Twigs of Hair

I thought that Death's analogies to Max's hair was extremely powerful. Death's relation of Max's hair to feathers invokes a feeling of sparseness and even delicateless. It can also relate to a bird that has been locked in a cage for much too long and has lost almost all of its feathers.

The other object that Max's hairs are compared to are twigs. What makes this metaphor more moving is the fact that Death uses twigs instead of branches or roots. Also, twigs were once branches until they died and fell off the tree, similarly to Max's formerly full head of hair that Liesel had cut so many months ago. Liesel also enjoyed cutting Max's hair because they could talk while she did so, while when the Nazi's shaved Max's head, he would have been filled with sorrow, shame and even fear.

When Death explains Max's eyes as swampy, I saw them as sunken and worn. Worn because of the horrors that he had seen and partially from malnourishment. His eyes would be worn because of the things he had seen such as the death and torture occurring around him and even to him.

Death and all his friends

Death is a topic of religion. Death himself seems almost skeptical of the whole religion thing: “God never says anything. You think you’re the only one he never answers?” (350). How fitting. Faith usually makes death a lyrical thing- heaven etc. Death calls it a conveyor belt. Mechanical. And yet he feels so terrible when people die too young. Go figure. But all this talk about death, and god, has got me thinking. How much does religion influence The Book Thief? Looking at the subject matter, there could be a lot. After all, the main thing going on in Germany during the book (besides WWII) is the extermination of Jews: a religious group. Yet, we don’t see a lot of that. Perhaps it is because there are so few Jews about, or because Hitler’s issues with and propaganda about Jews isn’t based on their religion, but on their supposed character. Converting to Christianity didn’t save you- if you had Jewish grandparents the sickness was supposedly flowing through your veins. The only time Max mentions religion (as far as I can tell) is when he says “Goddamn it”. Not very helpful. And he’s being persecuted because of his religion. But a bizarre German form of religion seems to be hanging around; the constant “blasphemy” and using the Lord’s (and others’) names in vain: “Joseph, Mary...” There are mentions of religion though: the “grim reaper nun” at school (75), and Liesel being Lutheran while the state-run school has a Catholic influence (39).

Maybe the constant lack of real religion fits the circumstances: nothing shakes human belief in the divine more than war, or the holocaust.

But how about death? What could he tell us about, well, death, if he wanted to?

An aside: what we know about death (according to death- he could be lying to us, but... well...)

your body becomes an empty shell (original)

death hears your last thoughts

he picks you up

and carries you

it pains him to do this- so he tries to look away

the colors don’t completely distract him from you, or the ones that you leave behind

every time someone dies, there is an eclipse

I wonder about him, still. If death knew that there was a god, and a future after death, than wouldn’t it make his job a lot less hard on him. If death was only a transition, and if people go on after. One could argue that this is what death knows; he does say that one young girl has her entire death in front of her. Also, death mentions how much the survivors sadden him, the experts at getting left behind.

On the other hand, he tells us that god never answers him either. He never tells us what is lurking on the other side of him (and a good thing too- I doubt that even Zusak could answer that satisfactorily in less that a whole book, but if you wonder if anyone could, read elsewhere). Maybe death is just a void. Or maybe death doesn’t know what happens after him- he is the middleman.

After all, death wants to die. Why?

You could use the answer he seems to hand us: he is tired, he needs a vacation. But what if he was curious too. About what comes after death. About if there is a god?

Maybe Zusak is just trying to point out the same thing: death is just human.

There is one more question we have to ask, before we go to sleep. What is Zusak's opinion on death, on god. Does god answer him? Is he religious? Because the answer to that question could be all we need.

~Jaion

Liesel's Maturity

As the novel progresses, Liesel Meminger grows from an innocent child to a experienced young lady. One of the areas that Markus Zusak is trying to emphasize through the novel "The Book Theif" is the experiences and knowledge of the children during World War II. As we watch Liesel, we discover that many of the children during World War II grew from having no thoughts towards the conflicts to having more experience than any adult.
On page 440, Liesel and Rudy travel from the titles "fruit stealer to bread giver." They, as the war comes to a climax, discover that even though they may need help, other people are in worst conditions. The Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, and more are placed in concentration camps and treated like animals. They barely receive food, if any, the food they receive is stale bread. Liesel comes to find that there are more desperate people suffering from this devastation.
On page 443, Rosa presents the "Word Shaker" collection to Liesel. Rosa and Max "think [Liesel has] always been ready." Rosa examines her foster child grow up, just like Death, just like us. Ever since Liesel arrived at Rosa's door, she has been ready to face the challenge soon to come. She may not have understood the war, but as time grows older, Liesel becomes more involved with the ideas and thoughts transferring toward the second World War. In a sense, Liesel, as well as many other children, has a right to know the tragedy going on around her. She shouldn't just be standing there dumbfounded by the scenery, as dramatic as it may be. The children will lead the world one day, and they have a right to experience and brainstorm ideas, problems, and solutions to help the future flourish.

