Introductory

Author: Markus Zusak

Published by: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Text Copyright ©2005

552 Pages

Book Trailer and Review

Synopsis: Amidst the reign of Hitler, Liesel Meminger's world changes as she is forced to leave her parents and live with another couple named the Hubermann's in Molching, Germany. When Liesel's brother Werner dies on the train on the way to her new parents, the train stops to bury his body. It is there that Liesel spots and steals her first book titled The Grave Digger's Handbook. Quickly, the gates of thievery are opened and Liesel continues to thieve books from various other sources, such as the mayor's library and during Nazi book-burnings. After settling into her new home and befriending the other neighborhood children, the Hubermann's are asked to hide a Jewish man in their basement and Liesel's world is turned upside down yet again as she is now forced to shroud herself in lies and secrecy in order to keep herself and her family safe.

Vocabulary

Conglomerate: “Names were called out to apartments from streets below, and soon, the whole conglomerate of Arthur Berg’s fruit-stealing troop was on its way to the Amper” (Page 163).
Definition: A widely diversified corporation
My Sentence: The smaller company found that they were forced to compete with the larger conglomerates.

Prolific: “That particular book was a little longer, so Liesel was able to get through it only nine times, her pace increasing ever so slightly by the end of such prolific readings” (Page 89).
Definition: Causing abundant growth, generation, or reproduction
My Sentence: After successfully completing three hours of studying, the girl came to realize that she was making prolific progress.

Innocuous: “If he had not despised him, he might not have taken his place a few weeks later on a fairly innocuous road” (Page 464).
Definition: Not harmful or injurious; harmless
My Sentence: The woman gave her daughter an innocuous remedy for her fever.

Euphoric: “Eleven-year-old relief was euphoric” (Page 132).
Definition: (Euphoria) A feeling of happiness, confidence, or well-being sometimes exaggerated in pathological states as mania
My Sentence: When she entered the gates to Disneyland, Angela felt euphoric.

Flippant: “If you were being flippant about it, you’d say that all it took was a little bit of fire, really, and and some human shouting to go with it” (Page 82).
Definition: Frivolously disrespectful, shallow, or lacking in seriousness; characterized by levity
My Sentence: The audience was shocked when they heard the speaker’s flippant comments about religion.

Deplorable: “He is performing now what is called a Schreierei – a consummate exhibition of passionate shouting – warning the crowd to be watchful, to be vigilant, to seek out and destroy the evil machinations plotting to infect the motherland with its deplorable ways” (Page 110).
Definition: Causing or being a subject for censure, reproach, or disapproval; wretched; very bad
My Sentence: The Wrightman’s claimed that their latest guest had deplorable manners.

Trepidation: “Trepidation found its way onto his face and he made a confession to the girl” (Page 334).
Definition: A nervous or fearful feeling of uncertain agitation
My Sentence: Sonya felt a wave of trepidation wash over her when she was about to enter her interview for her new job.

Accrued: “She would gather all of the accrued letters to her mother and stuff them into one envelope, and use just a tiny portion of the washing and ironing money to mail it” (Page 98).
Definition: To be added as a matter of periodic gain or advantage.
My Sentence: My mother carefully placed all of the accrued coupons into the kitchen drawer.

Ostracism: “It was the accordion that most likely spared him from total ostracism” (Page 183).
Definition: Exclusion by general consent from common privileges or social acceptance
My Sentence: She was appalled by their acts of ostracism towards their new classmate.

Genially: “It suffices to say that at some point in time, I will be standing over you, as genially as possible” (Page 4).
Definition: (Genial) Marked by or diffusing sympathy or friendliness
My Sentence: Her neighbor genially offered her an invitation to her garden party on Saturday.

Temerity: “Whether they watched this with pride, temerity, or shame nobody came forward to interrupt it” (Page 392).
Definition: A rash or reckless act
My Sentence: The boy was punished for his temerity when he shouted aloud during a sacred ceremony.

