fight by watching it because they knew if they got involved they would be punished.
This was truly a large theme in the novel from the beginning to the end.
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ReplyDeleteOne of the most evident themes in this novel was hatred. The whole holocaust situation and the prejudice against the Jews were definitely associated with the theme hatred and cruelty. I mean the majority of German people hated the Jews because of what Hitler made them believe, and they showed that by treating the Jews like they were no good. Jews even had to hide in peoples basements to avoid the consequences they would have to face (just for being Jewish) for example Max Vandenburg hid in the Hubermann's basement until it was too dangerous to hide there. The Nazi were very cruel to the Jews because they hated them so much for no good reason, other than they thought they were a piece of junk and no good which wasn't a good reason and untrue (page 394). Hatred was also shown through the feelings Liesle had towards Hitler in other words she hated him (page 115) and so did many people although it was secretly, in fear of the consequences that would arise if they shared their feelings that is why Hans Hubermann made Liesle promise she would never say “I hate him” in public so that she wouldn’t suffer like those words (page 116).
ReplyDeleteA theme that i have come accross is strength. Leisel has had to put up with going into a foster home. Its not easy for a young child to do that. Without her actual mother she manages to keep it all together and stay strong. Another person who stays strong is Max. He is always doing his pushups because he believes he will need to become stronger when he faces Hitler. Max is jewish and we all know that the Nazis do not like them. He manages to try and stay strong because he knows that these people are after him.
ReplyDeleteLiesel is so much stronger of person/character in the end than the beginning. Like Hans says she is half way to a woman. When she first arrives at the Hubermann's house she is still getting over her brothers death and leaving her mother. She had to make new friends learn how to servive on her own, even though she lives with people. Liesel changes so much by the end. This character is not afraid of what is going to happen to her she takes each event as it comes.
ReplyDeleteI think the theme to this novel is loyalty espically towards family. The fact that Liesel picked up that book she found on the ground at her brothers grave and kept it for so long after because it reminded her of her brother shows loyality towards him. Another way Liesel shows loyality is when she gets put into a new family, she doesnt really rebel. She just goes with it. When Hans asks her to keep the secret of Max she doesnt think twice. Another charactor that shows loyality is Hans, he spent countless nights with Liesel calming her down from her dreams and teaching her how to read.
ReplyDeleteI think that the theme of this book is strength. Everything has to do with physical or mental strength. For example, with Liesel and her nightmares that she has, she has to find the strength that can help her through it, something to comfort her. At the beginning it was Hans Hubermann who would come in every night and read to her to calm her down. As she grew older and Max Vandenburg moved in, she saw that he had nightmares too. At that point she felt like she could be strong like him, and learn to deal on her own, now that she could read by herself. Also she had to deal with losing many people in her family. Starting with her brother, then her mother, then being sent to live in a foster home with a mother who is not the nicest person around and all these other changes in her life that aren’t common for someone of such a young age. It is the books that get her through the hard parts in her life.
ReplyDeleteI personally thought that Friendship is another theme in the novel. Friendships that were made helped prolong the people’s life in Germany. Hans’s life was saved by one of his best Jewish friends who took a bullet form him while they were in war. Rudy also had helped pick Liesel up off the road so the solider would not be able to keep beating her.
ReplyDeletePeople above said they felt a theme in the book was strength i also have to agree with this. Many characters were strong in this book. Liesel i think was one of the strongest because she was a young girl who lost her brother very suddenly and had to leave her mother because she could not affored her and her brother anymore. Liesel had to then go live with a new family which i could never imagine having to do. It must have been hard for everyone living during World War Two especially Jews having to live in fear of there life everyday takes a lot of strength. Hans was a strong character because he stood up for the Jews and hid a Jew in his home which was a risky thing.
ReplyDeleteConsequences is one of the many themes that I pulled out of this novel. Many of the decisions that the characters make affect the way things turn out in the end, some in good ways, some in bad. Hans helping the old Jewish man is an action that had a huge impact throughout the rest of the book. It's the reason Max left and it's also the reason Hans got sent to war. Also, if Rudy's parents had sent him to the "special school", he probably would have lived and his father probably would have died. Because Reinhold Zucker took Hans' spot in the truck and because Hans, that day, decided to give in, Hans lived and Zucker died. If Liesel had never stolen from Ilsa, Ilsa probably wouldn't have given her the blank book. If not for that book, Liesel would have died along with the rest of Himmel street. The chapter where Rudy gets recruited, is called Dominoes and Darkness. The decision that the Steiners make in that chapter impacts their lives more than they could have imagined. The cover picture is of dominoes as well. I think the dominoes represent that each decision affects the next and that everything that you do has a consequence.
ReplyDeleteI think another theme in this novel is Cowardice but, it goes along with bravery because all the acts had a little of both. At the beginning of the novel Hans Junior, Hans’ son, accused his father of being a coward for not supporting Hitler, yet in Germany during that era, it would take much more bravery to challenge Hitler and defend the Jews than it would to go along with Nazi beliefs. An act of cowardice is that Hans lived through World War I by not going into battle on the day everyone else in his regiment died; he repays Erik, the man who saved his life, by hiding Erik's son Max in his basement during World War II. This also shows some bravery because he kept his friend Erik’s son, Max in his basement knowing that the punishment for being found with a hidden Jew was certain death. Before the war, Hans brought inquiry upon him and ruined his business by painting over anti-Semitic slurs written on Jewish-owned houses and shops. When he saw the Jews being marched through town on their way to a concentration camp, he gives some bread to an old Jew and is whipped 4 times by a soldier for doing a good deed towards Jewish people. After the incident, Hans expects the German police taking him away; when he sees two Nazis wearing black trench coats on his street, Hans even runs out and tells them that it's him they want. The Gestapo wasn’t looking for him. After a while Hans regrets giving the old man a piece of bread because of the potentially fatal results that could happen of this deed, but Liesel, impressed by Hans' bravery, tries to reassure him. Liesel and Rudy also give bread to a group of Jews. These small, individual acts of bravery and insolence in the face of popular Nazi dedication are mostly symbolic. Yet the failure of Germans who hesitated about Hitler's goal or were dismayed by the Nazis' cruelty to speak up in the 1930s helped bring about Hitler's rise to power and complete domination of the social, military, and political machinery of the nation. To openly challenge the Nazis after Hitler's rise would require a huge amount of bravery.
ReplyDeleteI think another theme in the novel is happiness and ability to find it in small things like Liesel tries to do. In the beginning of the book we can clearly see that Liesel keys to happiness are fairly insignificant: 1) finishing The Grave Digger’s Handbook. 2) Escaping the ire of Sister Maria. 3) Receiving two books for Christmas. But for her they mean a lot and she is able to find joy even in those little things. For example compared to Isla Hermann, the mayor’s wife who has everything: food, big house, clothes and money, Liesel is a lot happier. Like Storm Jameson said: “Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed.” It does not come from richness, money and well-being like some people think.
ReplyDelete@Elvina
ReplyDeleteI think you make a very good point with your choice of theme.
Everyone seems to be going for the most obvious themes,
such as Hatred, Death, etc. Apart from the few who chose happier ones.
I think happiness is a good theme, because it's not the most obvious,
yet it makes sense. It's a more positive theme,
Liesel, though she is young, understand that happiness isn't material.
I think that is because she didn't grow up with very much,
and she found from experience that things such as a book and love can bring more happiness then having many material objects.
I agree with you that Happiness is a strong theme in this novel.
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ReplyDeleteI think that Courage is another theme because the entire novel explains the struggles and good times that Liesel has gone through. Courage comes with lots of great moments but it is also counteracted by struggles. When those struggles occur, you may have some setbacks but if you persevere you will become a stronger person. You will look back at those struggles, you will be proud of what you have done. That feeling will make you want to go forward in life. Liesel demonstrates this when everyone who she cared for died. However, she still moved on with her life. She didn’t give up or lose her will to live.
ReplyDelete@ Elvina
ReplyDeleteI think you made a really good point by saying there is happiness in this book even though it isn't the main themes, because there definetly is. To us it may not seem like such a big deal to get two books for christmas but to Liesel it was a huge deal she couldn't be more excited. It just goes to show that if something comes from the heart no matter how small it is it can always make someone happy.
One of the themes that was definitely in this novel was determination. It started from the first quarter of the novel when Liesle was learning how to read which showed how determination .Liesle wanted to learn how to read although it was frustrating, even embarrassing at times, like when kids at school made fun of her (page 78). The fact that she never gave up shows how determined she was to learn how to read and with her foster father’s help she did, although it was a struggle at times. While Liesle was determined to learn how to read her foster father Hans was determined to teach her, like on (page 71) he would encourage her to keep trying and he would tell her that she knew the word, which showed determination on his part, except he was determined to teach Liesle, while Liesle was determined to learn. Determination was also shown through the character Rudy Steiner who was determined to become as fast of a runner as Jesse Owens and he came pretty close he won 3 medals during the Hitler Youth carnival (pages 360-362), and I personally think that he couldn't have gotten that far; without his determination to do as well as he WANTED to.