Why? Why go back?

The scene where Liesel finds Max in the crowd is just so heart touching for me. When Liesel pushes through the crowd and sneaks into the "parade" to talk to Max, it really for me just emphasized the true strength of Liesel and Max's relationship. But the part that touched me the most was when Liesel went back into the crowd after the first beating and started reciting sentences from the Word Shaker. That was just such a powerful moment for me. It is hard for me to explain what I was feeling at that particular moment, but it was like I could feel Max's and Liesel's relationship become even more strong and more special. Something I don't understand though is why would Liesel want to go back into the march for the third time even after the brutal beating she received from one of the soliders. Half of my brain understands why Liesel would do such a thing, but the other half of my brain is using common sense and is asking the question why would you put yourself in such danger. The half of my brain that understands knows that for Liesel going back for the third time is her last chance to ever see Max. As Liesel yells, "Please, Max!" she is expressing her want for him to come back, which is something that I can understand. But the other half of my brain is focusing on the fact that going back like that for the third time is very risky. I am not sure that if I was put in that position I would go run after him like that. I'm not sure. I would probably just count my blessings that I was even alive and left the situation at that. But for Liesel there was something actively compelling her to run after him, an emotion that took over, an emotion that the reader might not feel or understand. That exact emotion is the missing piece of the puzzle, but as long as that piece remains missing my brain will continue to fight over the possibilites of why Liesel would go back. For all we know, Zusak might have written this scene so that the reader has to fill in the blank, a blank that has infinite possibilities.

Heart: Straight or Round?

The way death explains circular hearts vs. straight hearts just makes so much sense to me. I immediately made a mental connection when I read the last paragraph on page 491, because I understood exactly what death meant.

The reason that a human heart is straight is because there is only one reality for each human, There is no diverting off of your own path, there is no stopping, no turning around, no skipping ahead. You are only able to ride the line that is your heart. The heart represents your life, therefore the human life is a line. Some of our lines are longer than others, some are smooth; those lines are easy to ride. Some lines are rough or just have rough patches; these are the lines that the rider must endure, or simply survive. These lines of our lives start at our birth and we ride on them powered only by the force of time until we reach the end of our line, which is undeniably our own death.

Unlike us humans, death's heart is circular. His life is a never ending path with a repeating cycle through various realities, picking up our souls along the way. For him there is no beginning or end. He was never born, and ironically, death will never die. He has no conclusion, no grand finale, no goal, no final destination, he is basically on repeat. Because he has no guidelines or timeline of any sort, it is possible for him to merge realities; he can taste emotions, he can hear colors, he can feel aromas. There is no concept of time for him, which is why he is able to collect all of the world's souls and still have time to notice. As death mentioned himself, who could replace him if he ever left?

Most of us are afraid of death; we are worried about what we happen when we finally do have our encounter with him. On the other hand would you rather exist forever? Death said himself that he envies our ability to die.

So there is the question,

Straight or Round?

The Word Shaker

I've decided to blog about "The Word Shaker" because of two reasons: 1) the entire story is written in metaphors and it could use some translating and 2) I'm not sure that what I think some of the metaphors mean is correct so please leave a comment telling me I'm wrong...

First item of business: the "strange, small man" who decided he would "part his hair the opposite side to everyone else, make himself a small, strange mustache [and] would one day rule the world"(pg 445). this man is obviously the leader of Nazi Germany: Adolf Hitler the Führer. Now that that's been cleared up, lets move on to where the book says: " 'Words!' He grinned. 'What?' But there was no reply. He was already gone. Yes, the Führer decided that he would rule the world with words. 'I will never fire a gun,' he devised. 'I will not have to.' "(pg 445). Well, we know that Hitler wasn't planning on having words marching down the streets "heiling Hitler" everywhere they went, he (or someone at least) was going to have to use a gun at some point, but Hitler planned on using his words to persuade people to use guns for him. I liked how "The Word Shaker" said that Hitler planted the words, cultivated them and watched them grow because in a sense, that's exactly what he did: he planted and cultivated his words and ideas through his famous speeches and watched them grow through the presses and through radio. He was dumping his "finest, ugliest words" (445) straight into the public's heads as the book explained. Of course people's heads weren't literally cut open and they weren't placed on a conveyor belt and they weren't just handed swastikas but essentially, Hitler was brainwashing them and convincing them to take a swastika and join him.

The book later says: "as the forests [of Hitler's words] grew, many people were needed to maintain them. Some were employed to climb the trees and throw the words down to those below. They were fed directly into the remainder of the Führer's people, not to mention those who came back for more."(446) I kept trying to tie this back into reality but I couldn't find a role these "word shakers" would've played in real life. The conclusion I came to was that the only reason Zusak (or Max, whoever you'd like) brought the word shakers into the picture was to say that the "skinny little girl" (Liesel) was the best word shaker in her region because she "understood the true power of words. They were the ones [she was the one] who could climb the highest…she knew how powerless a person could be WITHOUT words. That's why she could climb higher than anyone else. she had desire. she was hungry for them"(446).


