themes in the book thief essay

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The Book Thief

Markus zusak.

Death himself is the narrator of The Book Thief , and the setting is Nazi Germany during World War II, so there is a constant feeling of danger and suspense in the story. The narrator also reveals the fates of most of the characters beforehand, particularly the details of their deaths. This creates a different kind of suspense, where the reader knows some of the story's end but still wants to know how the characters…

Words and Language

Markus Zusak constantly reminds the reader of the importance of language through his writing style. The disjointed narration, postmodern style (the starred, bold-faced interjections), and poetic phrasing emphasize the words used to tell the story, to the point that the reader is never allowed to sink unconsciously into the plot. There are also many reminders of language within the novel's action – Liesel and Hans write on the back of sandpaper, the newspaper becomes imprinted…

Related to words and language is the theme of books, which begins even in the novel's title. Books as objects play major roles in the plot, and the story itself is divided among the different books Liesel steals or is given. The Nazi book-burning is a central plot point, and represents the suppression of free speech but also an acknowledgement of the power of books themselves – Hitler fears books that contradict his propaganda. Liesel…

Stealing and Giving

In the setting of Nazi Germany, the idea of criminality is turned upside down – Hitler 's laws require citizens to commit crimes against humanity, and when Liesel or Hans show kindness to Max (or any other Jew) they are harshly punished. The thievery of the novel's title also seems like less of a crime in the context of the story. When Liesel and Rudy steal books and food it is a small way of…

Color, Beauty, and Ugliness

When he takes a soul, Death remembers the color of the sky to distract himself from his grim work. He begins the story with the colors of his three meetings with Liesel , the book thief – white, black, and red – and combines these to form the Nazi flag, which hangs over the story like the colors of the sky. Later Liesel acts similarly to Death in describing the sky to Max when he…

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The Book Thief

Introduction of the book thief.

The Book Thief, a masterpiece of Australian literature, is written by Markus Zusak. It was published quite in 2005 in Australia and soon started breaking records of publications in the very first year. Within a few years, a record sale of 16 million copies and translation into 63 languages proved its force and author’s insight. The interesting storyline presents Death as the narrator telling about Leisel and Nazi atrocities but from the male point of view . The book became an instant hit and fetched Common Wealth Writer’s prize for the author followed by National Jewish Book Award and several other awards. Later, it was also featured as a movie in 2013 under the same name.

Summary of The Book Thief

The book starts with the narrative of Death when he sees the book thief boarding a train adding that he sees him again when he comes to a pilot of a plane likely to crash. It happens again when the bombing takes place. Death observes that the colors such as red, white, or black are surprisingly the colors of the flag of the Nazis too. Following this, the regular narrative begins. Death states that he sees Liesel with his family traveling to Munich when her brother, Werner breathes his last at which they stop the train and bury the body. It happens there that Liesel commits the act of stealing the book from one of the gravediggers, though, it does not stop the family journey and they reach Molching. Then Hans and Rosa take Liesel as their daughter, and her new journey of life starts with her new foster parents.

At the house of her foster parents, Liesel feels odd but starts adjusting to this new life. However, her brother constantly appears in her dreams that causes her discomfort. Soon, Rudy, the neighbor kid becomes her friend there who tells her that he loves Jesse Owens, an American athletic boy. He also jolts her to love him and constantly badger her to kiss him but Liesel’s response is often very cold. On the other hand, when Hans sees that as she is unable to read books, he starts teaching her reading, and she soon takes the gravedigger’s book to read. The city where they are living feels the political transformation in Germany after the Nazis take over the government. It leads to food shortage with the townspeople resorting to a book-burning ceremony to celebrate the birthday of Hitler yet Liesel does not stop from stealing another book during this melee.

Seeing no work, Liesel starts delivering laundry to Rosa. As she has many customers, the mayor’s wife, too, sends her laundry through Liesel. One day she asks her to come to her study to see her treasure. Frau, her daughter, after seeing her interest, permits her to study books. When the Jewish slaughter ensues there, Max, a local Jew, hides in the closet. Somebody provides him life-saving things and his identity card hidden in the biography of Hitler. Soon he meets Hans who has served with his father in WWI. They hide him in the basement of the house where he befriends Liesel and Rosa and they start their new venture of writing the book on the painted pages of the biography.