ReplyDeleteTwo very important themes in this book I think are fear and sadness. Fear and sadness i think play both such big roles in The Book Thief because it is represented in every character whether they are main characters or not. Liesel has a lot of fear during the entire book starting with the fact of going to a new live with a new family all alone. She fears that she will not be accepted by her new family, it turns out her new papa loves her immediately and while her new mama isn't as loving of a person I think she still cares for Liesel deep down. Liesel is sad because she had to leave her mother and could not live with her anymore, also her brother died in her arms on her way to their new foster family which meant Liesel would be all alone living with her new family. Max is another character who has many emotions in this book. He is very sad because he has to leave his family knowing they will not be safe, but they convince him it is the right thing to do, so he leaves. Max has a lot of fear the reason being is he is Jewish and in 1939 Jewish is the last religion you want to be. Max goes and lives in hiding at the Hubberman's house. Hans Hubberman is hiding Max because during World War I Max's father Erik, saved Hans's life so now he is repaying him by hiding his son. Even though it is a huge risk to hide Max i their basement and Hans does fear of what could happen if they were caught hiding a Jew, he does it anyway because he is a good man. These are just a couple examples of fear and sadness experienced in the book but there are so many more.
ReplyDeleteI think that a theme that is portrayed throughout the novel would be risk. The Hubermann family showed the most risk so far in the book. They risked everything they had to hide the Jew, Max. Hans risked his life and put his family’s life at risk when he agreed to take in Max. Hans also put Max and his family in even more risk when he gave the bread to one of the Jews that was on his was to a concentration camp. He put his life at risk number one, getting whipped and causing people to no longer trust him. He put Liesel at risk because if he was taken away, she wouldn’t have a family, and we don’t know what would happen to her. Rosa was also at risk because Hans obviously made the Nazis suspicious of him and his family. If the Nazis found out they were hiding a Jew, their whole family would have been prosecuted in ways that I don’t even know. Due to the risk that Hans took, Max was then forced to leave. Max’s life, not that it was ever out of risk, was now in even more risk. As of right now, I don’t know what has happened to Max. Over all, I think that risk is a key theme in the novel.
ReplyDeleteI think that fear and determination are a big part of the book. Fear because almost every character is scared of the Nazi party or of something along the lines of that. Determination becuase to survive in a world like what they are living in you have to be determined that everything is going to work out and that you have nothing to worry about. I think that the character that shows alot of determination is Max because he left his family to save himself (which i dont think was right) and he lived in a closet. When he could no longer stay there he walked till he thought his feet were going to fall off just so that he could go to some strangers house and ask for help. I think that that is determination.
ReplyDeleteI think not losing hope is one theme in this book. Liesel wants to one day hear from or meet her real mother again. She sends her letters and hopes that one day they will reunite. Even when she doesn't get a reply from her mom she still thinks she is out there somewhere and doesn't lose hope that one day they will see each other again. Max is also an example of this theme. In the basement, on the cold floor he wonders to himself if it is worth living and if he should give up on life. He questions this many times but then he realizes one day the world will be peaceful like it once was and he will be reunited with his family.
ReplyDeleteI deffinetely agree with you madison. Determination in the face of fear is an important theme because even though being scared of the Nazis Max left his family and went to a strangers house for help, after he could walk no more. He was determined, but yet scared of a couple things mainly the Nazis.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Karlee. Liesel is a different type of character because even when she knows the odds are against her, she continues to keep going and doesn't lose hope. If many people were in Liesel's situation they would have given up hope by now and moved on. Liesel can be an inspiring person to many people and can teach us a lesson about never giving up.
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ReplyDeleteA theme that is demonstrated in the book is strength. While i reached the end of the book Liesel lost all her loved ones and had to find the strength to carry on without the ones she loved the most, such as Rudy, Rosa, Hans, Max, her mother and her brother. Liesel is dependant on herself and has not broken down. I was inspired the most by her that she showed this much strength for a young girl.
ReplyDeleteI believe that one of the biggest themes in this book is friendship and loyalty. The most consistent element throughout the whole story is the relationships between different people. For example, Liesel’s and Rudy’s relationship started out rough, but right from the beginning they had a relationship. Later on, their loyalty towards each other showed through certain events, like when Rudy had to swim through the freezing water in the river to retrieve Liesel’s book (p.302). In some cases, the loyalty in a relationship came before the friendship, like with Hans Hubermann and Max. Hans made a promise to Max’s mother years ago and probably thought that he’d never have to live up to his word, especially not in such a large way. But he still accepted Max into his home, where a relationship started between Max and the whole family. Even Rudy’s and Tommy’s relationship, as rocky as it was when they were playing soccer, proved to be one of true friendship when Rudy stuck up for Tommy at the Hitler Youth Meetings, even when that meant running extra laps and crawling through fresh fertilizer. All in all, this book showed that loyalty in relationships is important, even if you think the relationship isn’t that strong. All of these characters needed someone there to help them get through the trials in their lives (and the trials were numerous in this time period). The relationships in this book kept all of the characters close, and in some cases, alive, and that’s why I believe that one of the major themes in this book is friendship and loyalty.
ReplyDeleteAnother theme that I noticed was courage. Liesel and Max demonstrated the most courage I thought. When the air raids were going off in Germany Liesel was unselfish and thought of comforting others instead of herself. She comforted others by reading to them and trying to calm them down with her stories. Max showed courage by travelling to Munich by himself and him being a Jew was not safe at that time. He showed courage when he showed up at the Hubermann family because he did not know what to expect but he took a risk and it got him somwhere safe for a period of time.
ReplyDeleteDetermination is another example of a theme for this book. Liesel became determined to learn to read which boosted her confidence in school and out of school. She stayed up in the waking ours of the morning with Hans when she could be getting rest for her day at school but did not want to get made fun of anymore by the teacher. I do not blame her for wanting this wish. She is determined to read new books and find new books. She is another inspiration for a young child to have such a large goal in their mind and accomplish it.
ReplyDeleteI think a major theme throught The Book Thief is union. It's like the saying, that there is power in numbers. Almost everything that took place during this book would not have been possible if the people doing them attempted to do them alone. One of the biggest example is Hitler. Had he not had his group of Nazis, he could not have accomplished anything that he did. The millions of deaths throughout the story would not have taken place, because he would not have been able to kill everybody. However, there were also positive example of union as well. Max was given a hiding place with access to food and warmth, which he would not have accomplished if no one was willing to help him. Liesel learned how to read, but it is likely she wouldn't have if no one was willing to teach her. Also, people's lives could have been save, but there would have been many more risks if others were not willing to lend their basements out during bombings. Even those simple example were unions between people, whether they liked eachother or not. All in all, union was one reason the Holocaust started, but it couldn't have been ended if people weren't united throughout it either.
ReplyDeleteA theme i notice in this book was dependabilty. I think it was used a lot in the story. My thoughts are that if you are able to depend on someone then you can make sure they can depend on you aswell. Rudy shows a great example of that because Rudy makes sure Liesel can always depend on him. Hans also is a very dependant person one because he lets Liesel know she always him if she's ever scared or in danger for example the way he comes into her room every night to read with her when she has her nightmares and second because he lets MAx live with him to keep him safe.
ReplyDeleteI believe drive to accomplish is a theme that is portrayed in this story. Liesel shows her drive by being so determind to learn to read not matter how frustrating it is. Liesel was so determind to read so she wouldn't get made fun of by her classmates or teacher. Liesels drive to accomplish came true after reading late everynight with Hans she finally was able to read like her classmates.
ReplyDelete@Tiffany
ReplyDeleteFirst off thank you very much for ruining the end of the book for me!
Anyways back on topic, I too feel that the key and main theme is that of strength. Everyone in this story has had to at one point or another show their inner strength and their drive to keep going. If I had to pick the strongest characters I would be torn between Hans and Max because they both faced extremely tough challenges. Even though Hans should have had it easier in all honesty, he did not because not only did he have to worry about his own family and feeding them he also had to feed and sleep another person. Not only was this a surprised guest, but he was also a Jew. Hans faced many challenges that could have resulted in death but found the strength to overcome them. Max faced many different, but equally challenging situations. Max was a Jewish man, who all his life faced discrimination and had it not been for Hans and his promise would probably already be dead. Each faced different problems, but each one gathered up great inner strength.
Another theme from this novel is the theme of determination. Many characters exemplify this trait but, one in particular shows this day in and day out. This character is Rudy. Rudy always strives to be the best and will not let anyone get in the way of what he wants. A good demonstration of this is when he preparing to participate in the Hitler Youth Carnival. He trained everyday so he could have a greater chance at winning all the races he could participate in. Another example is when he is stealing; he is determined to take as much as much as possible he will help out the team as much as he can.