Tepid: “When he was in the pint-sized bath, Liesel listened at the washroom door, imagining the tepid water turning to steam as it warmed his iceberg body” (Page 214).
Definition: Lacking in passion, force, or zest
My Sentence: The teacher was unimpressed at the students’ tepid poetry.

Dais: “She imagined things like Rudy on a dais with three gold medals slung around his neck” (Page 444).
Definition: A raised platform (as in a hall or large room)
My Sentence: The pastor stood on a dais while reciting the daily sermons.

Microcosm: “It was a nice microcosm” (Page 274).
Definition: A little world; especially: the human race or human nature seen as an epitome of the world or the universe
My Sentence: The little village was a microcosm of the whole country.

Benign: “She made another benign visit to the mayor’s house” (Page 133).
Definition: Having no significant effect
My Sentence: The Werthermann’s breathed a sigh of relief when they realized that their dog’s brain tumor was benign.

The Colors

            In the very beginning of the novel, Death mentions that he tries to see the colors of the sky as a distraction from the anguished survivors left among the dead. Although a dark chocolate sky is his color of preference, Death does “…try to enjoy every color [he] sees – the whole spectrum…. It takes the edge off the stress. It helps [him] relax” (Page 4). In his three encounters throughout Liesel Meminger’s life described in the prologue, Death sees three colors: red during the firebombing that took place on Himmel Street, black from the night sky when Death collected the American pilot who crashed his plane, and white from the falling snow when Liesel’s brother died. In the prologue, Death discusses that these three colors remind him of the Nazi flag: a black swastika surrounded by a red circle on a white background. Death’s avoidance of misery by observing the colors, rather than the devastated survivors, draws the reader’s mind back to the emblem of Nazism, the main cause of misery throughout the entirety of the story. Much like some of the German people who disagreed with Hitler’s anti-Semitist acts, Death tries to look away from such barbaric behavior but can only arrive at this cause: the tyrannical reign of Hitler. Death’s willingness to try to enjoy every color represents Death’s indecision about whether the human race is completely good or evil.

            This quote is significant to the novel because its underlying meaning expresses Death’s views on the human race: that humans are capable of being good and evil. This quote is significant to me because it has shown me a truth about humanity that, depending on the circumstances, humans’ caring qualities have a chance to shine or vanish.

            This quote can be connected through today’s society through an example of a person who wishes to give money to a charitable organization that supports orphans, easily demonstrating the kindheartedness of humans. However, what if the organization were to keep some of this money for their own personal gain and only send a small portion of it towards the sponsored orphanages? This shows that some humans are also capable of being greedy and selfish; therefore representing that there is kindness and evil in human hearts.

Hans vs. Rosa

            While reading the beginning chapters of The Book Thief, I noticed that there were some very definite differences between Liesel’s foster parents Rosa and Hans Hubermann. In my opinion, I believe that they are so different that they act as foil characters to each other.

            For example, Rosa Hubermann is described as being a woman who “looked like a small wardrobe with a coat thrown over it. There was a distinct waddle to her walk  Almost cute if it wasn’t for her face, which was like creased-up cardboard and annoyed, as if she was merely tolerating [the situation]” (Page 27). She is also aggressive and has a much brusquer manner in the way she acts. This is shown when Rosa forces a screaming and crying Liesel to bathe, roughly pushing her into the tub and fiercly scrubbing her from head to toe. It is in this fashion that I was extremely taken aback by surprise by the irony in her role since mothers usually play the patient and caring guardians. However, this is not the case with Rosa. She rules the house with an “iron fist” and is known on Himmel Street as the lady with the nastiest mouth, constantly uttering profanities and offensive phrases at anyone that dares to get in her way. She also never hesitates to beat Liesel with whatever object lies nearest to her person whenever her foster daughter exhibits behavior which she deems inappropriate. Finally, in the Hubermann household, Rosa is in charge of the more domestic tasks such as washing, ironing, cooking and watching Liesel. I think that Rosa’s character represents the hard-working side of a person.