"One day, however, she met a man who was despised by her homeland, even though he was born in it… The tear was made of friendship-a single word-and it dried and became a seed, and when next the girl was in the forest, she planted that seed among the other trees. she watered it every day."(446) the girl: still Liesel, the man: Max. at first when I read this, I accidentally read: "she met a man who despised his homeland, even though he was born in it" and I thought of Hans and how his son criticized him for not loving his country. It took me a while before I realized that the man was Max. Perhaps the watering doesn't symbolize anything but to me, it meant that Liesel was caring for and protecting their seed of friendship and that when it sprouted, as long as she remained in that friendship or that tree, "A hundred and ninety-six soldiers could not make any impact on the word shaker's tree" (447). when Max climbed up the tree to Liesel, she told him "It wouldn't stop growing"(450). She was referring to Hitler's forest of words. Max then responds: " 'But niether would this.' The young man looked At the branch that held his hand"(450). The moral of the story, in my view at least, is that a friendship can outgrow anyone's forest of negative words and ideas,even if the friendship is one between a German and a Jew

Choices

This blog post isn't so much about the choices made by characters as the drastic choices that Markus Zusak made. Love or hate his writing style, you have to admit that Zusak is a talented author. But he not only masterfully uses language and word choice to his advantage, but also sets up the plot and twists the story line in order to benefit how he wants the story to be told.

The reading from last night (p. 478-515) had many, many things going on. Liesel & Rosa learned that Hans was coming home, Rudy, upset about his father's departure, attempts serious stealing but doesn't follow through, Frau Holtzapfel (almost) refuses to go into the bomb shelter during a raid, a plane crashes, (and we finally see the second time Death actually comes across Liesel) Hans comes home, Michael Holtzapfel commits suicide, and Liesel finds Max once again, but he is walking to Dachau this time. Also, and this chapter is the one that I think most comes as a shock, we get a sneak peek at exactly how Himmel Street is transformed into "a mountain range of rubble."

In regard to the chapter The End of the World (Part I)... The most distinct question that comes to mind is simply: why? Although we are well aware that Zusak does have the habit of disclosing snippets of what is to come, (e.g. Rudy's death, Hans's avoiding Death during both World Wars, etc.) he has never gone into such detail before. Typically it is just a statement made in bold type before returning to the timeline of the story. This chapter, however, was entirely dedicated to our seeing how "the world ended for Liesel Meminger." (p. 497) So why did Zusak add it on to the story? It could've easily been taken out and the story would have flowed just as well. Death offers an excuse: "I offer you a glimpse at the end. Perhaps it's to soften the blow for later, or to better prepare myself for the telling." (p. 497) If it were just Death telling the story, these reasons would both be plausible.

However, Zusak probably had different motives. It could be, as we have said in class before, that it is to add a variety of suspense to the story. You know what will happen, but you don't know how, and therefore you are intrigued. This trick is similar to our knowing the ending of Romeo and Juliet, or when you're watching a horror movie and you know something the main character doesn't know about how he/she will die.

Another possible theory is that Zusak has given the reader an opportunity to let the ending sink in. As the actual chapter The End of the World (Part II) doesn't take place until near the last few pages of the book, it would be easy for the reader to walk away from the book remembering solely the heaviness of that very final scene. But when the readers are given time to digest what is to come, they will not only be able to see past the violence of the bombing, but will also hang on more closely to the chapters before the bombing, as these pages are the rest of Liesel's story, and are just as important.

Zusak could have styled the other chapters much differently, as well. Did he have to show the deceased pilot who had just bombed Germany? Did Michael have to die through suicide? Did Liesel have to continue to chase after Max after she was whipped? Personally, I believe the way Zusak planned out these pages was done very dramatically, and that he did the right thing by making these plot choices. Yet the story could also have done without them. Not quite as moving a story, perhaps, but still the story of the book thief.

Change

Everything is changing. Leisel, Rudy, Papa, Mama, and other characters are changing, and so is the world around them. Let's start with Leisel. After stealing books and fruit, she finally understands her responsibility to return the plate to Ilsa Herman. Furthermore, the scared and stupid girl known at school has finally found her voice during the air raids and the reading sessions with Frau Holtzapfel.
Another person who we see a different side of is Mama. In the beginning of the book, Zusak makes sure that all of Mama's lines include the word Saukerl or Saumensch. However, we witness a beautiful, powerful moment Mama and the accordian.

"The keys were not struck. The bellows didn't breathe. There was only the moonlight, like a long strand of hair in the curtain, and there was Rosa."

I just thought this moment was so meaningful and beautiful. The prolonged silence, and the lovely, thoughtful side of Mama exposed. This moment shows a great change in the usual angry, energetic Mama.