ReplyDeleteOne theme may be the good and bad in humans.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of the bad in humans is developed through how badly the Jews were treated by the Germans and how people today are less prejudiced. Another way the bad in humans is shown is through the rebellious Liesel how she continually steals books and also stole apples. Also the bad in humans is shown how mean and strict some people were back in the day. An example is how Rosa hit Liesel when she was angry with her. It is terrible that people can be this crude but still interesting to learn about.
The theme of the good in humans is shown through Ilsa how she lets Liesel takes books. She is very understanding and generous to do so. It also develops how Hans lets Max stay in the basement even though it is a huge risk. Hans is doing something very nice. He also plays accordion and taught Liesel how to read. Hans is a very good person and its good to hear that there was good people back in that time. Most people were not very nice and that's why the good and bad in humanity is a theme in this novel.
Another theme in this book is never give up. Liesel was a girl that couldn't read at all. She was put in a class with all younger kids that could probably still read better than her. She practiced her reading like crazy, she would stay up in the night to learn. The first book that she started to learn reading from was "The Grave Digger's Handbook". Even Hans "realized the difficulty of the text"(pg 65). She would circle the words she didn't get and look over the next day. Hans would even get mad at to the point of yelling " Come on Liesel, You know this word;you know it!"(pg 71). Liesel eventually after she kept trying became a good reader she got moved up to her actual aged class. Even though she didn't think it was because of her reading but she was to loud in class but it did help make a difference. So i think this book teaches you that if you want something you need to be dedicated just like Lisel was she had her midnight class. If you want something and you keep at it you can get it.
ReplyDeleteSo far, the theme I am seeing as the most is distress, though I'm sure more will be revealed as I rush to finish reading the novel in the next few days (haha). I see this in how nobody really seems to be happy. We have a few sub-characters, such as "Frau Diller" the Third Reich obsessed shopkeeper who, you'd think at a time when the German Nazi party was at its likely most prosperous, she is still a bitter woman, one who's character is focused entirely on those who are not as devoted as her. The obvious characters in distress, such as Liesel or Hans, don't need too much explanation as the book is based around their distress, more so Liesel's as she seems to be the main protagonist. Liesel of course has many problems which are the main focus of the book, memories of her brother, memories of her mother, fitting in, in the new neighborhood, or being somewhat slower, intellectually than other children of her age in reading. Hans of course, being married to Rosa, I'd imagine wouldn't often be out of distress, I find Rosa Hubermann to be somewhat unbearable to read, I find her extremely annoying. As well, Hans being somewhat against the Nazi party, maybe not against, but certainly not for, would clearly not be at his most content when Hitler is at his most powerful. There hasn't been much else for me to really observe to say is a theme, at least not that I believe is worth mentioning.
ReplyDeleteIt would be silly to assume that in a time of war, that everyone would be happy and positive. Also that all stories need distress or some sort of problem, otherwise there is no story really. However, I find that to the degree that this book focuses on distress and problems, that it becomes more a theme, and not just an essential literary device to make a story. I believe that with distress as a theme, primary or perhaps I will find it to be supplementary in further reading, that the setting of WWII Nazi Germany was chosen to depict distress, as opposed to WWII Nazi Germany being chosen first, then distress being focused on afterward. The reason being is that as we hear about book burnings, or other entertainment venues of axis citizens of the time, as well as those who DO support the Third Reich, these people who would presumably be in an at least moderately jolly mood (at least by Nazi standards) seeing as their closeness to world domination at the time, are still bitter and angry about everything else, I have yet to see celebration of German victory depicted in the novel. Like it or not, the Germans were very good at winning battles; that combined with Hitlers focus on nationalism, it would be assumed victories of the Nazi forces would be very publicized, resulting in the celebration of those devoted third reich supporters. However, we do not hear of this. Leading me to the conclusion that although the setting is in a time of brutality and war, a side of celebration was still present at the time, however we only see Liesel's depressing story of learning to read, Hans rolling cigarettes, then running out of tobacco, and Rosa screaming at every living thing to cross the page of the novel, at least thats the impression I've gotten so far.
There you have it: Distress.
The theme that i would consider for this book would be guilt. When Max stays with the Hubermanns, he constantly asks for forgiveness for putting them through many trials with Nazis and other situations involving Max. Another example is when Alex Steiner returns home at the end of the novel and realizes that his whole family has perished away. He feels guilty for not letting Rudy go to the Nazi school which eventually got his son killed, to which he expressed he would rather have died in his son's place, all of this shows how guilt is taking a big factor as a theme because other people are dying because of different choices made by the ones helping them, then this is where people start to feel guilt and sooner or later they cannot control what they are doing or they are not thinking about what they are doing. This is when guilt is factoring in and making the theme of the book more suspenseful.
ReplyDeleteA simple and somewhat obvious possible theme to this book could be the theme of death. Since the book is narrated by "death" or as we would know it to be as the grim reaper, not too mention as we read this book we know that death is going to come to Liesel and possibly other characters since he is the narrator. The theme death can mean to the novel that death is always coming and knows when it is to come. As well that you could have many close encounters with death in the sense that the narrator death talks about one of his multiple meetings or encounters with a character.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of this novel “The Book Thief” would be ‘words.’ First of all words are powerful, the strength of words and their amazing ability to uplift the human spirit or at times to destroy it. At first Liesel stole a book called “The Grave Digger’s Handbook”. This book was a little reminder of the last time she saw her 6 years old brother and her mother on the train. “****The Book’s Meaning**** 1. The last time she saw her brother. 2. The last time she saw her mother.” (Zusak, 38) Liesel wanted to read the grave diggers’ hand book but wasn’t able to because of lack of education. Therefore, her foster father taught her how to read by starting with the primary steps to reading a book. The first step was to study smaller words. The first word she learnt was ‘Apfel’ which translate to ‘Apple’ in German. Her foster father continues to teach Liesel late at night. When Liesel was finally capable of reading books she began to steal other books that caught her attention: the Grave Digger's Handbook, the Shoulder Shrug, Mein Kamf, the Whistler and lastly the Dream Carrier. One word can lead up to 100000000000000000 of other words! This now relates to Adolf Hitler.
ReplyDeleteAdolf Hitler only uses words to rule the world. He has not shot a Jew but somehow he managed to murder thousands of them. “Yes the Fuhrer decided that he would rule the world with words. ‘I will never fire a gun,’ he devised. ‘I will not have to’ His first plan of attack was to plant the words in as many areas of his homeland as possible. He planted them day and night and cultivated them. He watched them grow, until eventually, great forests of words had risen throughout Germany” (Zusak, 445) Hitler can even say one single word that can force one or several of Jew to collapse onto the ground. One of the simplest words that come from Hitler’s mouth would be “shoot” or “fire” and a Jew would be wounded or become lifeless. Hitler’s words were ugly and without his words he would be powerless or immobilized. Overall, an individual could be so powerless WITHOUT words. On the other hand, there are some good and beautiful words not just evil and ugly ones.
Liesel demonstrated that there are some good words. After the first raid turned out to be a false alarm, a real raid takes place on September 19. Young children were crying, kicking and punching in the basement. It was chaos inside that basement, “the smell of night breath, underarm sweat, and over worn clothes was stirred and stewed in what was now a cauldron swimming with humans” (Zusak, 380) to calm the atmosphere, Liesel begins to read a book that she stole called ‘The Whistler’ out loud. Everyone else inside this basement including the rioting children were quietly listening to Liesel’s soothing words. This shows how positive words can be. It can ease negative atmosphere and it can also save someone life. Near the end of the novel an unanticipated air raid hits Molching at night. The community on Himmel Street was fast asleep and never did they wake up except for Liesel who was downstairs writing words in a book. (Zusak, 532) If Liesel hadn’t been so fascinated with words she wouldn't have survived that air raid.
“***The Book Thief – Last Line*** I Have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right”
I have already posted that i think the major theme is determination, but now that i am thinking about it more I think that the theme could be fight. i know that it is very close to determination but i think that in some ways it describes the book better. Fight describes the book better than determination because the characters are not only determined to get through the Holocaust but they are also fighting to stay alive and they are fighting to get all of the necessities to make living easier. One example that i can think of at the moment is Max Vandenburg is willing to live in the Hubermanns basement even though it would be impossible to live down there in the cold. Max has to fight against what he wants to do.
ReplyDelete“You can change your world by changing your words... Remember, death and life are in the power of the tongue.” – Joel Osteen, author.
ReplyDeleteThere is incredible power in words: the power to soothe, and to rile; to build and to destroy; perhaps even, as Osteen implied, the power to change the world. This is the theme that stuck out to me while reading the Book Thief.