Hans Hubermann’s character, on the other hand, has a much more gentler disposition. When Liesel first sees him from inside a car, she sees “a very tall man [come] out…. [He] walked straight, with a cigarette smoldering in between his fingers” (page 27). He also has eyes described as being silvery and filled with kindness and is much calmer and quieter. In fact it is he who manages to coax Liesel to release her grip on their iron gate and car door when she refuses to enter her new home. He is patient and caring and is the one who teaches Liesel how to read and write and comforts his foster daughter when she awakes crying from frequent nightmares. Hans contributes to the family’s income by completing more of the manual labor tasks such as painting houses and moving boxes. I think that Hans’ character represents the pleasant or carefree side of a person as he is gentle and kind and likes to enjoy himself by playing the accordion and rolling his own cigarettes to smoke.

            However, despite their differences, Hans and Rosa do have some similarities. For example, although both parents show their affection in different ways, both love Liesel with all their hearts and go out of their way to make her happy. Evidence of this is when Rosa sacrifices what little money she makes from her washing and ironing job to buy Liesel two books for her birthday, despite the family having to deal with money troubles. Hans also shows his love for Liesel by teaching her the art of literacy even though he is tired everyday from his job. Together, they are also compassionate to those of Jewish descent and both Hans, and surprisingly Rosa who dislikes change and is never known to have a kind side, agree to hide Max in their basement. Although both of them have dropped out of school at a young age, Hans in grade four and Rosa in grade three, both appear to be very knowledgeable and educated.       

This quote is significant to me because it demonstrates that although two people can be very different, they are still capable of feeling intense love for one another and can share some similarities although they might not be too obvious. This quote is significant to the novel because it shows that Rosa and Hans are foil characters for one another early on in the story and adds a sense of humorous irony to the plot.

            I can connect this situation to the world through the fact that Hans and Rosa are able to put aside their differences in order to save Max from Jewish persecutors. If everyone would be able to put aside their differences, like the Hubermann’s, for a common cause, the world would be a much better place.

Rudy Steiner

            To me, the character who has stood out the most in the novel so far is Rudy Steiner. From the beginning of the story, Rudy has always interested me. He plays the role as Liesel Meminger’s best friend and catalyst and crime. He steals fruit from local neighbors’ orchards, pokes fun at the various townspeople and regularly participates in games of street soccer with the rest of the neighborhood kids. He also appears to be in love with Liesel, frequently, and often foolishly, professing his love and asking her for a kiss. As one of five Steiner children, Rudy is permanently hungry and often takes care of his younger siblings. He has especially earned his neighborhood infamy by taking part in the Jesse Owens Incident, an occurrence in which Rudy painted himself black from head to toe with ash and ran the 100 Meter Dash during the middle of the night at the Hubert Oval, Himmel Street’s local running track.

 However, despite his oddities and the multiple scandals that usually lay in the wake of his path, Rudy’s amusing and playful personality traits can be summarized skillfully with one quote which took place when one of Liesel’s precious books had been tossed into a river. In an act that displays Rudy’s heroic attitude he “…jumped in, caught up to it, and held it in his right hand. He grinned. He stood waist deep in the icy, Decemberish water. “How about a kiss Saumensch?” he said" (Page 241). In this quote, Rudy demonstrates his multi-dimensioned disposition. He shows that he is impulsive, brave and caring enough to jump into a river in the middle of December and risk catching hypothermia, all in favor of saving his best friend’s book. In this sense, he is also eager to please as well as show Liesel that he is gallant and gentlemanly. Rudy exhibits his teasing and playful side when he asks his best friend to kiss him as a reward for rescuing her beloved novel all while insulting her with a German curse word in the same sentence. Finally, Rudy can be seen as persistent and determined, simply because, despite Liesel’s constant rebuffs, continues to ask her for a show of her affection throughout the entirety of the novel.