There are other characters that have changed a lot. It almost seemed like Max had taken the place of Papa, when Leisel and Max stay up all night reading and writing. Papa's wink before he leaves for war is described as "...heavier, clumsier. The post-Max version, the hangover version." I think Zusak is mixing everyone up, changing everything to signify the changing world around them. He is also trying to confuse the readers a little to simulate the sadness and confusion of death and wars.
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The Word Shaker
It was just so interesting, the way Max described the story. It reminded me a bit of Harry Potter.

One of the main themes in the series is love. Voldemort is extremely powerful because he uses fear as his weapon. However, Dumbledore reminds Harry that Voldemort can never love anyone, and nobody will ever love him. Unlike Voldemort, Harry's mother was willing to kill herself to save Harry because she loved him so much. So basically, Harry is protected by love and Voldemort will continously try to kill Harry (Unsucessfully) because Voldemort will never understand the power of love.

Hitler is like Voldemort and Liesel is like Harry. In the Word Shaker, Liesel's tree grows taller than all the other because hers is fed through love and friendship. Hitler does not understand why he cannot cut down the tree because he does not understand the power of friendship.

- Jessica

The Ageless Brother

In the chapter "The Ageless Brother," Rosa prays with the accordion, Liesel returns the plate to the Mayor's wife and Liesel's

brother, Werner, suddenly climbs out of Liesel's dreams. Werner up to this point has been a type of conscience for Liesel. When Liesel

reproaches the Mayor's wife, Werner is the one who tells Liesel that maybe it would not be such a good idea. Liesel ends up pushing

Werner down the steps. Werner has given Liesel the option to do what's right up to this point. When Liesel returns the plate to Isla

Hermann, Werner's words were "That's better Liesel" (473). Werner does only show up when Liesel is at the Mayor's home, and Zusak

may have done that because both Liesel and Isla have lost someone who was very close to them. Werner has also appeared in Liesel's

nightmares. When Liesel finally does the right thing of returning the plate to the Hermann's, Werner finally departs from Liesel's dreams.

Werner has seen that Liesel is on the right path of not stealing and other dastardly deeds, so he finally departs, as though he had done his

job.

Death and Hans

As we all know, Death and Hans have passed by each other a few times in the past, in the world wars and even in the comfort of Molching. Although they are very different in many obvious ways they also have a few things in common. One has a heart and the other is kind, and both of these traits have their pros and cons.

Death, in many points in the story, states that he is not heartless and is actually, very human. When he talks about Rudy's upcoming death, he mentions "You see? Even death has a heart" (p.242). He also says, at the beginning of the book that he desperatly needs a break, but of course he can't. He needs distrations to relieve his stress. Its his distractions that make him notice Liesel on their first encounter. When Death meets Liesel for the third time he says, "I wanted to stop. To crouch down. I wanted to say: 'I'm sorry, child.' But that is not allowed." (p.13). Death wants to let them know that he cares but he is bound by the rules of his job. The only thing he can do is to follow the book theif and carry out his job.

Hans, on the other hand, has a kind heart. We know that from the beginning of the story when he first teaches Liesel to roll a cigarette (p.33). Hans' kindness certianly makes him trustworthy and a good person to be around, "'...You're lucky you're a good man, and generous with the cigarettes.'" (p.478), but it also has its downsides. When the Jew's were walked to Dachau, Hans couldn't help but feel sorry for the dying man. His kindness made him hand over the peice of bread, and he suffered the consequences (p.393-395).

Hans and Death are similar in more ways than we think.

One is Silver and the Other Gold

Champagne Bottle Thickness: Yes, it's true. I did some research and Hans is correct. Champagne bottles are made of thicker glass because they need to withstand pressure up to 100 pounds per square inch. Before people figured out the bottles needed thicker walls, they used to explode. Awesome. (http://www.luxist.com/2010/01/19/the-champagne-bottle-beautiful-and-scientific/) Only Hans would take that fact and use it to his advantage. Rolling paint. Ingenious. (356)

Hans and Liesel. Liesel and Hans. I've been searching and remembering, and I have found that no one has really extensively discussed or blogged about Hans and Liesel's relationship. So, shall we pick the threads apart?

Silver:

Hans. A very lucky man. He's evaded...what? Three potential deaths? I think that's pretty lucky. Besides the fact that he can play the accordion, Hans is a painter. He paints houses. And he doesn't care whose house he paints. Whether it's Jew, German or penniless, he never fails to come up with something:

"...and when the next morning dawned, there he was, painting those blinds for nothing, or for a cookie and a warm cup of tea. The previous evening, he'd have found another way to turn blue or gren or beige to black. Never did he tell them to cover their windows with spare blankets, for he knew they'd need them when winter came." (354)

"So there you have it." (142) Hans is the luckiest man in Nazi Germany. But he's unlucky too. For he doesn't agree with Hitler. Ooh. That's dangerous.