As the Nazi persecution becomes a new normal, Frau informs Liesel that she cannot go for laundry at which she becomes quite angry and feels chagrin over the disparity of having living resources. She soon starts her stealing spree in the library. When Christmas arrives, she prepares a snowman for Max who becomes ill and soon loses his senses. He stays sick for months which worries Hans and Rosa because of trouble of they have to go through to dispose of the corpse but eventually recovers when the Nazis arrive to inspect the house for using it as a shelter in case of a bombing but they do not suspect Max. When the allies initiate their bombing campaign against Germany, the Hubermanns’ house becomes a shelter, having a basement where Max is staying.

The war becomes intense and so does the persecution of the Jews being taken to Dachau, a concentration camp. It happens that Hans draws the ire of the German soldiers for throwing a piece of bread to an old Jew after which he receives a rude intervention from a German soldier, causing suspicion of the discovery of Max after which he flees at night . Roaming in the streets for the German soldiers to come and arrest him but nothing of that sort happens. After that, the soldiers come to take Rudy and come again to take both Alex, his father, and Hans to enlist them in the army. On the other hand, Rudy and Liesel start throwing pieces of bread toward the passing Jewish prisoners. Rosa, then, hands over the book Max has penned down to Liesel which is titled The Word Shaker, describing their friendship and how they’d be united someday .

After conscription, Hans is dispatched to the city of Essen to take part in the cleaning operation of the city after bombardment. However, one of his colleagues becomes hostile and asks him to change the seats but unfortunately, he dies in the accident, while Hans takes leave for recovery from that accident. During another air assault, Rudy and Liesel see an allied pilot dying after his parachute does not open properly. During this escapade, Death watches Liesel for the second time seeing him collect the pilot’s soul. Meanwhile, when Liesel observes the Nazis’ prisoners, she becomes surprised to see Max among them at which she informs Rudy about hiding him in their basement.

When the wife of the city mayor visits them, she meets Liesel and hands over a notebook to her for writing. She starts working on the book writing project during air raids in which Rudy, Rosa, and even Hans get killed. Liesel is buried under the rubble but escapes death. She finds Rudy under the rubble lifeless and gives him the kiss he always wanted. When she is taken to the hospital, she sees that her book “The Book Thief” is left in the rubble, which is rescued later by Death. Once, she recovers after the accident she was taken under the wing of the Mayor couple. When the concentration comes to the end, Max returns to live in Molching and meets Liesel. They both hug each other and cry. Finally, she reaches Australia to have a family where she dies and shows that book which she had written many years ago to Death, who has come to take her soul.

Major Themes in The Book Thief

• Power of Words: The Book Thief shows the power of words through Death, Liesel, and Max. When Death narrates the story , he comes across Liesel leaving her book in the rubble when she is retrieved by the rescuers. Liesel learns the power of language quite early, especially of using words. Thus she starts to steal books and tries to learn reading and writing. The expression of words in books, however, points out later in the novel that they could be as evil as they could be helpful. The reference to Hitler’s autobiography and The Book Thief written by Liesel points out the same thing that words have power and Mark Zusak, with several other Jewish, authors has proved that words can change minds.
• Sense of Guilt: The novel shows the sense of guilt through the petty crimes of stealing books such as committed by Liesel to the reprehensible crime of killing human beings such as bombardment and concentration camps. The contrast of this minor crime to that of the horrible crime of killing the Jews makes this theme of guilt and its consciousness prominent. When Liesel sees her brother’s death, she feels this sense and Max feels it when he endangers the Hubermann family. Michael also feels this consciousness but he atones for it by taking his own life.
• Metaphysical Dilemmas : The Book Thief presents a host of metaphysical dilemmas to its readers that it does not explain or answer. These questions arise from issues such as human generosity, love, kindness , and barbarism committed side by side. The Hubermanns provide shelter to Max but also faces the consequences. Death also feels chagrin at such metaphysical issues that he fails to understand their real purpose. The death of Hans, of Holtzapfel brothers, and Rudy shows that Death is to take their souls willy-nilly . These metaphysical questions stay unanswered until the end of the novel.
• Propaganda : The theme of propaganda in the novel is obvious through the character of Liesel who comes to know about the significance of language and starts learning it when she finds gravedigger’s book and comes to know the Nazis are doing the same thing through vicious propaganda. When Max narrates “The Word Shaker,” he is unconsciously doing the same thing. Therefore, Leisel engages in reading and writing to narrate her story later when she dies. It means that the novel shows positive and negative propaganda and its impacts on the readers.
• Humanity: The theme of humanity is significant in the novel in that it demonstrates that despite the raging barbarism of the Nazis launched through the Jewish genocide humanity shows itself through the Hubermanns as they provide shelter to Max and bring up Liesel. When Liesel finds refuge, she comes to know about the love and kindness demonstrated by her foster parents.
• Cowardice: The novel shows the theme of cowardice in many ways such as Hans alleges that his father is a coward who does not oppose Hitler, while he has already fought in WWI. However, conversely, it seems courage to defy Hitler when it was considered a direct invitation to death.
• Death: The novel shows the theme of death in two ways; first through the character of Death and second through the prevalent death scenario where human life has lost its worth. First Death is personified to show that it/he is taking the souls of human beings, while the Nazis are providing wholesale opportunities to Death. The Hubermann family proves that though Death is ruling the roost, the people have themselves left to meet their deaths in the war.
• Friendship: The theme of friendship is significant in the novel in that the inhumanity and wholesale death have brought people closer to each other. The Hubermanns extend refuge to Liesel as well as Max when they are facing threats to their own lives. Rudy and Liesel, too, befriends because of the prevalent death march.
• War: The Book Theif is originally about WWII when the Nazis were butchering, burning, and killing every other Jew they find in their way. War mocks Death that he has no time to collect the souls of so many people. Also, it mocks the Death by gloating that people do not care as Max and his neighbors, including the Nazis, have joined the war as if it is a sport.