Right off the bat, words played a major role. “The Gravedigger’s Handbook”, the first book Liesel stole, was also the volume that ignited her desire to learn to read, her passion for reading and her career of book thievery. Liesel’s books were her most prized possessions, her safety blanket when times got tough and ultimately her saviour. While Hans provided a lot of the support and love she needed to make it through her traumatic childhood, it was her books that truly brought her joy and helped her get by. And when Himmel Street was attacked, it was writing in the basement that saved Liesel from a premature meeting with Death.
Part Seven of the book, “The Complete Duden Dictionary and Thesaurus”, portrayed the power of words perfectly, with Death providing definitions of words such as Fear, Misery and Silence to encapsulate what the character are going through and the atmosphere of the chapter in a single word. This section proved that a well-chosen word can change the meaning of a situation, and that an exceptional situation can change that meaning of word, like when the silence in the Hubermann family home after Max’s departure “was not quiet or calm, and it was not peace.” (p. 398) despite those three words being the Duden synonyms for Silence.
The very definition of “word” indicates its power. “Word: A meaningful unit of language / a promise” (p. 382) Words are meaningful in the sense that they are important and that they have a certain denotation, but more importantly, it is like a promise. I took that comparison to mean that, like a promise, a word can look good on paper, it can sound good or bad, it can be dressed up and delivered half-heartedly, but unless there is conviction behind it, a promise to make it *real*, then it means nothing. Yes, a word will have a definition (a “chair” will always be a chair, an object we sit on) but if thought is not put into our words, then they are veritably meaningless.
Perhaps the most significant example of the power of words is the subtle dictatorship of the Führer, Adolf Hitler. Through eloquent, charismatic speech, Hitler was able to captivate a nation and transform society to conform to his ideals. Ultimately his words WERE his power. As Max craftily pointed out in `The Word Shaker’, “The Führer decided that he would rule the world with words. ‘I will never fire a gun,’ he devised. ‘I will not have to.’” (p. 445)
I think a theme in this could be survival. The reason I believe this is because Leisel, Hans, and Max are all suvivors. Leisel is survivor because she has had many misfortunes in her life and is still alive. Hans because he survived war, and Max because he has survived the Nazi's so far. Yet sometimes survival can be a punishment, like mentioned at the begging of the book by death. The survivors have to deal with the grief and tragedy.
ReplyDeleteI think that another one of the themes in this book is the strength and the power one person can have. Throughout the book, many different people make significant differences in the lives of others around them; some in good ways, some in bad. For example, Liesel made a difference in Max's life. Through her friendship, she gave him a reason to live and to keep struggling on. Hans made a difference in Liesel's life. He gave her love. We also can't ignore the obvious example, Hitler. He caused misery in so many Jewish and, as we've seen, German's lives. In small ways and large, The Book Thief shows us that it only takes one person to make an impact on many lives.
ReplyDeleteAnother theme in the novel is that even amidst evil there is still good. Rudy is a good example. Even in the worst situations, like when he was bullied by Franz Deutscher or when he was standing in the freezing water after retrieving Liesel's book, he would smile, make a joke and ask for a kiss. When Liesel was beaten and everything was dark, she saw one yellow tear. Another example is when Max, Liesel, Hans and Rosa had a snowball fight and made a snowman. Even though Max was in hiding, the family was always hungry, and there was a war going on, they still managed to have a few minutes of pure happiness. "Often I wish this would all be over, Liesel, but then somehow you do something like walk down the basement steps with a snowman in your hands."
ReplyDeleteAfter finishing the book a major theme in the book is guilt. Guilt seemed to be the reason for many things in the novel. First, Max wouldn’t have been living with the Hubermann’s if Hans didn’t feel guilty about the death of Erik Vandenberg. Erik and Hans became friends in the war and Erik taught Hans how to play the accordion. When it came to battle, Hans was the one left behind while everyone went and fought. Hans felt guilty after he found out that Erik had died during the battle and went to tell Erik’s wife about it and he brought Erik’s accordion as well. At the time Hans didn’t have a family of his own and also didn’t know Erik had a son. Hans told his wife he’d do anything to help them and her wish was if ever in danger to hide Max from the Nazis. This is why Max is there now. Though Hans felt guilty about all of this because he felt like he could’ve avoided Erik’s death and maybe it wasn’t fair Erik died instead of himself. Since Erik had a family, while Hans was still young and didn’t. Also guilt may be the reason why he gave stale bread to a Jew in the parade. Another example is how Max felt guilty. When he comes to the Hubermann’s he instantly feels guilty for putting their lives in danger and doesn’t expect much food or living conditions from them. As well as not trying to stop the SS from taking his family. Liesel also may feel guilt for the death of her brother because she thought that she could’ve tried to avoid his death. This book constantly revolves around the theme of guilt and is the reason for the majority of events that take place in this novel.
ReplyDeleteI think that a theme in this book would be power. Hitler is the person with the most power, and what happens to all of the other characters is somehow connected to Hitler’s power. The schools teach things that Hitler wants taught, the children are made to go to Hitler youth to learn about Hitler, and the German families are taught to hate the Jews. All people know what will happen if the don’t do what is right in Hitler’s mind. His power controls everyone’s life styles. The Hubermann family knows that what they are doing is not acceptable to Hitler and not to any of his followers. They had to keep Max a secret from everyone because Hitler had power over everyone else and had it drilled into their minds that the Jews were like dirt. Lots of people that were friends with Hans were angry at him because he gave a Jew a piece of bread. Hitler had power over everyone else. I think that power was a very strong theme in this book.
ReplyDeleteI really agree with Tamara that survival could be one of the themes in this book. All of the characters in this book want to survive, no matter what they have to do. Max was willing to put everyone else’s lives in danger in order for him to survive. The Hubermann family were helping Max to survive, and also were doing things to help themselves survive. Many of the people in the novel did not agree with what Hitler was doing, but they followed his lead and discriminated against the Jews in order to survive. As Tamara already stated, Death said that sometimes survival can be a punishment. This is very true, because if I was a Jew, I’m not sure if I would want to live like that and get tortured and starved. Survival might be a very horrible punishment in that situation.
ReplyDeleteAnother theme that I have noticed being present in this book is hope and perseverance. Many of the people, such as Max for an example, have to live in horrible conditions. He had to stay hidden, didn't have much food, and was always in danger. Some people, maybe even I for example, would have just given up. It would have been so easy for Max to just give up and give in. Max wasn't one of those people. He had hope that drove him to make the best of the situation, and continue everyday as if tomorrow will be better. He persevered through really hard times, making the best of them. Other characters had also showed a lot of hope and perseverance, in different ways through out the novel.
ReplyDelete**This post will probably give away the ending of the book, if you haven't read it yet, you've been warned...**
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the ending, one of the things that it brought to mind was the uselessness of questioning past actions. The best example to this situation is when Hans beats himself up for sending Max away after he gave bread to the old Jew. The original action was a noble one, though, when looking back, it may seem obvious that it was destined to end badly, the alternatives might not have been all that much better. When using hindsight it's often easy to see only the most short term or positive results that could have ensued from a specific action. Using the example above, what would have happened if Max had never been sent away? How would things have turned out differently if he had continued undetected until the time of the bombing? How would Liesel's rescuers have reacted to the sight of a German and a Jew sheltering together from the bombs? It's impossible to know whether things would have worked out better or worse than they did. In the end, both Liesel and Max survived and when all is said and done survival is the only universally accepted distinction between success or failure.
One of the themes i chose is death. First of all, the narrator is Death itself (who experiences difficulties with the sheer amount of brutality). World War 2 is also in the background, which shows that death is all around Liesel. The sources of all of Liesel's and Max's nightmares are the deaths of their family members. I chose death because during WW2 a lot of jewish people were slaughtered. Also, in this book they showed death too, the kinds of death that affected the lives of these characters because of these deaths the characters are taking different actions which changes parts of the story from this novel.
ReplyDeleteThere is a theme in this novel which is a bit confusing to me, which is the importance of colours. They were continuously mentioned, and I have kind of an idea of what they mean, but if anybody has other thoughts, please share them.
ReplyDeleteSo I think that colours are what Death uses to communicate his feelings about what is happening and the events that are taking place to the reader. Instead of just telling us this happened then that happened, he uses colours to describe the sky, people’s characteristics, and even actions. At different times, when he feels different ways, the sky is a different colour. But I also think that Death just notices all the colours because he has such a disheartening job, and as he says at the beginning of the novel: “[colours] takes the edge off the stress” (Zusak, 4). For example, Hans Hubermann’s eyes are always referred to as silver, and when Liesel finds out he is dead, she does not want to believe it; “Papa was a man with silver eyes, not dead ones.” (Zusak, 537) I think silver was the colour of comfort (for Liesel) in this novel, because her papa was the one who always knew how to help her and make her feel better. There are many other colours death matches to different things too, like whenever the sky was red, something bad had just happened, and he even talked about wanting to inhale the white sky on page 7.
Colours play a key role in this novel, because if Death did not use colours to describe all the things he did, the novel would have a very different effect on the reader, and you probably not stop and think twice about some aspects.