"Who else would do some painting for the price of half a cigarette? That was Papa, that was typical, and I loved him."

Gold:

Liesel came to Hans in an unusual state. Her brother died, her mother left her, and she didn't know how to read. Hence the midnight classes.

That otherworldly color in between Gold and Silver:

Yes, Rosa becomes the loving, swearing, foster mother who shows her love for Liesel in the form of smackings, but Hans is the teacher of words, the calmer of nightmares, and the father Liesel never had (Wow... that sounded really corny. But it's true.). From the time Hans coaxed Liesel from the car, to Liesel's promise to keep reading in the shelter when Hans goes to war, the two have been inseparable. Its Hans who is always there in the night when Liesel remembers her dead brother. Its Hans who brings the accordion upstairs to aggravate Rosa. It's Hans who makes Liesel cry so she can keep Max secret. And it's Hans who embraces Liesel after he warns her what will happen if she speaks of their Jewish stowaway:

"And that did it. The girl began to sob so uncontrollably that Papa was dying to pull her into him and hug her tight. He didn't. Instead, he squatted down and watched her directly in the eyes. He unleashed his quietest words so far. 'Verstehst du mich?' Do you understand me? The girl nodded. She cried, and now, defeated, broken, her papa held her in the painted air and the kerosene light."

Question: What happens when a person is caught between doing what's morally right and doing what will make him/her survive?

The two have a very special relationship. When you think about it, why wouldn't they? They have formed a bond under the watchful eye of Nazi Germany. A friendship because of circumstances, to quote another post. Friendship? Companionship? Foster father- foster daughter ship? Accordionist-thief ship? I don't know. But that's what makes whatever they have all the better.

One thing I realize: It's not just Hans who is changing Liesel's life. It's Max, Rudy, Rosa, and even cranky/sad Frau Holtzapfel too. In a way, Liesel is lucky too. She's lucky to have these people in her life to teach her, to steal with her, and to embrace her.

~Andrea

To my dear Rosa and Liesel

As soon as Hans has found out that he has been accepted into the Nazi party and must fight in the war, he seems to regret his actions that landed him in this position because he misses Rosa and Liesel very much and his job in the war is very stressful. In fact, when he tried to write a letter home, he could barely manage to write To my dear Rosa and Liesel. In fact, he said that he would try to tell them the rest of the story when (and if) he got home, but that would only be if he could bring himself to go back to that horrific day.

Unlike other positions in the war, Hans had a very scarring job, because he had to stay above ground during the air raids, which would be very scary, then help search for missing people, and deal with the bodies of people who got killed in the bombings. This would most definitely be a traumatic experience, and even a brave man like Hans threw up, and could barely control his own body. "It took many minutes to write those six words down. (p. 437)"

A Hopeful Sketchbook

I think Liesel's attitude and reaction towards the hidden sketchbook is very interesting. Also, why at this point in the book Rosa Hubermann decided to give it to her is unique as well. Rosa gave it to her after Liesel after she read a book in the Fiedler's basement to a crowd of eager Germans from Himmel Street. Even though Rosa says that she was going to give it to Liesel for Christmas instead of her birthday, I still think that there is another reason why she gave it to her step-daughter at this point in time.

"I think you've always been ready, Liesel. From the moment you arrived here, clinging to that gate, you were meant to have this." Although I partially agree with Rosa, it was a good idea that the heavy German political influence of WWII wasn't thrust upon Liesel once she arrived at the Hubermann's house. Zusack creates a very interesting narrative style where readers view a war through the eyes of a child who is partially oblivious to some of the real controversies within Nazi propaganda. Only until Liesel reached a proper age (around 12 or 13) did she actually begin to observe the struggle written on Papa's face or the desperate faces of Jews marching through Molching. After Liesel proved herself being capable of handling fear during the raid, Rosa finally could tell that Liesel could understand the content of the sketchbook.

After Liesel read the book, I feel she still might not have understood or recognised the Nazism of the book because she felt so cheerful. But, after all, there was an optomistic ending when "the girl and the ax cutter (Liesel and Max)" walked together through the propaganda forest while friendship still blossomed in their hearts. At the top of the tree, Max and Liesel were above the world ruled by Hitler and his Nazi followers. They viewed the still growing propaganda trees but it was as if they could see right through them and saw their cold black souls and the dark swatstika fruit they beared. They didn't believe the propaganda. For some reason, it felt like when the tree was cut down, the Nazi's had won. On the other hand, the fallen tree had created a new path through the propaganda forest to freedom. Even some people had joined Max and Liesel on the tree because they too hoped for freedom and the destruction of the Nazi regime. Zusack's illustration of The Word Shaker showed the hope that was unfortunately obsolete for most Germans during WWII but needed to be understood by Liesel.

Was this Nazi Germany?

