What role do books play for liesel, hans, max, and in the novel as a whole? in a time when literature came under suspicion if it was not supportive of the nazi regime, books are a form of protest and escape for the characters. For liesel, books are a refuge from her harsh and often chaotic environment as well as a means of empowerment, of transforming her situation of helplessness into one of strength, where she is able to help others. Books are instrumental to her bonds with max and hans, both of whom win her trust through the act of reading and being read to.

The power of the ideas contained in books can incite crowds to violence, and can make ordinary people commit horrible acts. Towards the end of the novel, the knowledge of the potential evil in literature makes liesel destroy a book. What is the effect of having the book be narrated by death? how would it be different if it were narrated by liesel, hans, or max? death, the narrator of the book, is nearly omniscient, which allows the scope of the story to move from the specific to the general. Like a camera zooming in for a close up, then pulling back for a wide angle shot, death moves from focusing on a tiny detail in the hubermanns rsquo basement to the overall action across the continent, and even the world. He is also able to move forward and backward in time, flashing back to hans rsquo s experiences in world war i, and forward to several years after world war ii.

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In this way, the reader is constantly reminded that the story is much bigger than just the experiences of one character, one family, or even one town. The narrator is able to make sweeping statements about human nature since he has such an all encompassing perspective. Were the book narrated by a single, human character like liesel, max, or hans, its perspective would be much more limited. There would be much the narrator wouldn rsquo t know about the larger context shaping his or her experience, and specific events, such as the parades of jews through town, would feel confusing to the narrator unless specifically explained.

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The narrator also would not understand other characters rsquo motivations, and would not be able to give the reader as much insight into how the neighborhood functioned as a whole. The book would read as one person rsquo s experience of a specific historical time period rather than a meditation on war and mortality in general. Why is it significant that max is jewish? readers of the book thief may be familiar with fictionalized and non fiction accounts of world war ii from the viewpoint of the allies or of european jews who were forced into hiding during the conflict. Because this novel is written from the point of view of the germans, readers may find themselves sympathizing with characters that were historically on the other side. Were there no jewish characters in the book, it might be tempting to believe that jews and germans suffered equally during the war. Max rsquo s presence serves to remind the reader of the vast difference between the jewish experience of the holocaust and the german experience of wartime privations. Whenever we find ourselves feeling sorry for liesel and her family, max rsquo s presence reminds us that others had it much, much worse.

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It expands the scope of the novel from one family rsquo s story to the story of millions who were forced into hiding and sent to concentration camps. The fact that max is jewish and develops a strong bond with liesel also underscores the shared humanity between all the characters in the book. Society, and how characters either conform to or rebel against societal expectations. How does the novel explore the idea of family? how is family defined at the beginning of the novel vs. Discuss the meaning of the book max writes for liesel, ldquo the word shaker, rdquo and if the story comes true. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of the book thief by markus zusak.

Gradesaver provides access to 678 study guide pdfs and quizzes, 3587 literature essays, 1196 sample college application essays, 118 lesson plans, and ad free surfing in this premium content, ldquo members only rdquo section of the site! membership includes a 10% discount on all editing orders. It’s just a small story really, about, among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical germans, a jewish fist fighter, and quite a lot of thievery zusak 5. Mark zusak, an australian author of german descent, first made a mark on the literary world in 2002 with his award winning children's bookв i am the messenger.в withв the book thiefв 2006 , his foray into what was marketed as a young adult novel earned him great success in sales it remained on american best seller lists for weeks but mixed reviews from critics. The novel's dark subject matter and intimidating length 550 pages ask a lot of young readers, but teenagers and adults alike have read and loved its endearing tale of a young girl trying to survive in a very adult world of war and chaos.

Already, book club editions are becoming more popular, and its introduction into the world of education is gainingв the book thief в more exposure and readers: it seems destined to become a widely read and discussed work. The choppy, often interrupted narrative is a challenging story line for most readers reviewers themselves struggled with the novel, calling it never an easy read, never a glide, awkward, troublesome, and marred by postmodern tricks. Liesel is a character hailed by critics as gutsy, plucky and smart, memorably strong, and dauntless, and she is surrounded by equally likable and dynamic characters. The strength of the appealing story carries readers through any hiccups in the format. Death, as the narrator, carries the very difficult task of relating the story as he goes about the grave work of being the grim reaper. Some critics describe it as stark, inconsistent, overly poetic, or too glib to treat the serious nature of war and its atrocities.