A new theme that I am seeing in this book is failure, or losing. Rosa lost her job to the Mayor and his wife, and Max is beginning to lose out on his life. They Jews are still losing their battle against the Germans, and Rudy and Liesel both lost their battle to Victor, their new boss in the stealing group. Rudy had a battle going with Franz Deutscher, until Franz publicly humiliated Rudy. I don’t like this theme very much...
ReplyDeleteAnother theme i would pick thought war would be a good theme because this whole book is based on war between the German people and the Jewish people. This whole novel revolves around the theme war because this story about The Book Thief was happening during The Holocaust. This makes the story more interesting because it adds all the drama with the Germans hating on Jewish people and causing wars to happen, which is also causing grief to the jewish people and then that is what creates the whole background to the story. The war creates another story inside this story about The Book Thief which creates a good and detailed story line about true facts about the war history and puts a little more excitement into the story of The Book Thief itself.
ReplyDeleteI think in this book the author is trying to tell us that thier isin't actually a death character, but us ourselves are death on page 307 it says that if we want to know what death truly looks like take a mirror and look into it. Death is trying to tell us that we are it. We are death. We are the ones killing people.
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ReplyDeleteI think one of the themes from the story is loyalty. Many things show how loyal each and every one of them were. Lots of people might think that they were loyal to Hitler, but I would have to disagree with the people who said that. They weren’t loyal, they were just followers. If they were loyal they probably wouldn’t have hidden a Jew in there basement. They would have turned him in.
ReplyDeleteLiesel was loyal to Max throughout the novel. Not once did she ever tell anyone about his existence in their house, well except for Rudy, but we know that he was trustworthy. Liesel brought Max presents when he was six, and read him stories; she tried to let him enjoy life as much as possible even though he spent his days in the basement and his nights by the fireplace.
Hans Hubermann was also loyal to his promise that he made Max’s father. His father saved his life by telling the people in the army that he could read and write, so he was sent to basically do a desk job. He promised Vanderburg that if he every needed anything, he would do it. He stuck to that promise when he took Max into his home to hide him from the Nazi party.
Ilsa Hermann stayed loyal to Liesel when she saw her steal the book at the book burning. She never told anyone about it, but she let Liesel into her library to read. Even after the Hermann’s fired Rosa Hubermann, Liesel’s foster mother, of her laundry service she still let Liesel read. Although we know that Liesel didn’t take that opportunity. She just started to steal the books instead. But once again, Ilsa Hermann didn’t tell anyone that it was her who was stealing the books. She kept quiet and just let her do it, considering she was only taking one book at a time, and the library had maybe a thousand.
All in all there are many examples of how people are loyal in this book. Rudy is loyal to Liesel, just like Liesel is loyal to Rudy and so on. It is a theme that is well displayed.
I don’t want to be biased or anything, But I really do like Michaela’s first post about silence.
ReplyDeleteYou have to admit; pretty much the entire book is everyone keeping secrets. Like Michaela had mentioned, the entire Hubermann family has to keep a major secret, one that could easily be discovered and they would probably die if it was to slip out of someone’s mouth.
But something I would like to add that connects with the theme “Secrets/Silence” would actually be the title of the book itself, “The Book Thief.” At a first impression, you can already pretty much tell that the book involves a lot of thievery, whether it be literal or metaphorical. Because, you obviously can’t just steal anything and just go around telling it to everyone on the street. You’d get in trouble, so you have to keep it a secret. You can tell from the cover that the story involves a lot of…dark places (For lack of a better word, you get what I mean).
I think that a small theme of the book is fear. I dont think could be a theme for the book as a whole becuase there is fear in everybody but I think that that is bound to happen when your country is in a war.
ReplyDeleteI believe that one of the major themes of this novel is percerverance.
ReplyDeleteI think this because it is everywhere through the entire novel. Take Liesel as an example of this at first she hated that she left and had to go to foster parents but eventually liked them.
Another way this is shown is through Max which is clearly the most obvious version of percerverance, being a jew during WWII in Germany anwith the Nazi Party in full control of most of Europe. This is not an easy thing to do but Max had to fight through it by hiding from the Nazis and living in the dark for years in fear that he was going to be taken away and forced to a concentration camp or even killed.
These are why I believe that one of this novels themes was percerverance.
A theme that domonates over the rest is guilt. Its is present in Liesel and others as well. When Max was hiding in the Hubbermans house he constantly asked for forgiveness. This does make sense because he is the cause of the Hubbermans breaking probably the worst law of that time period and if they ever were caught they would surely be in jail for most of thier life or simply killed. Aside from the many Nazi realted situations which cause the family grief Max also got very sick causing them to take him upstairs making it very easy to catch the Hubbermans if an inspecter would have came.
ReplyDeleteAnother major example of this is when Alex Steiner comes home at the end of the novel to see that his entire family had been killed by the bombing. he feels guilty for not letting Rudy go the the Nazi school causing him to die on Himmel street. Alex even goes as far as to say he would rather have died in his sons place which is truely the ultimate feeling of guilt.
Smaller examples of this are when Liesel rips up Ilsa Hermans book and writes a very truthful letter to Ilsa in the end causes Ilsa to give her the blank book in which she writes the book thief.
One of the most powerful themes in this novel is trust and belief. Like at the very begining of this novel Liesle' mother handed over Liesle to foster care and that was because she truelly believed that Liesle would be better off with the Hubermanns, because I think she thought that staying with her would only cause her more trouble and pain, because her mother was communist. Trust was a ver important component in the book. Like the relationship between Liesle and her foster father was full of trust, for example her father knew that she was a book thief but he didn't say a word to Rosa who would have gone belistic if she found out (page 125). Another example of trust is when Max Vandenburg came to hide out at Hubermanns basement, Max trusted the Hubermanns especially Liesle who injured herself just so that she could come home quick and worn her parents and Max that the Nazi were inspecting the basements on Himmel street to see if there were any Jews being hid (page 340-342. Another example of trust was shown through Liesl's and Rudy’s friendship towards the end of the novel Liesle trusted Rudy enough to tell him about the Max situation (page 517). Trust and belief were very important themes in this because they impacted almost all of the characters in this novel.
ReplyDeleteI think another important theme in this novel was luck and chance, and the risks taken throughout the novel. (This includes good and bad luck/chance.) I think this is important because there was quite a few risks taken in this novel by the main characters, and with some good or bad luck, the results were played out differently. For example, it was with bad luck that Liesel was sent off to live with a foster family she did not know, but it turned out to be good luck to have people so caring of her like Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Hans was one of her best friends, and he was always there for her. He taught Liesel to read, which is what saved her life in the end, and that would be referred to as good luck. But another example of luck and chance is the seven-sided die. As Death said, “It started with gambling. Roll a die by hiding a Jew and this is how you live. This is how it looks.” (Zusak, 243). So The Hubermanns decided to risk their own lives to help protect a Jew’s life, and with a little good luck, they managed to, at least for a while. But when Death talks about the seven-sided die, what he is talking about is the risk taking and chances took by Max and the Hubermanns. If you notice, all the different parts or sides of the die are talking about something Max was going through. But the seventh side of the die is where he was situated, and where Liesel and her papa and mama hoped he would remain. I think the seventh-side of a die is lucky, because really, there is no such thing. So if you stay in the realm of the seventh side, it means you will never be noticed, because a seven will never be rolled. That being said, they were in the middle of the war, but they were safe as long as they were lucky, and as Death said, “Then [Liesel] lay back down, leaned on him, and together, they slept, very much in Munich, but somewhere on the seventh side of Germany’s die.” (Zusak, 266)
ReplyDeleteI like what Vicky posted a while ago about words, and I think that it's totally true.. Hitler never had to fire a gun in order to build his "empire" (though it only took one gunshot to end it).
ReplyDeleteI think that the words like "shoot" or "fire" were not even the most important ones. I think the really important and powerful words that Hitler spoke were the charismatic and idealistic ones. He would never have to tell someone to shoot if he told them that all Jews deserved to be shot. His real damage came not from his commands, but from his ideals.
I agree with Vicky. Words are definitely one of the themes that stand out the most in the book. In a way, words saved Liesel's life. If she wasn't writing in the basement, she would've been killed along with everyone else in Himmel Street. It's amazing how she didn't die and was not terribly injured when the LSE found her. Words. It definitely connects with all of her books, for if Hans didn't teach her how to read, she would not be tempted to steal books and the book thief would never have existed. Words are something that she also shared with Max. She'd be reading downstairs and Max would be writing and drawing away in his sketchbook. Since Liesel knew how to read, Frau Holtzapfel had her come over to read to her. It also connected her with Ilsa Herman. If she didn't go into her library and became friends, maybe the Mayor and Ilsa wouldn't have taken Liesel in when everyone else died.