There is a section of text, on page 440, that is very interesting:

"Was this Germany?

Was this Nazi Germany?"

The obvious answer is "of course." The setting in Nazi Germany is the basis for the entire plotline. However, in this, and other cases, this is not true. In Hitler's Nazi Germany, Jews, Gypsies, Homosexuals, and other people deemed "inferior" are not only despised, but nonexistant. In Hitler's Nazi Germany, all subjects are unflinchingly united behind the Fuhrer. In Hitler's Nazi Germany, "Aryan" people not only rule but are the entirety of the populace. However, here, we have so-called "superior" Germans sympathizing with and feeding the hated and "inferior" Jews. Earlier, Death told us that 90% of Germany's population did stand unflinchingly behind Hitler. However, that 10% that doesn't, including the Hubermanns, Liesel, and Rudy, keep Hitler's dream from becoming reality. Liesel's and Rudy's actions defy what Nazi Germany really is. Nazi Germany doesn't include feeding Jews, or even acknowledging their humanity. These actions, however small, are as much opposition to the ideals of the Nazi Party more than the Jews could ever be.

Liesel's Words

Whenever there is an alarm for a bomb annd everyone on Himmel Street crowds together in a bombing shelter, Liesel reads from one of her books to keep everyone calm. I find this an amazing example by Zusak of how powerful words and just a simple action can be. When Liesel first starts reading in the bombing shelter, she is about 12, and for the adults in the basement, who fear for their life, seeing something as normal as a girl sit and read holds them together, and gives them something to focus on besides their fear. As I read this part of the book, I pictured Liesel as the heroine and the center of attention, and it seems that Zusak gives her a beautiful power over the roomfull of frightened Germans. In the most recent reading of TBT, Liesel read to Michael and Frau Holtzafel, although Frau Holtzafel was so distressed that she barely listened. There is so much pain and suffering in the Holtzafel house, that I find it very brave of Liesel to read to the woman who used to spit at Rosa's door everyday. She may be young, but Liesel is forgiving and compassionate, and helps those in need, making her very mature on the inside, more so than many of the adults who live in Molching. Liesel's love for words is also very ineresting. After reading in the bombing shelter, Liesel seems to realize that words can have a good effect, or bad, as seen with the propaganda spread by Hitler. Words, like death, are also timeless, and I find that this connection to the book's narrorater really help bring the two characters together.

Death as a person

As we delve further and further into The Book Thief, we take for granted many aspects of the book that must have either caused Markus Zusak a lot of stress or just came naturally to him. One of those aspects is how a multitude of literary devices is subtly interwoven with the plot of the story and the language of the book. Similies and metaphors appear in the text regularly as do personifications, the most powerful of which is the transformation of our own narrator Death with a large number of personifications. The two most notable instances of these transformations are Death's Diary and The Long Walk to Dachau.

Death's Diary makes a number of appearances throughout the book but the most powerful instant is when it first appears at the beginning of Section Six. The diary mostly consists of Death's complaining but we can really see Death's true feelings about his own job and his reactions to the catastrophic events that plagued the first half of the twentieth century. The thing Death wants most right now is a break. He simply wants to be able to relax and let someone else do his job of collecting the millions of souls from the people that die on a regular basis. But he can't. There is no one else with his abilitiy to be anywhere and everywhere at once and so he can't take a break. He can't do anything except work harder when massacres, wars, and famines take the lives of millions of people. He is amused by the humans' imagery of himself as a scythe wielding shade of terror when in reality he is just the delivery boy from Earth to another place. His reactions to these really establish him as human and make him closer to the reader.

Death doesn't take the same sort of tired and frustrated mindset in The Long Walk to Dachau. What he's doing is fulfilling his duty as a narrator, giving an unbiased view of what is happening at this point in the story. He (?*) gives an accurate portrait of what the Hews walking through Molching are. Pitiful, living, walking corpses, nearly dead with hunger and fatigue and the humiliation of simply being who they really are, Jews. They're being assaulted and ridiculed for absolutely no good reason and Death does a spectacular job of conveying all the feelings and atrocities that have been heaped on the European Jews.

Markus Zusak does an incredible job of transforming Death from something inevitable that many people fear into a person that many people can relate to on a variety of different levels, if it's complaining about a dead-end job or discussing major historic events. Zusak may be relating this transformation to Hitler's rise to power in the 1930s, transforming his image from a lowly Nazi party member to one of the most powerful men in the world. Zusak's transformation of death however is from a looming, almost scary prospect to just something that should happen naturally and automatically.

*Is Death male or female? A child or adult? What proof is there of your opinion?

The Strongest Land-A connection between Liesel and a Korean proverb

The land that is stormed upon the most is the firmest at the end of the day.

In other words, suffering makes us strong. This is a Korean proverb that I've often heard, and it holds true for many things in life. It also applies to The Book Thief.