Most books tackling the subject of world war ii are very serious and aimed at adults this novel, while relating the tragedy and horrors of war, also manages to infuse the undercurrent of misery with moments of joy and happiness.в because of this, youth and adults will appreciateв the book thiefв and gain a greater understanding of an important time in history. Liesel, the orphaned protagonist of markus zusak's the book thief, steals a total of nine books throughout the novel: the first is the grave diggers handbook, stolen on january 13, 1939, the. I think one of the most important lessons, or the overall take home message of this novel is the power of words. This question seems to be an essay question that your teacher has asked you to respond to i can help to give you some ideas, and i hope that you can use them to spark your own opinions and. When we talk about take home messages as they pertain to literature, what we are talking about is themes of the novel.в this novel has several.

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Molching is a fictional place there is no molching, germany.в there is, however, a city called olching, which happened to also be next to the concentration camp of dachau perhaps that is what. By revealing how characters die early on, or the outcomes to certain events, does zusak make the novel less suspenseful or more? a proper response should cite specific examples of foreshadowing and make some explanation of why the technique is used. This could be death 39 s rationale: it 39 s the machinations that wheel us there that aggravate, perplex, interest, and astound me 243. An essay arguing that the novel is more suspenseful because of foreshadowing should involve death 39 s selective and incomplete revelation of facts and should compare instances of foreshadowing with the actual descriptions of the events being foreshadowed. why do max and liesel become friends? what do they have in common? initially max and liesel are apprehensive around each other, but they discover that they have something important in common: both have recurring nightmares involving the last time they saw their families alive. Both are political refugees evading nazi persecution: max is a jew, liesel 39 s parents were communists. Their similar backgrounds make max 39 s initial gift of the standover man important, as max ultimately helps liesel realize the power of words to delight and to harm others.

Is hans merely a fortunate man, or does he have other qualities that help him survive? the argument that hans is indeed lucky should be bolstered by references to other instances of luck or fate saving characters 39 lives: that the nazis fail to find max when inspecting the hubermanns 39 basement, that hans does not formally withdraw his application to join the nazi party and is thus spared from being sent to a concentration camp. His friend erik vandenberg saves him in world war i, while his willingness to give up his seat to an antagonistic young soldier saves him again in world war ii. evaluate the pros and cons of hans giving bread to an elderly jew condemned to a concentration camp. Were the consequences worth the benefits? hans 39 action results in him and the frail, moribund jew being whipped. Max is forced to leave because hans 39 basement is no longer safe for him, and hans is ultimately conscripted into a physically dangerous position in the military. Yet hans 39 public compassion towards the jew gives the man the feeling of humanity in a nation that has dehumanized him.

Hans also sets an example for other german citizens in the crowd, some of whom help him after he is attacked. why does rudy seem to love liesel immediately after they meet, and why does liesel not recognize that she loves him until years after? rudy is introduced as one of those audacious little bastards who actually fancied himself with the ladies, and he is an impetuous character. He has a strong sense of justice and compassion, and early on he decides to take care of liesel, an anxious new girl. Liesel is initially annoyed by rudy 39 s requests for a kiss, but her feelings towards him begin to change after rudy gallantly retrieves liesel 39 s book from the icy cold river. Liesel 39 s fixation on rudy 39 s physical exam is a rare moment of eroticization in the novel, one which might coincide with liesel reaching puberty. Two important scenes where liesel becomes nervous and desirous of rudy: when liesel gives rudy a navy blue suit from his father 39 s store, and when liesel tells rudy about max. when liesel reads aloud to the others in the bomb shelter for the first time, a voice inside her says, this is your accordion.

What does that mean? hans 39 puts his soul into his accordion playing, and the music he produces is joyful. More importantly, liesel learns towards the end of the novel the capacity for words to cause both pain and happiness. This scene is part of liesel 39 s realization that she, like max, can soothe others through words of friendship. the mayor 39 s wife ilsa hermann strives to help and encourage liesel throughout the novel, even after liesel verbally abuses her.