...In The Book Thief, Markus Zusak creates the character Hans Hubermann, who adds to Death’s conflict. Hans adds to Death’s conflict and add to the story in that he is kind, good, and loving, with those warm, silver eyes, his strength and purity of character, and his love for his friends and family. He lives in a world full of Nazis, hatred, and cruelty, and this adds to the contrast. Because he is so kind and loving, he shows Death that while humans are capable of great cruelty and hatred, that they can still be wonderful and good. The reader can see examples of Hans’s character, love, and purity of soul throughout the story. Hans is an amazing person. Hans’s silver eyes and pure soul show one how special he is, if one has not recognized it in his actions. When Liesel first meets Hans, she sees his warm silver eyes and knows he is special. They say that eyes are the windows to the soul, and his eyes showed his true nature, his strong character and pure soul. In another scene, when Death comes to collect Hans’s soul, he says that his soul was sitting up, the best kind of soul. Hans was ready to go, because he had had such a...
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...The character Hans Hubermann from The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and the lyrics of “Everywhere You Look” sang by Wakefield, both displays that kindness can always be found, even in the worst of times. The Book Thief takes place in Nazi Germany, the era of torment and discrimination of Jews. It was a time “with clouds as mean as you’ve ever seen” (Wakefield). The sky was the color of death, as so many Jews were being killed and burned. The period was dominated by a population of people who had an animosity for Jews. Han Hubermann is a caring man, who in desperate times, isn’t persuaded to follow the Nazi ideals. In a society of prejudice, Hans is known as “the Jew painter...for painting Jewish houses” (Zusak 104). People who are kind towards...
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...The novel The Book Thief is based on the life of Liesel Meminger, a nine year old girl, who lives in Nazi Germany during World War II. In the story, Death narrates the experiences of Liesel’s life. These experiences brought both magnificence and devastation that effected many lives that were in this era. After Liesel’s brother's death, she arrives in an upset state at the home of her new foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. While Liesel was there she saw many terrible things that the Nazi ruling has brought to Germany. As she sees these horrific things going on in Germany she struggles to find a way to defend her guilt in the disturbing surroundings. While the political situation in Germany gets worse Liesel’s foster parents decide to hide a man named max who is a Jew. While Max remains in the house it makes it dangerous for Liesel and her parents to stay in the home. Liesel’s foster dad, Hans, who has a close bond with Liesel, teaches her to read in...
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...novel and the film The Book Thief. She uses words to develop relationships with her foster father, Hans Hubermann; Max Vandenburg, the illicit Jew in her basement; and her neighbours. In the novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak there is much more relationship development compared to the film The Book Thief directed by Brian Percival. This consequently causes the theme of the power of words to be less prominent in the film. The novel The Book Thief develops the relationship between Liesel Meminger and her neighbours more than the film The Book Thief therefore minimizing the theme. First, Liesel and Rudy become best friends, “Insane or not, Rudy was always destined to be Liesel’s best friend.” (Zusak 48). Rudy introduced himself to Liesel as soon as she moved in, he developed a liking for her and they soon become best friends. Rudy used his charming, and sometimes insulting, words to win over Liesel. This develops the theme because it shows that even if one does not want to like someone, their words can change them into a likable person. Second, Liesel and Frau Hermann develop a relationship, “When she came and stood with an impossibly frail steadfastness, she was holding a tower of books against her stomach, from her navel to the beginning of her breasts. She looked so vulnerable in the monstrous doorway. Long, light eyelashes and just the slightest tinge of expression. A suggestion.” (Zusak 133). Frau Hermann, the mayor’s wife, had seen Liesel steal a book after a large burning...