ReplyDeleteI think that another big theme in this book is defiance and standing up for what you believe. For example, Rudy is often defiant of his leaders, which always gets him into trouble. He doesn’t stand up for anything overly significant, but he stands up for himself when he feels that he’s being mistreated. He also stands up for others, like Tommy or Liesel, even when he risks running laps or getting beaten up. Also, Hans Hubermann is an excellent example of someone who bluntly shows his defiance of the Nazi leaders, but only the readers know this. Hans strongly disagrees with the Nazi teachings throughout the whole book, but almost gives in when he applies to join the Nazi party. In the end, he stands his ground and even risks his life and others’ to stand up for what he believes. His defiance is shown in numerous ways, like hiding a Jew in his basement or feeding one (p. 394). His selflessness and eye for cruelty lead him to stand against an authority far more powerful than himself.
ReplyDeleteOne major thing in this book is taking risks. Liesel takes many risks by stealing books and food with Rudy. She steals books from the mayor's house and from rubbish the German's want to burn. She steals food from people's yards and during this time lots of people didn't have much money so they relied on the food they grew. One time the group even got caught but luckily ran away in time that they didn't see their faces. Also, Max took a risk by coming on the train to live with the Hubermanns. He could have gotten caught by the Germans and sent to a camp. Fortunately he got to the Hubermanns safely which brings me to my next point. The Hubermanns are probably taking the biggest risk by hiding a Jewish man (Max) in their house. They know if they get caught they will all be exiled for hiding him but they continue to because they know its the right thing to do and that's what you do for good friendships.
ReplyDelete@ Karlee
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. You get to see the true colours of Hans and Rosa Hubermann when they took the risk to hide Max in their basement. It wasn't a big surprise for me that Hans agreed to this, but Rosa was a surprise. Before Max came she didn't come across as a "softy". But with Max that really came through for me. Even though the Hubermanns knew what would happen to them if they were to get caught with a Jew in their basement, they continued to let Max stay down there. It only switched when Hans felt that Max was in serious danger of being found. This shows that they thought of Max as part of their family and not a stranger that they were risking their own lives for.
The theme of differences is a main concept in the book as well. One of the main places I found this was in Max's case. When he is going to Hans' house for the first time he is afraid that the Nazi's will find him and take him away, but then he realized that even though he is a Jew, he is also German. This makes no sense, because we are all people. They are all Germans. There is nothing on his exterior that makes him not a German. He was just a different religion. I think another place differences come in to place is when Liesel and Max finally set aside their differences on her birthday and she gives him a hug. This shows him that he isn't some evil thing that Hitler is telling everyone he is, and that there are still people in this world that are good and don't believe just anything. One other place I found differences being set aside is with Rudy and Liesel. They are different in many ways, one example being a boy and a girl. But they don’t even realize that they are different. This shows the childhood ignorance that everyone is the same, until they are told any different.
ReplyDeleteOne theme I think is in this book is loneliness. Leisel feels alone at the Hubermanns because he brother just recently died when they were suposed to go to meet/ live with their new foster parents for the first time. Now that she doesn't have her brother or her real mother with her I think she is lonely and misses them terribly and thats why she is having her nightmares. Also Max is very lonely because he also left his family to go live with the Hubermanns. He sits in the basement everyday by himself where it is cold and dark. Fortunalty Liesel and Max are settling into thier new lives and getting to know each other better so niether of them are lonely anymore.
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ReplyDeleteOne theme found in The Book Thief is the beauty and brutality of humans. Characters like Liesel, or Max, were generally considered kind people, but despite that there is still a brutal side to them. Liesel's came through when Ilsa fired her mom, and she said, well yelled some very insulting things at Ilsa. Max's brutal side was less pronounced, and some might not even consider it brutal. In my opinion, leaving his family and saving himself could potentially be considered brutal, but he was given little choice. Though these characters showed this side, they were mainly good people. One example of the beauty of humans is when Rudy placed the teddy bear on the dying pilot's chest. This was quite unexpected, seeing as the pilot had just been attempting to bomb them. For Rudy to do this, especially with a teddy bear that was special to him (at least special enough to put in a box of prized possessions) showed such as strong example of beauty. He didn't know this man, and the pilot was an enemy. This action showed forgiveness, even without an apology, and the desire to let people die happy. Rudy knew he would not live for much longer, and he decided to let this bomber, in the last few minutes of his life, to be forgiven instead of glared at by his enemies.
ReplyDeleteBrutality in this book goes farther than petty arguments as well. Of course, the entire Holocaust was overwhelming in its brutality. On Hitler's orders, Jews were to be enslaved, sent to concentration camps, and many times the subject of mass killings. When you compare an act as beautiful as Rudy's to an act as brutal as throwing somebody in a crematorium, it's hard to believe that somebody could do such a thing. How can we, as a human race let innocent people burn alive, while at other points help an enemy enjoy their last few moments alive?
One of the themes that stood out to me was the idea of subtlety, how small events can have huge consequences, how somehow the less obvious, seemingly insignificant actions can be more effective than those more boldly taken.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the biggest example of this subtle power is the Führer himself, Adolf Hitler. Unlike most infamous leaders, Hitler was not known for his remarkable feats of war. He did not bravely march out into battle at the head of his men. He simply sat back conducted. It was not his own admirable deeds that made an impact during his reign; it was the actions of others, inspired by his charming oratory. Despite never killing a Jew himself, it was his influence that caused hundreds of thousands of them to die in the Holocaust.
Another prominent example of this subtlety is Hans Hubermann hiding the Jewish Max Vandenberg in his basement. He could not defy the Nazis directly, could not help the Jews openly, as he lacked the power to do so; but certainly did not lack the courage. Instead, he allowed a Jew to seek refuge in his basement, and fed and sheltered him in secret. While his aiding the Jews was not publicly known until he tried to give some bread to one in the parade, his effect on the Jewish people was significant. At the very least, he saved one Jew’s life (well, for a time anyways...) which he would not have been able to had he attempted to help them more publicly. As we can tell by the whipping he received trying to feed a Jew, his aid would not be taken kindly by the Nazis.
So basically what I’m saying is that power does not always come from open and evident control over people or situations, but can sometimes be more understated. Sometimes, the most significant (and most dangerous) power is the one no one knows you have.
People were greedy, are greedy and will always be greedy. I think that a theme in the book is greed. People always want more, or what they see and don’t have. I think that the greed between the people and Hitler are two different kinds of greed. Hitler wanted a big title to put with his name, leadership and power, sameness, people to follow him and people at his disposal, land, and so much more. One person should not want that much. Meanwhile the people wanted shelter, employment, food, rights, and the more simple things in life, but people’s needs and wants get twisted together sometimes. War is the outcome of greed and that is how the story is built. Sometimes there is so much greed that it breaks out into a giant fight for what people want. Liesel wants books and her greed is so deep that she steals what she wants. But is greed always a bad thing?
ReplyDeleteI think a theme in this book is equality. This theme is mainly shown in the Hubermann household. When Max came to their house Hans, Rosa and Liesel didn't see him as a Jew. They saw him as a human being that needed their help. This was not a quality that many people had at that specific time. If you were Jewish then you were labelled as an outcast and worthless. Hans Hubermann luckily was a person that didn't follow other people's actions and stood up for what he thought was right. He tried to help the Jews when they came through the town by throwing them bread. For doing this Hans had to endure a painful punishment but it was because he did what was right. If more people followed Hans's example and had the same feelings then things might have changed.
ReplyDeleteI would say a main theme in this book would be strength. Especially Max. Max has to go through SO much. He had a totally normal childhood, and then World War II started, and he suddenly had to leave behind everything and everyone that mattered to him, just so he could go in hiding in some dark cave. I'm not going to lie, if I were in Max's position, I would not have had that kind of strength to carry on. And Also, Hans has a lot of strength as well. When Max's father died, it took a lot to get over his guilt and sadness. But he still somehow got the nerve to go all the way to his house to bring that accordion back to his wife. And I really liked how he kept playing the accordion and made a sort-of areer out of playing it, all for Max's dad's sake.
ReplyDeleteI think that a good theme for this book is loneliness. I think that loneliness is a good theme because so many characters are lonely. In my opinion the loneliest character is Max. Max is the loneliest character because ha has to stay in the basement all day and the only time that he ever really gets to interact with other people is when Liesel comes down to see him. That is why i think that loneliness is a good theme for the Book Thief.
ReplyDeleteI think the theme of this novel would be friendship. I think friendship would be the best theme for this novel because it shows the friendship between Liesel and everyone she comes in contact with such as Hans, Rudy, Max and many other people. This novel shows the different types of friendship bonds you can create with different types of people. An example would be the bond that Hans and Liesel have from an stepfather to a daughter perspective and the bond that Rudy and Liesel have from a friendship perspective. Both of those examples have a friendship bond between each of them. This brings them closer together in the novel. On page 78 where Liesel gets in a fight with Ludwig Schmeikl, Rudy advises her to ignore it. It shows that just because everyone else made fun of her that Rudy was there for her and tried to comfort her through it all. Friendship is a key theme in this novel.
