Resilient qualities in a personality exercises one's power on how they could control their outcome in dangerous situations. This quality is overwhelmingly evident in Marcus Zusaks The Book Thief. The main character Liesel Meminger and many others shows readers how a person can endure struggles with sustaining willpower. One by encountering death, two being the more willpower a person has the braver they become, and three, having the trait of courage. When a person observes/encounters death their willpower shows determination that helps them survive. The first glimpse we see of this is on page 21. On the train to Munich liesel's brother dies. His name is Werner. He later gets buried at a graveyard just by the train tracks. There was a little ceremony and Liesel and her mother carry on. One thing Liesel takes is the gravedigger's handbook. This is portraying to us on how she will eventually turn into a thief, hence “The Book Thief”. This quote is portrayed by death; “One eye open, one still in a dream. It would be better for a complete dream. I think, but i really have no control over that”. (5, 9) In this quote Liesel believes that the situation that had just occurred was a dream, but she knows that it is not. She learns to read the gravediggers book and it opens up the opportunity of books into her life. Another example of death is when Hans trades cigarettes for Mein Kampf. Hans’ history with Mein Kampf has been a wild one. On Hans’ way back from WWI he
Hope and courage are two feelings that are only powerful when used together. To be courageous and not hopeful is a suicide mission; on the other hand, having hope and no courage will never give one the urge to oppose the problem. In Markus Zusak’s novel The Book Thief, the whole story is the epitome of courage and hope. During the second world war, the young Liesel Meminger is adopted by the Hubermann family, Hans and Rosa Hubermann, who teach her the power of words, as well as the importance of kindness. Moreover, one of the themes of this novel is the creation of hope from courage, and it is shown through the author’s use of symbolism, allegory, as well as irony.
Hope is elusive and one needs courage to ensure it does not fly away. In The Book Thief, Markus Zusak develops the theme of courage and hope throughout the novel, showing people need both to survive. He portrays the theme effectively through the characterization of Liesel as well as the symbolism of Hans Hubermann’s accordion.
In The Book Thief, Zusak presents an example of somebody who was forced to be courageous is Max Vandenberg. Max Vandenberg is a runaway Jew in The Book Thief, who escapes German wrath, but ends up leaving his mother behind in the hands of Hitler’s men. He runs away from Stuttgart to Molching, to Hans Hubermann. Zusak uses the technique, metaphors, in the quote, “If they killed him tonight, at least he would die alive”. This quote creates the feelings of curiosity and sadness. The reader may be curious because they do not know much about Max
The Book Thief is set in the time of World War 2 where the Holocaust is present and disaster is everywhere. Throughout the story, Liesel, the main character, learns that words are extremely powerful and hold the ability for people to use them for good or for evil. Among the disaster and altercations, Liesel uses her literature to comfort her and make herself more powerful due to her knowledge, which demonstrates the theme of the story, the comfort and power of literature and words softens the pain of loss.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak narrated by death. It really shows the resilience of the human spirit by all people especially the people that lived during Hitler's reign. Resilience means “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties”,which is exactly what everybody struggles with in this book. The resilience of the human spirit is expressed by Liesel dieing at old age after everything she went through, Walter looking out for Max, who is a Jew while Walter is a Nazi, Max surviving everything just to live, by Desmond Doss surviving and saving 75 soldiers in World War II and by kids in Iraq being strapped with bombs.
The Book Thief is a historical novel written by Markus Zusak. It provides the readers a deeper understanding of the lives of Jews and Germans in Germany during the brutal Nazi regime and how they manage to survive. This includes not only the physical survival of the fittest, but also the survival of their moral beliefs. In addition to the author’s theme of inhumanity and humanity of man, he provides a background story for the characters in the book and how they are similar and different by their moral beliefs, their goals, their guilt, and their relationship with words. Two of the characters that are mentioned throughout the book to remind the readers of their struggles to survive in the Third Reich are Liesel and Max. Liesel is the foster daughter of Hans and Rosa Hubermann and “the book thief” who realizes the power of words in the Nazi community while Max is a fist fighter and German Jew who hides in Hans’s basement to escape from Nazi incarceration and eventually survives the concentration camp after he is arrested on his way to Stuttgart by the Nazis. Liesel and Max can be compared and contrasted through analyzing their struggles, includes their fear of the death, their guilt of
In the first few chapters of the story, Death described himself a little and talked a little about Liesel. One of the things that makes Death so fascinated with Liesel Meminger, the book thief, is that she manages to escape over and over. He says that 1942 was a busy year for him, because of the people who died from the World War II. He saw them dying painfully one by one and carried millions of their souls away during the war, and he truly understood the ugliness of humans; on the other hand, he also understood that there are some people who still has a beautiful
According to Napoleon Bonaparte, courage isn’t having the strength to go on … it’s going on when you don’t have strength. Liesel, Max and Hans are the main characters in “The Book Thief” that have acts of courage entirely change their lives. This novel takes place during WWII in Germany. Countless Jews are desperately looking for the courage to endure the harsh rule of the Nazis. On the other hand there are some Germans who use their courage to stand against the Nazis in their own exceptional ways. The characters in “The Book Thief’ show acts of courage and this greatly affects the course of their life and relationships with other characters.