Major Characters in The Book Thief

• Death: Death is a primary character and cynical narrator, holding metaphysical characteristics in the book. Its main task involves taking away the souls of the dead . Death states it clearly that he has done it millions of times without any qualm but human beings’ penchant for war has tired him. As this has proved a horrible task for him, he diverts his attention by looking at colors. When Liesel goes through the grueling life events, Death comments on them as if he is a masculine figure, narrating them in the first person. The appearance of Death in the novel as a character is a mockery of the human tenacity for initiating the war machine.
• Liesel Meminger: Besides death, Liesel Meminger is the central character of the novel. Hence, she is also the protagonist of the story. She is a young Jewish girl, who becomes the victim of the Nazi’s cruelty, losing her entire family as well as her benefactors. Her generosity and empathy toward the innocents show her grueling past, though, she even mistrusts her benefactors at first, the Hubbermanns. So, she stays discreet during her initial phase of stay with them. However, when she receives unusual kindness, she becomes quite expressive and feels sympathy toward Rudy and Max. She takes care of her classmates due to the Nazi death rule but later she pens down everything in the book that she hands over to Death before her own death.
• Max Vandenburg: Max appears later in the novel when he feels remorse at leaving his family to become the victims of Nazism. When he takes shelter with the Hubermanns, he is regretful for his selfishness and this mental conflict makes his life miserable when living in the Hubermanns’ basement as a refugee. He is, later, sent to Dachau to work in the labor camps.
• Hans Hubermann: Head of the Hubermanns, he becomes the foster father of Liesel and takes her in his house when she needs him the most. Being a generous fellow, he extends his paternal love to her and takes care of her. However, his emphasis on her education makes him stand on high moral grounds as he challenges Hitler, a defiant act that finally takes his life.
• Rudy Steiner: Rudy Steiner takes care of Liesel when her life is at stake. He fumes at Viktor for taunting Liesel and dives into the river to bring her book back to her. His moralist attitude raises her spirits but later he loses heart and becomes disillusioned.
• Rosa Hubermann: Rosa stays stable and mentally balanced where the situation is ripe to make people insane. She earns a little money yet she does not refuse Liesel to take her under her wings. She, though, commits profanity due to loss of control during hours of anger later.
• Isla Hermann: Ilsa Hermann is a minor character and the mayor’s wife who extends refuge to the main character, Liesel. She proves a genuine benefactor as she provides her books and causes an interest in her to study and write.
• Werner Meminger: Liesel’s young brother, Werner sets the tone of the novel through his death when he breathes his last in the beginning, causing nightmares to Liesel. He helps Liesel to express empathy towards others.
• Paula Meminger: As a mother of Liesel, Paula becomes a significant character because she hands her over to the Hubermanns. As a Jewish lady, she meets her fate in some concentration camp.