ReplyDeleteHumanity and Dehumanization is another theme I found through the course of the novel. The dehumanization of the Jews was an early stage of the Holocaust. Hitler belittled the Jews, gradually took away all their civil rights, and he eventually said that they weren’t even human. He treated them very poorly and always thought they were the root of all the problems in Germany. Max disgustingly remarked that as a Jewish person living in Nazi Germany, a cold basement is the only place he deserves as he hides from persecution. In Max's dreams of fighting Hitler also known as the Fuhrer, he picture Hitler propagandizing against him, accusing Max as an extreme threat to the German people. Max’s conscious was weighed heavily on by the occurrence of anti-Semitic Nazi propaganda and the fact that he is reduced to hiding in his birth country. Death's mocking unfolding echoes this emotion. Max's self-deprecation is probably tied into his feelings of guilt over having left his family to save himself. On page 395 when Hans gives the old Jewish man a piece of bread, Death narrates: "If nothing else, the old man would die like a human. Or at least with the thought that he was a human. Me? I'm not so sure if that's such a good thing." Death has a difficult trying to understand humanity's capacity for both good and evil. Death is astonished both by the lethal Nazis, mankind's unreasonable taste for war and by the few human beings who show remarkable compassion and strength, like Hans and Liesel. Wondering if the human race is worth anything, Death is torn by this opposition and cannot put to rights it: "I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race - that rarely do I ever simply estimate it on page 550." In the end, Death tells Liesel, "I am haunted by humans." It is the ability of human beings to make different moral choices and the obvious unpredictability of these decisions that haunts Death, which is only capable of a single action.
ReplyDeleteAnother key theme for this novel would be death. Death would be a key theme because most of the book revolves around death such as the narrator being death. Also how Liesel's brother Werner died and the Jewish people being killed by the Germans. I think the author Markus Zusak chose death as being one of the themes for a reason because it symbolized how the Jewish people were being treated by the Germans. It shows how Adolf Hitler had a big effect on every Jewish person in Germany. It portrayed an image that Hitler did not care how many people he killed as long as the Jewish people were killed he would be fine with it. An example in the story of this would be when the Hubermann's took in Max to save him from being killed by the Germans. It showed that some Germans had a heart to save the remaining of the Jewish people in Germany. Death would be a key component of this novel because it plays a really big part in everyones life.
ReplyDeleteA theme i would like to use would be determination... I think this one has been used before, but I want to add to it.
ReplyDeleteI chose determination because thats what everyone is believing in and need to believe in inside this novel. Determination would be one of my choices because when the German people are over ruling jewish people the jewish people need to stayed determined to live, and not give up to losing. If the jewish people do not stay determined in hiding and help each other this can result into their death. Determination plays a big role in this story for Max because the first thing is he is hiding in a Germans basement, which is one thing that he could be worried about. The second thing is he needs to stay determined in himself that all of this will be over soon. I think this was the only time in history where determination played a big factor because thousands of jewish people were either in hiding from the Germans, or locked up by the Germans, this is where everyone needs determination in between each other because bad things are bound to happen if they do not stay strong and smart and trust each other. People that have survived have been determined to win and have won against death during this dreadful moment. For Max and other Jews they have to do the same, stay strong, smart and trust who ever is their to help them if they want to live.
I think that friendship is a very big theme in this book. The fact that the book is about the Holocaust from a German point of view is a big connection to make. Everyone needs friends, it’s a lonely world without them and it can even be dangerous. Hitler was the German leader, but that does not mean that all German people liked him. 90 percent followed him, but what happened to the last 10 percent? I think they were left to cover up their opinions, follow, or...... There was a lack of friendship between the Germans and the Jewish people that started the war. Did they ever try to get along before they started arguing? I think friendships are built with trust, determination and hard work. There are different types of friendships shown in this book and the connection between Liesel and Max is the most important. It’s the German and the Jew, a deadly combination at the time, but Liesel managed to keep the secret and protect Max. Their friendship was built with time, they both needed to learn to trust each other. Liesel gave Max a hug on her birthday and I think that started the trust. So Max gave Liesel a book he wrote for her. When Max was sick Liesel read to him, and found many objects that ended up having their own stories. Before Max leaves he gives her another gift but tells her to wait until she is ready. Liesel cares about Max and worries about him meanwhile she prays that he is safe. The connection between Liesel and Rudy is another one. They built a strong friendship that would last forever. They are always teasing each other but that’s part of what makes them friends. Times were tough and there was little forms of entertainment so children did what they do best, play. Liesel and Rudy spend hours outside riding bikes, playing soccer with the other kids on the street, talking about their troubles, and Rudy loves to brag about anything he can think of. I think the two of them make quite the pare.
ReplyDeleteI think another theme of this book revolves around Human Nature. This story brings out both the best and the worst in people, and shows both the kindness and cruelty of human nature. Kindness in shown in numerous ways, big and small, like when Liesel gives Max the thirteen gifts when he is sick, or when Hans feeds the Jew during the parade. Both of these actions show a deep caring and worry for the person the act is directed at. Then there’s the opposite side, where the book shows the depth of cruelty people are capable of. The Jews were starved, prosecuted, humiliated, beaten and executed, but most of the people of Germany continued to worship the man responsible for this. To me, this shows an indescribable level of indifference and cruelty. I think the main point that the book is trying to make in this area is that humans are capable of both kindness and cruelty, and it’s simply up to each person which one they will choose.
ReplyDeleteAnother theme that the author has used is love. The author mixed love and many other themes together to make the story more interesting. I think love has a major part in this novel like the way it revolves around the characters and there personalities. An example of this would be how Liesels brother died on the way to there foster house which causes Liesel to have nightmares about the person she loved the most. Markus Zusak portrays an image how tragic events can have a negative effect on you but he also ties in other stuff to make it better such as Hans trying to teacher her how to read and write. She also makes new friends after her brothers death which makes her feel welcomed in the Hubermann household.
ReplyDeleteAnother possible theme for this book is strength, survival, and determination. The reason I am putting these three together is because I think that they are all connected. A person needs strength and determination to survive, especially during the time of war. Starting at the beginning of the book with Liesel, she need so much strength to understand that her brother died, and then that she had to leave her mama to go and live with the Hubermanns because they could provide better opportunities for her. Then Max had to believe that he was going to survive and he needed strength and determination to help him get to his Himmel Street destination. When Max arrived Hans, Rosa and Liesel had to be determined that they would be able to help Max without letting anyone know that they were doing. Looking back at the outcomes of these hurdles, I see that they all made it safely. Liesel was safe with the Hubermanns and made friends, Max got all the way to 33 Himmel Street and they took him in and protected him. Finally Hans, Rosa, and Liesel kept the secret and were not caught with Max. then why are other hurdles so hard to achieve? Have strength and determination!
ReplyDeleteAnother theme that I noticed in this book was loss. Taking place in a war, this story was obviously going to involve a lot of loss of life. But there were also many other things that people lost. Rosa Hubermann lost every single employer she had except for the Mayor, and I’m sure Liesel never expected them to fire her after the relationship she’d built with his wife. That was a loss that hurt Liesel greatly because not only did her mother lose her last employer, but she also felt betrayed, like she had lost a friendship. There was also the loss of people that didn’t necessarily die, like Liesel’s mother or Max’s family. The author never specifies that any of these people died. It is probable that they did, but if they didn’t, then Liesel and Max both lost people that they didn’t have to lose, which could be harder than losing a loved one to death. At least then they could have closure and know for sure that their loved one was gone, rather than always wondering if they were alive and what had happened to them. Finally, there was the loss of hope. I’m sure Max lost all hope when he was sitting in that dark warehouse, waiting for his friend to return. He had an unbelievably limited amount of food, he was scared to death that someone would come find him, and he was alone for a large amount of time before his friend came back. At some point, I know he must’ve lost all hope, and assumed that someone would find him and he would die there. Loss is a big theme because it’s something that everyone experiences in life, and it can often be the most painful thing to feel. I think that the author wanted to show the reader how much loss and pain these characters felt, and inform us that real people felt this very real suffering. Although it’s a fictional story, not all aspects are untrue.
ReplyDeleteThe more I read the book the more convinced I am that survival is a key theme. Everyone wants to survive especially in the book which takes place during World War 2. Max, while spending most of his time in the basement, realizes that survival is a punishment in itself.
ReplyDeleteAnother theme that I noticed in the novel was dedication. Dedication would be one of the themes because it shows how every character in the novel had dedication to accomplish something in the novel. Such as Liesel trying to learn how to read. Dedication in this novel is a key component.