Over the summer I read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. The novel contains many memorable quotes, with powerful meanings that can be applied to the reader’s life. The novel is the story of Liesel Meminger’s journey through the eyes of the narrator, Death. Liesel has many hardships in her life, but also a lot of good fortune. The novel shows both Liesel and Death’s reactions to each situation she encounters.
The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak, outlines the tragedies and events that take place in Liesel Meminger’s life, in Nazi Germany. Throughout this young girl’s struggle of living in the oppressive Nazi regime, she is able to learn crucial lessons about life and the art of survival- some that follow her to the grave. The most important lesson she learned and the pivotal theme of the novel is that rebellion can be and beneficial in certain situations.
When a human has strong beliefs based off of lack of information or knowledge this may cause them to be ignorant. Although these acts of ignorance may disregard the humanity of another person, those who act ignorantly do not choose to view another's perspective. Throughout the novel Death brings recognition to those who have spoken and acted in ignorant ways (ignorance). Franz Deutscher is a perfect example of ignorance: as he did not take the time to understand why Tommy Muller was unable to properly follow along in the Hitler Youth marches, chanting, and training with the other students. While the group of young men in Hilter Youth were practicing their marches and halts Tommy's "...ear infections and nerve damage were still contorting the marching
One of the main characteristics of war is its ability to take away individuals’ feelings of strength. Such individuals will become unable to feel a sense of identity unless they find some source of power, no matter its form may be. The main characters in The Book Thief and Between Shades of Gray use art and literature as a means for empowering themselves within the conflict-ridden setting around them: World War II. The “testimony [of these characters is produced] to create an absolute record, to speak in a world where [their] voices have been extinguished” (Sepetys 338). Liesel, the main character in The Book Thief, and Lina, from Between Shades of Gray, create testimony of their endurances by leaving behind writing and drawings that tell their story to future generations after being forced into silence during their own lifetime.
In the beginning of The Book Thief, the reader meets Liesel Meminger, her mother, and her brother, Werner Meminger. The father is never introduced. It is only said that he is a communist. Werner dies on the train to Himmel Street, the place that Liesel is left with a couple, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Liesel’s mother is never seen again, but the reader assumes that she was taken away for being one of the Nazi’s targets. According to The Book Thief, “What came to her then was the dustiness of the floor, the feeling that her clothes were more next to her than on her, and the sudden realization that this would all be for nothing—that her mother would never write back and she would never see her again.” Nazis were the epitome of evil. They tore families apart and killed millions of innocent people.
The theme of The Book Thief is humanity. In the novel, human nature is portrayed varying and confusing. Why humans are depicted like this is because the novel is narrated by an omniscient non-human, Death, which changes your outlook on many different topics. Death does not understand how some humans such as the Hubermann family can be kind enough to try to save a young man’s life. While other humans such as Hitler, desire and aspire to destroy an entire race. “The consequence of this is that I’m always finding humans at their best and worst. I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both” (Zusak 491). This quote refer to how Death does not understand how humans can act completely different, but still be the
If you believe in yourself and have dedication, pride, and never quit, you will be successful. Markus Zusak, the author of The Book Thief, creates a story of a young orphan named Liesel Meminger, who is living with her new foster family. She learns the wonders of reading from her foster father and grows to love books. During Liesel’s time with her new family, she shows determination through her efforts and kindness with her encounters with other people. Liesel in The Book Thief expresses her traits, such as hardworking, and bravery.