Writing Style of The Book Thief

Written in an entirely unusual style , The Book Thief starts with Death as its first-person narrator but sometimes he turns to be an omniscient narrator. This use of Death as a narrator is highly unusual in the fictional world. Despite this, the narrator or Death does not have any impact on the plot , or the setting of the novel. This writing style has given Zusak some room to view his characters from multidimensional angles. Therefore, when Death is the narrator of the events, there are chunks of information with quotable sentences that are highly seductive in their tone and meanings. However, when the narrator shifts, the language, tone, and mood , too, shift with it.

Analysis of Literary Devices in The Book Thief  

• Action: The main action of the novel comprises Liesel’s life when she is left alone and the Hubermanns provide her love and care. The rising action occurs when her brother breathes his last on the way in the beginning and the falling action occurs when she reaches Australia and starts leading a successful life.
• Anaphora : The Book Thief shows the use of anaphora as given in the below example, Please, be calm, despite that previous threat. I am all bluster I am not violent. I am not malicious. I am a result. (Beside the Railway Line) The sentence shows the repetitious use of “I am.”
• Antagonist : Similar to most novels set during the Second World War both fact or fiction , The Book Thief also shows Hitler as the main antagonist causing troubles for Liesel, Rudy, and Max through the antisemitism and Nazi party.
• Allusion : There are various examples of allusions in the novel; a few examples are given below, i. Rudy Steinerthe boy next door who was obsessed with the black American athlete Jesse Owens. (The Kiss) ii. On the whole, it was a street filled with relatively poor people, despite the apparent rise of Germany’s economy under Hitler. Poor sides of town still existed. (The Kiss) iii. The other was still holding Mein Kampf. The first example alludes to Jesse Oven, an American runner, the second to Germany and Hitler, and the third to Hitler’s autobiography.
• Conflict : The are two types of conflicts in the novel, The Book Thief. The first one is the external conflict that is going on between the Jews and the Nazis. Another conflict is in the mind of Liesel about her consciousness as a Jewish girl and her behavior with the Hubermanns.
• Characters: The Book Thief presents both static as well as dynamic characters. The young girl, Liesel, is a dynamic character as she goes through a transformation during her growth. However, the rest of the characters do not see any change in their behavior, as they are static characters such as Rudy, Max, and her father and mother.
• Climax : The climax takes place when Himmel Street faces the worst bombardment.
• Foreshadowing : The novel shows the following examples of foreshadowing , i. First the colors. Then the humans. That’s usually how I see things. Or at least, how I try. (Death and Chocolate) ii. The question is, what color will everything be at that moment when I come for you? What will the sky be saying? (Here is a Small Fact) iii. If the summer of 1941 was walling up around the likes of Rudy and Liesel, it was writing and painting itself into the life of Max Vandenburg. (Sketches) These quotes from The Book Thief foreshadow the coming events.
• Hyperbole : Hyperbole or exaggeration occurs in the novel at various places. A few examples are given below, i. Within a second, snow was carved into her skin. (An Observation) ii. Curtains of rain were drawn around the car. (A Translation). Both of these examples exaggerate things as snow cannot carve into the skin, nor the rain can become curtains.
• Imagery : Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, i. The second eye jumped awake and she caught me out, no doubt about it. It was exactly when I knelt down and extracted his soul, holding it limply in my swollen arms. (How It Happened) ii. It was a place nobody wanted to stay and look at, but almost everyone did. Shaped like a long, broken arm, the road contained several houses with lacerated windows and bruised walls. The Star of David was painted on their doors. Those houses were almost like lepers. At the very least, they were infected sores on the injured German terrain. (The Last Stop) The book was released gloriously from his hand. It opened and flapped, the pages rattling as it covered ground in the air. More abruptly than expected, it stopped and appeared to be sucked toward the water. It clapped when it hit the surface and began to float downstream. (The Floating Book Part-II). These three examples from the novel show the images of sound, color, and sight.
• Metaphor : The Book Thief shows good use of various metaphors ; a few examples are given below, i. When he turned the light on in the small, callous washroom that night, Liesel observed the strangeness of her foster fathers eyes. They were made of kindness, and silver. Like soft silver, melting. Liesel, upon seeing those eyes, understood that Hans Hubermann was worth a lot. (Some Facts About Hans Hubermann) ii. For me, the sky was the color of Jews. (Birthday Diary) iii. A hand was shoved gently at Liesels shoulder as she slept. (The Sound of Sirens). iv. They originally thought the words had come from behind the door sheets and paint cans. (Duden Dictionary Meaning #3) These examples show that several things have been compared directly in the novel such as the first example shows eyes compared to something that is silver, the second shows the Jews like stars, the third shows the hand as an individual, and the fourth shows words like water.
• Mood : The novel shows various moods in the beginning but it turns out mostly somber and tragic.
• Motif : Most important motifs of the novel are reading, books, darkness , light and rain.
• Narrator : The novel is narrated by Death, in the first-person point of view as well as the third person, and other characters.
• Personification : The novel shows examples of personifications as given in the below examples, i. She attempted to explain. I when . . . It was sitting in the snow, and The soft-spoken words fell off the side of the bed, emptying to the floor like powder. (A 2 A. M. Conversation) ii. That was when the word struck her face like a slap. A reflex grin. SAUMENSCH! she shouted, and Papa roared with laughter, then quieted. (A 2 A. M. Conversation) iii. In the times ahead, that story would arrive at 33 Himmel Street in the early hours of morning, wearing ruffled shoulders and a shivering jacket. It would carry a suitcase, a book, and two questions. A story. Story after story. Story within Story (Papas Face). These examples show as if the words and the stories have a life of their own.
• Protagonist : Liesel is the protagonist of the novel. The novel starts with her entry into the world and moves forward as she enters her youth and becomes a lady.
• Rhetorical Questions : The novel shows a good use of rhetorical questions at several places. For example, i. She plonked her folder on the table in front of her and inspected Rudy with sighing disapproval. It was almost melancholic. Why, she lamented, did she have to put up with Rudy Steiner? He simply couldnt keep his mouth shut. Why, God, why?  (A Definition) ii. Exactly what kind of people Hans and Rosa Hubermann were was not the easiest problem to solve. Kind people? Ridiculously ignorant people? People of questionable sanity? (Liesels Lecture) iii. He explained World War I and Erik Vandenburg, and then the visit to the fallen soldiers wife. The boy who came into the room that day is the man upstairs. Verstehst? Understand? (Leisels Lecture) These examples show the use of rhetorical questions posed but different characters not to elicit answers but to stress upon the underlined idea.
• Setting : The setting of the novel is the fictional town of Molching with the realistic background.
• Simile : The novel shows good use of various similes as given in the below examples, i. This time, his voice was like a fist, freshly banged on the table.  (The Way Home) ii. They fought like champions. (A Short History of the Jewish Fist Fighter) iii. When Max heard the news, his body felt like it was being screwed up into a ball, like a page littered with mistakes. Like garbage. (A Short History of the Jewish Fist Fighter) These are similes as the use of the word “like” shows the comparison between different things.