ReplyDeleteThis book contains many themes but I think fear would be one of them because many characters throughout the story develop fear in a certain way. For example how Hans is scared of war and does not want to participant in it. It shows how people are afraid of death and the others that can happen in war.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that could be considered to be a theme of this book is is words/literature itself since it plays such a big role in this novel. Liesel realizes how important words are and being able to read and comprehend them. From this she gets Hans to teach her how to read and write by staying up in the night reading and writing words, this becomes her biggest ambition in her life at the time and seemed like the only thing she wanted to do. She also begins to steal books to read hence the title The Book Thief and begins to take them from the mayors wife and soon forms a friendship with her. Liesel also realizes that words are the main reason that Germany is under the power of the Nazi party, through there way of persuading people with words. The book is based around the importance of words, Max makes two books for Liesel as a gift, one he gives her as he leaves. Liesel uses words in order to calm everyone down when they were stuck in the Air raid shelter and everyone was upset and worried, Liesel began reading from one of her books and soon everyone began to listen. The use of words is a big part of this novel and could be an example of one theme out of many.
ReplyDeleteAnother example of a theme in this novel is Friendship. Liesel forms more of a friendship with Hans than him being a parent. Since he is so laid back in what he does and just always wants her to be happy. Liesel also forms a friendship with Rudy, and because of Hans friendship with Erik (Max's dad) he decides to take in Max to live in his basement. From Hans' friendship Liesel becomes very good friends with Max while he is living in their basement.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the themes of the book is definitely strength, and more specifically, the strength to overcome adversity and get through what life throws your way. Liesel goes through a lot in her short lifetime, and it’s only due to her incredible inner strength and the support of her friends and family that she is able to do so. On a more extreme scale, Jewish people were put through a horrendous time during this era, and Max was no exception. He was forced to abandon his family and hide in a basement for years. This could’ve broken him, and it very nearly did. He felt he didn’t “deserve” even as good an accommodation as an old mattress in the Hubermann’s basement, but despite this fragility, he retained the fire of his youth and his days as a fist fighter and found the will to survive. He was strong, not only in the physical sense, but strong-willed, as is evidenced by the fact that he proclaimed, “When death captures me, he will feel my fist on his face.” (p.189) which really just says that he won’t go down without a fight.
ReplyDeleteAnother theme I was about to mention was the theme of guilt. Earlier on in the blog I noticed cdedavis and Brooke posted something similar.
ReplyDeleteThe theme guilt appeared in the novel majorly when Max came to stay with the Hubermanns, that is the most obvious form of this theme. Since Hans feels guilty for his friends death he takes in Max to live with them and hide from the Nazis. Max also feels guilty for his time he spent with the Hubermanns as he feels he has jeopardized their lives by having a Jew live with them. Hans also caused Max to have to leave since he fed a Jew a piece of bread and ended up getting whipped for it, because of that he was paranoid that the Gestapo would come to search his house, this made Max leave so he would not be captured. Although afterward s no gestapo ever came to search their house, which caused Hans to feel extremely guilty that Max had to leave.
One of the last themes I noticed was acceptance and perseverance. I put these two together because you can’t persevere and continue forward until you accept what happened and learn to live with it. This theme was present throughout the whole book, but I noticed it a lot more towards the end. Liesel had to show perseverance and acceptance when she was first taken to her new foster home, and Max needed these qualities when he spent so many months in hiding. But towards the end, when everything really started falling apart, is when these characteristics showed in every character. When Hans Hubermann and Alex Steiner were sent to war, both families had to learn to accept this fate and continue forward. All they could do was hope and pray for the best. The most dominant event for me that showed this theme was at the very end, when Liesel was rescued after the bomb and realized that everyone else had died. Her family, her friends… everyone she knew was gone. She experienced grief, and she mourned, but she was forced to accept what had happened and move on. In the epilogue, her husband, children, and grandchildren are mentioned. So although it was very painful for her to lose almost everyone she had ever cared about, good came out of her perseverance.
ReplyDeleteI know for sure that this book has quite a few themes. To mention a couple that i imagined for sure are: Determination, strength, loyalty, color, compassion, bravery, hatred, and cowardice.
ReplyDeleteI'm finding it hard to understand why people think that colour is a theme in the book. I've thought about it and I've come up with that Death continuously talks about these vibrant colours that distract him from this pain he feels from looking and living humans but the story has a grey and gloomy feeling to it. With this being said I feel that distraction would be a better fit for this theme since Liesel and others, are using little things that they enjoy to distract them from something.Liesel is using books and Hans' love to distract her from all the bad things that happened and that are happening to her.
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ReplyDeleteI think that the character Death is more of a theme then he is a character. Death is the main theme that stands out for me, because the whole book is leading up to death. Even the narrative voice is death speaking. In the beginning of the book Liesels brother died, there is an example of death within the first chapter. Another would be when Liesel stole the book called "The Gravedigger's Handbook", this was a sign to me that Liesel was going to die eventually for stealing this book. The title says it all. Another example would be the fact that it is during the Holocaust. The author made the theme death very clear when Hitler came into affect for every Jewish person alive in that time period. He wanted every single one of them dead. Hitler wanted the Jewish race obliterated. Some people went against him, for example when Hans Hubermann went against Hitler by taking in the Jewish man named Max. The fact that Hans Hubermann and Rosa Hubermann took in a Jewish man showed that they didn't care if they were going to be killed for taking someone in. Death played a huge part in the book because it played a huge part of everyone's life in the book.
ReplyDeleteOne of the themes was ‘determination’. It started from the first quarter of the novel when Liesel was learning how to read. Liesel wanted to learn how to read even though it was frustrating for her and at times embarrassing, such as the time when the kids at school made fun of her poor education. (Zusak, 78) The fact that she never gave up shows how determined she was to learn how to read. While Liesel was determined, her foster father Hans was also determined to teach her. (Zusak, 71) Hans would encouraged her, “’Come on, Liesel,’ he’d say. ‘You know this word; you know it!’ This showed determination on his part. Determination was also demonstrated by Rudy Steiner when he was running around an empty track while imitating a famous Black American athlete named Jesse Owens.
ReplyDeleteThe most obvious theme was definitely hatred and cruelty. The Book Thief was set during the Holocaust, as well as the prejudices against the Jews were definitely associated with the theme hatred and cruelty. German hated the Jews because of Hitler’s words. Jews had to hide in peoples basements to avoid the consequences they would have to face. For instance, Max Vandenburg hid in the Hubermann's basement until it was too dangerous to hide there. The Nazi were very cruel to the Jews because they hated them so much for no good reason (Zusak, 394). Hatred was also shown through the feelings Liesel had towards Hitler when she said “I hate Hitler”. (Zusak, 115)
ReplyDeleteOne of the themes was Bravery. Max's bravery in his determination to survive is an example. He stayed hidden for years of his life and then left the house knowing possible dyer consequences would be awaiting him on the outside. Even his return to the town after the war was incredibly brave, because I can only imagine the horror and pain his return must have brought back to him. Rosa and Hans Hubermann also demonstrated bravery by giving a home to 2 people who needed it the most. With taking in Liesel as their foster child and second was hiding Max in their basement to protect him from the Germans. This defiantly takes a lot of bravery to do the right thing.
ReplyDeleteAnother theme in this book was strength. There were many character who demonstrated strength. However, Liesel was the most strongest of them all. Liesel was just a young girl who lost her brother unexpectedly and had to leave her mother. Liesel also showed her full potential of being strong at the end of the book. She lost all her loved ones and had to find the strength to carry on life leaving the ones she loved the most, such as Rudy, Rosa and Hans.
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ReplyDeleteI think the theme of this novel would be is friendship. It shows the friendship between Liesel and everyone that she comes in contact with. This novel shows the different types of friendship bonds you can create with different types of people. An example would be the bond that Hans and Liesel shared even though he was only her stepfather and the bond that Rudy and Liesel have even though he's a boy living across the street during the war. Both of those examples have a friendship bond between each of them. This friendships intensify as the novel progresses. Especially when Liesel gets in a fight with Ludwig Schmeikl (page 78), Rudy advises her to ignore it. It shows that just because everyone else made fun of her that Rudy was there for her and tried to comfort her through it all. Even though that Rudy had a big crush on Liesel Throughout the novel it played a big part in the friendship aspect.
ReplyDeleteAnother major theme for this novel would be death. It's a key theme because the narrator is death and the whole book is based on the death of many. Since It's WWII the jewish people being killed by the Nazis plays a huge part in creating most of the deaths for various characters in the book. I think the author (Markus Zusak) chose death as being one of the themes because it symbolizes how the Jewish people were treated at the time by the Nazies. It also shows how Hitler had a big effect on every German person and struck fear into every jewish person eyes by the amount of followers he had. It showed that Hitler didn't care how many jewish people he killed as long as the Jewish people were getting killed in general. An example in the story of this would be when the Hubermann's took in Max to save him from being killed by the Nazis. It showed that some Germans had a heart to save the remaining of the Jewish people in Germany and not take Hitler's side.
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