Throughout the book, Liesel and her family are constantly plagued by loss. Liesel's close companion, Max, has to leave because of a mistake Hans made that also got him assigned to the LSE, forced to confront directly the horrors of the war. Hans loses his seemingly ever-present dignity as he gets drunk prior to his first day of LSE service. This in itself is a crushing loss-somehow it's tragic when a man falls far enough that he does something that is contrary to his nature. Liesel's friend, Rudy, loses his father as well, and their shared misery makes everything worse, as neither of them have a friend to comfort them. Liesel's whole family is based on a balance between Hans, Rosa, and herself, and when Hans leaves, something in the household seems cold, and wrong, without the presence of Hans. Even the seemingly iron willed Rosa feels the effects, sitting on the edge of the bed holding her husband's accordion, late at night. And of course, Liesel's original family. With a brother dead from disease and exhaustion, her mother in a concentration camp- presumably also dead- and a father unknown, everything seems tragic, at first. For Liesel to be isolated from her real family, to be united and happy with a new one, only to lose that family as well combines with the rest of the tragedy in this book. As she states on 427, her heart is tired.

But all is not lost. While it may not seem like it during the change, it's worth it. Suffering does make us stronger. And it appears to affect Liesel in an interesting way. She does become stronger, as well as more mature. She is not as afraid; she even throws bread to the Jews with soldiers present; she does what she knows is right. This is the culmination of her maturation. She is able to rise above; while an earlier Liesel may have buckled under the pressure and the sequence of events, the present Liesel does more than hold herself up under the pressure; she holds up Rudy, her neighbors in the bomb shelter, and she holds up her family.

The Strongest

The land

Addition to "The Word Shaker"

I realize that people have already translated the meaning of Max's book "The Word Shaker," but I would like to comment on some of the interesting strategies that Zusak used for this book within the book. First of all, I don't really understand why Zusak introduces the scene with the mother and her son walking and the mother scolding him. If the focus of this section of the book is about Hitler, I feel like Max (or...Zusak) should have stopped at "The one day, out of nowhere, it struck him-the perfect plan." (pg. 445) I can make one connection from this seemingly unnecessary scene. Often when Hans needs Liesel to understand something, he admonishes her. Although she doesn't always cry during these situations, Hans, like the mother in the book, soothes his child with his soft voice.

Next to the paragraph with the mother and her child is a picture. There is a man (Hitler, I believe) in a store with products like The Fuhrer's Handbook, small mustaches, a Nazi Party symbol, a comb, a jar of Hatred, and a jar of Fear. I mainly like the incorporation of the two jars because it indirectly says that Hitler is "selling" hatred and fear, which is absolutely true.

Max then writes about how the Fuhrer planned not fire a gun, and we all know why thats so ironic. Hitler tries to win the world over with words, and "plant the seeds" (Max's whole story has extended metaphors with references to plants, seeds, trees, forests, etc.) of his words into as many people as he can, and it is obvious that this is a reference to Mein Kampf.

The part with the people on the conveyor belt symbolizes how people were brainwashed to think that Jews and other non-Aryan races were bad even though they had not done anything wrong. One thing I cannot figure out is who were the ones who were "employed to climb the trees and throw the words down to those below?"

As the story progresses, Max talks about a girl (clearly Liesel) who is an excellent "Word Shaker" because she understands the true power of words and had a hunger and desire for them. Max then introduces "a man who was despised by her [Liesel's] homeland, even though he was born in it." This new man is Max, and he joins Liesel in her Word Shaker tree. The two are bonded so strongly by words, the Fuhrer's ax cannot break the bond that they have.

Inevitable Punishment

There is a chapter called Punishment(416). It begins by saying :

"On the ration cards of Nazi Germany, there was no listing for punishment, but everyone had to take their turn."

Punishment appears to be an inevitable thing to everyone in Nazi Germany and it affects everyone Liesel knows. Punishment is described as something that is rationed, meaning everyone gets a small part because it is scarce. I believe that everyone seems to get a part of it, but it is most definitely not a scarce resource. Everyone Liesel has known has been punished:

Her brother - killed from undernourishment and disease.

Her mother - presumably killed in a concentration camp for being a communist.

Her father - Presumably suffered the same fate as his wife.

Max - had to escape from persecution in multiple places, and became very sick from the conditions he had to live with.

Hans Hubermann - Her step father was sent into one war, beaten by the gestapo for helping a jew, and then sent into another war for his "crimes".

Alex Stiener - also sent into a war because he would not give up his son Rudy.

Rudy's two friends - sent into the war and presumably killed or stranded.

Lisa Hubermann - lost all her customers due to the war and a son.