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The Book Thief

By markus zusak, the book thief themes, words and propaganda.

Liesel learns throughout the course of the novel that words hold a remarkable power to compel people to commit acts of cruelty. At age 9, Liesel is illiterate, and the first book she learns to read is a manual about grave digging. Learning to read brings Liesel closer to the understanding that Hitler's propaganda is the root of his power and the reason why her mother, father, and brother are dead. Max, who understands well the effect Hitler's propaganda has had on his race, helps impart this lesson through his allegorical story "The Word Shaker." The story describes Hitler's use of oratory to brainwash Germany and compel German citizens to turn against the Jews; a young girl who understands the power of words is capable of defying the Fuhrer through words of compassion and love. Reading -- particularly reading Max's writings to her -- brings Liesel great joy throughout the novel, yet she despairs after seeing Max on his way to a concentration camp, and rips up a book, wondering what good words are. Ilsa gives Liesel a blank book and encourages her to write. Liesel ends up writing the story of her life, ending with the line, "I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right." This line conveys Liesel's realization of the manipulative power of words and indicates her attempt to master the art of writing for compassionate use, to make words "right."

Liesel's thievery is a form of defiance and self-actualization. By stealing a book from a book burning, she defies Nazi censorship 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. Ilsa realizes what Liesel has done and is amused by it; she "helps" Liesel steal from her library by leaving her window open and placing books in visible locations. Ilsa is an encouraging figure who desires to help Liesel continue to read, even if it must be on Liesel's terms. Rudy and others steal food because they are hungry, yet Rudy is unable to burglarize a wealthy home despite his anger over the Army having "stolen" his father.