            This quote is important to me because it reminds me of my undying adoration for Rudy’s character. It also reminds me of my many childhood days spent in elementary school and how people are still capable of carrying out such impetuous acts in those past years up until present time. It is important to the novel because it captures all of Rudy’s characteristic traits in one simple sentence and briefly describes the nature of Liesel and Rudy’s relationship.

            I can connect this quote to myself through my memories of the stupidity of youth. I think the one fond scene that managed to ingrain itself into my mind is the one of me and my friends pretending to be “kings of the playground” while perched precariously on a thin metal rail positioned at the highest point of the jungle gym. Of course we all knew about the consequences, but we figured that we would continue our charade for just a little while longer. It was only until another one of my friends pretended to push us off that we all flinched backwards and fell. I remember that I ended up catching myself with my hands planted on the rocks that lay on the ground, only to be carted off to the doctor’s office to get three stubborn ones that managed to lodge themselves into my palm removed. It is through memories like these that remind me just how reckless and unintelligent children, such as Rudy, can be!

Words are Powerful

            Once Liesel has mastered the skill of reading, she comes to the realization that words are capable of being weapons that can lead people to commit acts of cruelty. She also begins to understand that Hitler’s propaganda is the root of his power and that his oratory manipulation is one of the reasons why her mother, brother and father have died. Max, who has understood this lesson for the majority of his life, helps teach it to Liesel by writing a story which parallels the world in which the Hubermann’s live in. Although Max claims that the story is slightly childish for a girl Liesel’s age, it still tells a valuable message to both her and the reader. In Max’s story titled The Word Shaker, Max writes about how Hitler uses the power of words to brainwash Germany to turn against the Jewish people, however a young girl who truly understands the meaning of words defies him through words of love and compassion. Later, when Liesel is given a book by a lady named Ilsa Hermann, the mayor’s wife, she shows her understanding of this lesson by writing her own story, ending it with the line “I have hated the words, and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right” (Page 528). This quote shows that Liesel has grasped the concept of the impact of the power of words and shows that she wishes to use her words for compassionate reasons, rather than harmful ones, so that she can make the words “right.”

            This quote is important to the story because it confirms Liesel’s positive stance on the impact of words and reveals that she wants to use them for good, rather than for evil reasons. This quote is important to me because it tells me that there is a good way to say things, and a bad way. It teaches me that one should choose what we say carefully because if you change the words, you are capable of changing the world and how others view it.

            This quote is connected to today’s society because today, people do not understand how meaningful or hurtful words can be. For example, I’ve heard people time and time again tell me that “hate” is such a terribly strong word and that I shouldn’t use it. However, if the word “hate” is such a meaningful word, why do humans toss the word “love” around like its nothing? To me, both are meaningful words and I only use the words “hate” and “love” with the utmost care. Some people’s attitudes towards specific words today reflect how ignorant and hypocritical people can be.

Things are Not What They Seem

After almost completing the novel, I noticed that there was one particular theme that managed to escape me before. This is the lesson that nothing is as it seems. The most potent example of this theme can be seen by Zusak’s portrayal of Death the narrator. Instead of being a heartless and cruel creature or event, Death is seen as compassionate and caring. Death demonstrates this time and time again, although his kindness is seen most effectively when Death carries Rudy’s soul past Himmel Street after he was killed during a bombing raid. Death “… carried [Rudy] softly through the broken street...With him [he] tried a little harder [at comforting]. [He] watched the contents of [Rudy’s] soul for a moment and saw a black-painted boy calling the name Jesse Owens as he ran through an imaginary tape. [He] saw him hip-deep in some icy water, chasing a book, and [he] saw a boy lying in bed, imagining how a kiss would taste from his glorious next-door neighbor. [Rudy] does something to [Death], that boy. Every time. It's [Rudy’s] only detriment. He steps on [his] heart. He makes [him] cry” (page 531). This quote demonstrates that Death truly cares about every being which he ferries into the next world. He is not focused on just getting his job done and over with, as he takes the time to comfort Rudy and watch the events of his life, resulting in Death experiencing “human” emotions by making the narrator feel sympathy and sorrow for Rudy’s lost soul.