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...real life or in a fictional book, all people have their own feelings, personalities or emotions. All characters from The Book Thief are believable because they all have emotions and that is why they should be considered as believable characters because emotions and feelings are what make those characters realistic. For example, Max Vandenburg, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, are believable from The Book Thief. Max with his anger and Hans and Rosa’s love toward their family are what make them especially believable. First of all, Max Vandenburg is a Jewish fist-fighter who hides in the Hubermann’s house because of what Hans owe from his father. “You find a small black room, in sits a scum. He is starving. He is afraid.” (Page 138) This part of the book explained how before Max moved into the Hubermann’s house, he used to hide in a small room waiting for his friend. It definitely showed how lonely Max was while hiding and waiting. This loneliness is a very realistic human feeling that makes Max a believable character. “In the blue corner, we have the champion of the world, The Fubhrer… and in the red corner, we have the Jewish, rat-faced challenger –Max Vandenburg.” (Page 251) Loneliness is not the only feeling Max has in the story but also the anger towards Hitler. As a Jewish who was constantly being hunted for at that time, he had furious feelings toward Hitler, the Nazi leader, which made him fantasize about being in a fight with him. Next, Hans Hubermann is Liesel’s foster father...
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...True Nature of Courage In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, there are several important themes that are analyzed throughout the story. The themes had a tremendous impact and were well demonstrated by the most important characters. The true nature of courage is one of the most important ones because between all the characters, each one had their moments in the book where they showed acts of kindness. There will be quite a few examples on the occasions during the book where courage is shown. The character in The Book Thief that expressed the most courage was Hans. Hans Hubermann was Liesel’s father and was married to Rosa Hubermann. Hans was a German who believed on everyone staying safe and being treated equally. There were numerous occasions...
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...novel The Book Thief illustrate differents aspect of the power of words during World War II. Although the power of words can affect human being negatively, it can also build a sense safety,kindness and empower them. On one hand, Adolph Hitler used words to control people. On the other hand, Hubermanns family utilised their words to safely hide and care for a jew in their basement. Meanwhile Lisel utilized it to be empower. Words can be spoken and unspoken. It is used throughout the day and depending on the person that used it , it can impact negatively. During his leadership in Germany, Adolph Hitler...
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...War. In The Book Thief The main character Liesel Meminger is surrounded by war, in the beginning she is only partly affected by it. although as the book and movie progresses it affects her more and more until her her whole world; friends, enemies, family, are engulfed in war. Liesel Meminger is is nine when she is grudgingly given to her foster parents Rosa and Hans Hubermann. Rosa is a fifty some year old who washes and irons clothes for the wealthy men and women of Munich, Germany. Hans Hubermann is a kind spirited man who fought in the first world war, and was only saved because of an accordion playing Jew. This is one of the first points that death narrated in the book that was not in the movie. In the book Death regales upon a time...
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...The Book Thief Summary How It All Goes Down The Book Thief is narrated by Death, who tells us the story of Liesel Meminger. It's January 1939, and Liesel, who is about ten-years-old, is traveling by train with her mother and her little brother Werner. Liesel and Werner are being taken to the small town of Molching, just outside of Munich, Germany, to live with foster parents Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Werner dies on the train of mysterious causes having to do with poverty, hunger, cold, and lack of medical treatment. Before Liesel arrives in Molching, she attends her brother's burial in a snowy graveyard. She steals The Grave Digger's Handbook from the cemetery after it falls from a young grave digger's coat. The kicker is, Liesel can't read. Liesel is reluctant to enter the Hubermann house on Himmel Street, but is coaxed by her foster father, Hans, to whom she takes an immediate liking. She's not sure about Rosa, though. Liesel begins school, but suffers because she doesn't know how to read yet. She also meets Rudy Steiner, who is soon to be her best friend, not to mention her partner in book and food thievery. One night, Hans finds The Grave Digger's Handbook hidden in Liesel's mattress after her usual nightmare of seeing her brother dying on the train. This is what inspires him to begin teaching her to read. When Liesel learns to write, she begins composing letters to her mother, but these letters go unanswered. Finally, we find out that her mother has disappeared. ...
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...Chapter One - How Liesel’s Maturity is Affected by the Setting “War will change people!” -Aaron Starmer. In Markus Zusak’s, The Book Thief, the protagonist, Liesel Meminger is living in the time of World War II. She doesn’t act like a child, she is mature and sophisticated. In The Book Thief, the setting influences the maturity of the main character, Liesel Meminger. The Book Thief is set in the time of The Holocaust in Germany. Liesel’s Dad is not a Nazi. In that time, if a male figure of a family wasn’t part of the Nazis then that family didn’t have extra privileges and would most likely have issues with money. This is what happens to Liesel’s family. Because of this, Liesel must do everything she can to help her family. Liesel helps her...