Humanity and Dehumanization

The dehumanization of the Jews was an early stage of the Holocaust. Hitler vilified the Jews, progressively stripped them of their civil rights, and ultimately denied that they were even human -- thus were the Nazis able to try to exterminate the entire Jewish race. Max bitterly remarks that, as a Jew in Nazi Germany, a cold basement is the only place he deserves as he hides from persecution. In Max's fantasies of fighting Hitler, he imagines Hitler propagandizing against him, condemning Max personally as a villain and extreme threat to the German people. The pervasiveness of anti-Semitic Nazi propaganda and the fact that Max is reduced to hiding in his birth country weigh heavily on Max's conscious, and he appears to resign himself to the notion of his own inferiority. Death 's cynical narration echoes this sentiment. Max's self-deprecation is probably tied into his feelings of guilt over having left his family to save himself.

Of Hans giving an old Jew being sent to a concentration camp 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 struggles to understand humanity's capacity for both good and evil. Death is stunned both by the murderous Nazis and mankind's irrational taste for war and by the few human beings who exhibit remarkable compassion and strength, like Hans and Liesel. Wondering if the human race is worth anything, Death is torn by this opposition and cannot reconcile it: "I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race -- that rarely do I ever simply estimate it." Ultimately, Death tells Liesel in the last line of the novel, "I am haunted by humans." It is the capacity of human beings to make different moral choices and the apparent capriciousness of these decisions that haunts Death, which is only capable of a single action.

Hans Junior accuses his father Hans of being a coward for not supporting Hitler, yet in Nazi Germany, it would take much more bravery to defy Hitler and defend the Jews than it would to go along with Nazi ideology. 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. The punishment for being found with a hidden Jew was certain death. Before the war, Hans brought scrutiny upon him and ruined his business by painting over anti-Semitic slurs written on Jewish-owned houses and shops. When he sees Jews being marched through town on their way to a concentration camp, Hans gives an old Jew a piece of bread and is whipped by a soldier for doing so. After that incident, Hans anticipates the secret police taking him away; when he sees two Nazis wearing black trenchcoats on his street, Hans even runs out and tells them that it's him they want.

Hans regrets giving the Jew a piece of bread because of the potentially disastrous consequences of this deed, but Liesel, impressed by Hans' bravery, tries to reassure him. Liesel and Rudy also give bread to a group of Jews. Later, when Liesel sees Max among a group being sent to Dachau, she defies the Nazi soldiers by latching onto Max and is as well whipped for doing so. These small, individual acts of bravery and defiance in the face of popular Nazi fervor are mostly symbolic. Yet the failure of Germans who doubted Hitler's intentions or were horrified by the Nazis' inhumanity 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 publicly defy the Nazis after Hitler's rise would require bravery of suicidal proportions.

Abandonment and Survivor's Guilt

In the prologue, Death explains that it is not the dead, but the heartbroken survivors of the dead that it cannot stand to look at. Different characters treat abandonment and guilt in different ways. Michael Holtzapfel survives the Battle of Stalingrad, but is unable to stand his guilt over living when his brother Robert died and ultimately commits suicide. Ilsa Hermann becomes a quiet, sullen woman after her only son is killed in 1918, yet Liesel brings her happiness and she urges Liesel not to make the same mistake she did by suffering for the rest of her life.

In World War I, Hans' friend Erik Vandenberg saves Hans' life by volunteering him for a written assignment on the day everyone in the regiment is sent into battle. Erik dies, and Hans feels guilty over Erik's death because Erik had a young son: Hans transmutes this guilt into a promise to help Erik's widow and ultimately saves the life of Erik's son Max. Max too feels guilty over leaving his family to hide from the Nazis. For him, the price of living "guilt and shame."

Death describes Liesel as the "perpetual survivor": she loses her mother, brother, Hans, Rosa, and Rudy, among others. Liesel is traumatized over the death of her younger brother and the realization that her mother has been persecuted by the Nazis. Liesel initially feels abandoned because her mother gave her up for adoption; she later realizes that her mother did this out of love, to save her daughter's life. After seeing Max be sent to a concentration camp, Liesel is able to turn her despair into writing the story of her own life. At the end of the novel, Death remarks that Liesel has experienced both beauty and brutality, suggesting that Liesel was ultimately able to come to terms with the fact that the human condition necessarily involves both suffering and happiness after having experienced extreme versions of both.