As well as Death being seen as a surprisingly empathetic being, Hans Hubermann’s actions convey that not every German living within Germany at the time of Hitler’s reign believed in Hitler’s ideals, thus emphasizing yet again the idea that nothing is as it seems This point is conveyed when Hans convinces his wife to hide a Jewish man named Max in their basement, an action so consequential and dangerous that if Max was ever discovered, the Hubermann’s including Max would be killed. By doing this, Hans resists Hitler’s decree that all Jewish people should be persecuted and tortured because, instead of giving Max to the Nazi Party, Hans chooses to save and protect a Jewish person himself. Another action which shows resistance against Nazi tyranny is the fact that Hans refuses to join the Nazi Party and continues to service Jewish customers. Both of these actions are shunned upon heavily by the Party and the townspeople, simply because all citizens are expected to be members of the Party and those who support Hitler should not be servicing Jewish customers because they are seen as “filth.” Even though these actions make him lose business and slip into the depths of poverty as well as making him a victim to constant antagonization and alienation at the hands of Molching’s townspeople, Hans firmly reinforces his beliefs and refuses to bend to Hitler’s will and conform to society’s expectations.

These two examples are important to the novel because they help convey the fact that one cannot cast judgments based on exterior qualities. These examples are also especially significant to me, simply because it forced me to think outside of my metaphorical box while reading the novel and also helped me examine the depth of the nature of people living in Nazi Germany.

I can connec tthis theme to me through my experience of eating oranges. While eating fruit for an afterschool snack, I avoided the oranges that were slightly bruised, misshapen and a little softer than the rest; however the firmer, brighter and more orb shaped oranges which I chose to eat were found to be incredibly sour and full of small seeds. After the disappointment about realizing how terrible they tasted, I decided to choose the less eye-appealing oranges only to discover that they definitely tasted better than the ones that I had eaten before. The next time I ate oranges for a snack, I had learned my lesson: exterior appearances can be deceiving.

An Appealing Quote....

            While reading the Book Thief I encountered a quote that amused me but also puzzled me for hours. At the end of the novel, Death urges the reader to note that “[he] is haunted by humans” (Page 550). After being stumped for hours about the meaning of this phrase, I think I’ve finally come to understand what Death was trying to tell the reader.

            Death puts an ironic twist on the fact that most humans feel that they are haunted by death by claiming that he is haunted by humans. In other words, Death is surprised by the beauty and brutality in human nature and finds himself unable to fathom the vast range of human emotions. He is shocked by the kindness of people like Hans Hubermann to the vicious nature of a person like Hitler. Death finds himself troubled with the violent nature of humans towards their fellow man.

            The line in this novel appealed to me and is significant in my eyes because of its amusing irony and the fact that it has such a complex and impactful meaning for such a simple phrase. It also had a lingering effect on me as the reader and made me feel like I would be “haunted” by the characters in this book meaning that, just like death, I will remember the characters in The Book Thief for the rest of my life. This line is significant to the novel because Death reveals a truth that he cannot tell anyone else: that, like humans, Death also has fears.

            In today’s society, people, just like Death, may be haunted by something by being so afraid that they may let their imagination and their paranoia run wild, imagining that their worst fear could be lurking around every corner. I’ve seen people’s fear in their eyes while rapidly glancing side to side on a sidewalk or when people are peering behind every door in their house. To me, I think that this behavior is normal to an extent since everyone at some point in their lives exhibits their fears. In fact, if someone truly was fearless and was afraid of nothing, I would worry more about them rather than the person who was scared of anything that moves!