When reading about Liesel's tenure as a thief in Arthur Berg's gang, I stopped and asked myself. "Wait, isn't this the Holocaust?" I find it amazing that Liesel manages to live a rather happy and lively life against a backdrop of gross racism and violence. In fact, I find Liesel and Max to be somewhat similiar charachters. First, they seem to accept things as they are; I find it amazing that Max is not too traumatized by his experiences in the draconian world of racism. Liesel too seems rather unfazed by the horrible goings that are happening all around her.
Death manages to interestingly capture the parallels between the charachters of Liesel and Max - both determined charachters who want to move forward in life.
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I think that Max may not be as accepting of his situation and Hitler's antisemetic actions as you described. Max's daydream of standing up to Hitler tells the reader that though he may not express his hatefor Hitler, Max really doesn't like how Hitler is brainwashing all of Germany. I do agree with you when you say that Max is not completly traumatized and has learned to cope with his situation. This may be because if you are a Jew living in Nazi Germany, there is nothing you can do but hide and try to survive. I also think that one reason Liesal is moving forward with life and is not as preoccupied with thoughts of Hitler and the Nazis as the adults is because she is still a child and is not fully aware of what is going on. There is a Jew living in her basement, but she has yet to hear of concentration camps, and so far, Liesal has not witnessed any physical attacks against Jews.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with you on your statement on Max. The holocaust has definitely had a profound effect on Max, as he has lost all of his family, and constantly has nightmares and visions regarding the holocaust and Hitler. Page 192 and 193 describe a scene in which Max's family is taken away by the Nazis while Max leaves with Walter Kluger to hide. Max feels very guilty for leaving his family behind, and is tortured by his actions.
ReplyDeleteAs for Liesel, as Nadine stated, she has not been exposed to the horrors of the holocaust.
I agree with you in Death's interesting comparison between Max and Liesel. Both experience nightmares and have been through many struggles.
In response to Preston and Nadine, although Max has been affected by his situation, he still wants to survive and even fight (as shown by his dreams about fighting with Hitler). Liesel and Max both have their nightmares, and Liesel misses her mother terribly.
ReplyDeleteHowever, both Liesel and Max manage to deal with the circumstances around them and carve out a slice of happiness in their own worlds. I see their relationship as a continuation of that, as a support system.
In the end, I think that Zusak is showing everyone (not very uniquely) that life goes on in even the most insane situations, like Nazi Germany during WWII.
~Erika