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...In source # 1, 'The Book Thief', One example of rebellion against societal expectations is when the main character, Liesel Meminger, begins to smuggle books. She finds a fascination with learning how to read and write after finding the "Gravedigger's Handbook" during her brother's funeral. Once she finds out that using books can help with her learning and understanding, there's no turning back for her. The only problem is that it's almost close to impossible to get her new books. With the times being rough and the constant conflict in the outside world (WWII and Hitler's Reign), everything's preventing her from this goal. She entrusts in her foster father, Hans Hubermann, when he begins helping her with her studies at night, and even more when...
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...Throughout the prologue, part one, and part two of The Book Thief the author, Markus Zusak, developed/ utilized the use of colors. In the Prologue, the ‘story teller’ a.k.a Death tells of his small theory. The theory begins by claiming that “people observe the colors of a day only as it beginning and ends, but it is quite clear that a day merges through a multitude of shades and intonations, with each passing moment” (Zusak 4). The beginning of the theory helps support the use of colors by creating a image in the reader’s mind of the sun rising and setting. It also shows how in depth of how Death views the world around him, he almost seems to study the sky with every passing moment-- including when he is collecting souls. When Liesel’s...
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...The Book Thief Have you ever been afraid to fall, be left alone, or wish you hadn’t done something? How did you overcome it? In Germany, during World War II, there was nothing but fear. Fear from the Jews, fear from the Germans, and fear even from the Nazi’s. Throughout the story we explore the characters fears, loneliness and regrets through the important themes of courage, abandonment, and guilt. Courage was an important factor throughout the book and many of the characters had it. Due to the character’s courage they all come a little closer and tended to trust each other more. Max Vanderburg is a great example because he is Jewish and represents all the Jews in Germany. Being a Jew made you automatically be courageous and if you weren’t, then all hope was lost. You couldn’t show...
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...In the novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak narrated by death. The novel is based on a nine year old german girl named Liesel Meminger. Shortly Before World War 1 Liesel’s birth mother gave her up to a German couple Hans and Rosa Hubermann in the small town of Molching in 1939. On the way to Molching Liesel experiences the death of her younger brother Werner which leads her to be traumatized and she also experiences nightmares about Werner for months. Hans helped Liesel grief her brother's death, he taught her how to read starting with a book she took from the cemetery where her brother was buried in. Liesel becomes friends with a boy in the neighborhood named Rudy Steiner, who later falls in love with her. During one of the book burnings Liesel realizes that her father was persecuted for being a communist and that her mother could have also been killed by the Nazis for the same reason....
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...death and burial of her younger brother on the way to her new foster family, The Hubermanns. During the burial Liesl picks up an object she finds in the snow "The Gravediggers Handbook" which sets up her love of books, even if she has to steal them. Her foster father, the kind accordion-playing Hans Hubermann, teaches her how to read, and together the two of them pass many hours reading the pages of the gravedigger's handbook. Later, when the family takes in a Jewish man, Max Vanderburg, and hides him away, Leisel shares her love of words with him, too. Desperate for new reading material, Liesel, with the occasional help of her friend Rudy, steals books from a Nazi book-burning pile, that the wife of the mayor just so happens to see. The Mayors wife, with a shared love of reading, introduces Liesel to her amazing private library that Liesel will soon, frequently sneak into and take from. All seems well, but when the Allied bombs begin to fall on their street, things get even worse and death begins to close in on Liesel, her family and her friends. The Book Thief is a very memorable story. The narrative voice is the unique voice of Death. The characters are great, capture your attention and make you fall in love. The Book Thief is a deeply touching and moving story. The ending is a heart wrenching turn of events that makes you want to reach for the box of tissues nearest to you. I LOVED this book and strongly suggest for others to...
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