Death observes colors as a distraction from the anguished survivors of the dead: "I do, however, try to enjoy every color I see--the whole spectrum... It takes the edge off the stress. It helps me relax." In its three encounters with Liesel, Death describes three colors: white, from the snow outside when Liesel's brother died; black, from the night sky when the American pilot crashed his plane; and red, from the sky during the firebombing that took the lives of everyone on Liesel's street. In the prologue, Death conflates these colors into the Nazi flag: a black swastika in a white circle surrounded by a field of red. Death's evasion of human misery draws it to a stark emblem of Nazism, the very cause of that misery within the story. Much like the German people who disagreed with Hitler's violent anti-Semitism, Death tries to look away from atrocities but can only arrive at the cause. Death also tells the reader that it observes "a multitude of shades of intonations," that "a single hour can consist of thousands of different colors." Death's willingness to observe different shades in the color spectrum indicates Death's fundamental indecision about whether the human race is totally good or totally evil, suggesting that in Death's analysis, human beings are at various times capable of being either good or bad.

Hans' Accordion

When Hans dies, Death remarks that Hans' soul is light, because most of it has been put out into other places, including "the breath of an accordion." Liesel writes that the accordion "breathes" when Hans plays and sometimes imagines Hans as an accordion: "When he looks at me and smiles and breathes, I hear the notes." Hans' accordion represents Hans' innate kindness and ability to bring joy to others. Hans does not play the accordion very well, but he does play in a lively manner that people enjoy listening to, and Hans is able to make money playing at a local tavern. When Hans defies the Nazis by painting the homes and businesses of Jews, he is saved from ostracism partly because people like his music. Hans' emotional state is at times expressed through his accordion; when he discovers that Max is in a concentration camp, Hans butchers every song when he tries to play. When Hans is forced to serve in the military, the accordion serves as a stand-in for him; his wife Rosa clings to the accordion at night while Hans is gone. Liesel takes the accordion to Hans' corpse and imagines him playing it; the damaged instrument is the only thing Liesel recovers from the Hubermanns' destroyed home.

The accordion itself was originally owned by Erik Vandenberg, who taught Hans to play when the two served together in World War I and saved Hans' life. After the war, Hans brought the accordion to Erik's widow, who told him to keep it.

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is a literary technique in which events that occur later in a story are hinted at in advance. The narrator Death reveals almost all of the crucial events of The Book Thief in advance, especially when certain characters die and under what circumstances. In the prologue, Death explains that the novel will include, among other things, "a girl" (Liesel), "an accordionist" (Hans), and "a Jewish fist fighter" (Max). Death also reveals here the bombing raid that takes place at the end of the novel as well as the death of an American fighter pilot; Death describes Liesel as a "perpetual survivor," indicating that she lives through the war while others around her die. The Book Thief contains a great deal of foreshadowing: hints and outright revelations about the characters' fates and the outcomes of various events can be found in every part. Zusak's use of this technique keeps the reader's focus on the actual processes by which the characters meet their ends and emphasizes the futility of the characters' individual actions in the face of an all-consuming war.

The Book Thief Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Book Thief is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

How do the parallels between Death the narrator and Hans in the army affect the nove;?

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Why does max leave the Hubermanns home?

Basically because he does not want to put Liesel or the Hubermanns at any more risk. Being found hidden in their basement would most certainly have grave consequences. Max also wants to actively fight the Nazis.

Characterize Rosa Hubermann. What kind of a character is she?

Rosa Hubermann

Hans' wife and Liesel's foster mother. A squat woman who makes some money doing laundry for wealthy neighbors, Rosa has a fiery attitude and frequently employs profanity, especially towards those whom she loves. Death describes Rosa...

Study Guide for The Book Thief

The Book Thief study guide contains a biography of Markus Zusak, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Book Thief
• The Book Thief Summary
• Character List

Essays for The Book Thief

The Book Thief essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

• Liesel's Emotional Journey Through the Book Thief
• Zusak's Death Breaks the Mould
• Guilt in The Book Thief
• The Toil of Good and Evil: Multi-Faceted Kindness in The Book Thief
• Stealing the Narrative: The Irony of Reading in The Book Thief

Lesson Plan for The Book Thief

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to The Book Thief
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• The Book Thief Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for The Book Thief

• Introduction