Clearly everyone major in this story has been punished in some way by Nazi Germany, and many have more punishment to come. Then I thought has Liesel received her punishment? You could say yes to the death of her brother, mother and father and disappearance of her best friend Max and her foster father. For the most part Liesel is not bother by the loss of her family because she has gotten over it years ago. Surprisingly she was more deeply saddened when her foster father and friend had to leave, than when her entire family died. It seems then that Liesel has received some punishment but is very good at putting it behind her. I was wondering that maybe Liesel is more attached to her foster parents and Max than she ever was to her family. She always has the best of words for her father and Max while when she speaks of her family she is depressed and dwells on the negative. I believe that Liesel's new family is one she likes best. However, since she likes it best whenever her family is punished she finds herself puished too.

"All of them gone."

Germany during World War II is often thought of as an entire country, but the people of Germany--Aryans and Semitics--were both tragically affected by the war, just as much as in any other country. Liesel herself thinks of all the people she has already lost as she walks with Rudy: "Her mother. Her brother. Max Vandenburg. Hans Hubermann. All of them gone" (426). Many of those we are introduced to on Himmel Street have endured some sort of grief, and those who haven't are living in desperate fear of Allied bombs. Even though Liesel is still a child and barely (if at all) understands what politics or concentration camps are, she can see how terrible living in Nazi Germany is. She calls her heart "tired" (427), pulling the phrase from one of her books, which have likely shown her what the rest of the world is like.
Death also depicts in detail the horror of the "Dead Body Collectors", Hans's new job. Not only are there nameless dead everywhere (which explains the narrator's presence), but also there are tragedies that seem closer, with names and faces and mourning (or dead) families. Zusak even provides a boy, twelve years old, called Rudy, and very likely dead. Papa is severely affected by everything he sees, barely able to falsely reassure Liesel and Rosa in his letter, which Liesel calls a "disappointment" (438) in comparison to Alex Steiner's detailed reports.
As Nazi Germany progresses in its views of purity of race, it becomes more and more extreme. In the beginning of the war, the concentration camps housed political prisoners, who had a chance of being eventually freed. By the end of the war, the camps had escalated into mass-murder facilities. Aryans are also affected, though not nearly as severely. The "coat men" or "monsters" come for Rudy, apparently to recruit him for a program that will produce an elite race, in which participants "run barefoot through the snow" and "jump from ten-meter platforms into three feet of water" (409). Although this is supposedly considered a privilege, Rudy's parents understandably do not want him to join. But as Barbara Steiner says, "'When they come and ask you for one of your children...you're supposed to say yes" (419). Many things were covered up by words: she uses "ask", when in fact there is no choice. When Rudy's father and Liesel's Papa are drafted into the army, the Nazi party uses duty and threats to force them into it. In fact, Hitler used words to convince Germany to join him in his quest for world purification and domination.

The Word Shaker

The Word Shaker, written by Max Vanderburg, is a satirical summary of Hitler and Nazi Germany. Many elements throughout The Word Shaker represent Hitler's rise to power, the power of words, and the fight against Nazism.
The first one-and a half pages of The Word Shaker talks about Hitler and his rise to power through the use of only words. Hitler plants propaganda trees all throughout Germany to brainwash the people and gain much power.
"He watched them grow, until eventually, great forests of words had risen throughout Germany... It was a nation of farmed thoughts". The previous quote shows Max's view on Nazi Germany. Max believed that Hitler had taken his thoughts and ingrained them into everyone in Germany, resulting in full control over the population. He compares Hitler's rise to power to a farm, where people have been created and farmed to follow him and his ideology.
In The Word Shaker, the tree that Liesel planted represents the friendship between her and Max, which even the Fuhrer cannot destroy, symbolizing that friendship always overpowers hatred. When the tree is finally downed, it does not entirely destroy Hitler's forest, but creates a path for others to follow and help destroy Hitler's propaganda of hatred and genocide.
In this way, the Word Shaker is not only a story of Hitler and Liesel, but also represents a new hope for Germany. It teaches that compassion and overcome hatred, and shows that words, if used effectively, can be extremely powerful.

Research of Nazi Military

When I first read that Hans Huberman was going to be drafted into the German army I thought that it was very weird. I thought it was weird because in the US army people are not just told that they are in the army, they get to choose. After the reading I decided to research and blog about how the Nazi Germany military worked and who was drafted into their army. The first link that showed up on Google was about the Hitler Youth program, so I decided to look at the site. (Because Hitler Youth comes up in the Book Thief) After reading the first page of the website I found out that by the end of the war Hitler Youth was a main recruiting center for the German Army. At the start of the war only Hitler Youth leaders could be drafted to join the army, but after a year or so every boy over the age of 14 could be randomly drafted into the German Army. Near the end of the war I read that any boy enrolled in the Hitler Youth program could be drafted into the army. Also after 1936 Hitler Youth was mandatory, just like school is mandatory for us. So, by the end of the war any child could be drafted into the German army (just like Rudy was), even 10 year old boys could be forced to join the army.

In addition, girls could also be drafted into the army. Although the Nazi did not let the women fight in the war, they were still in a lot of danger because most of them had to go out on the battlefields and treat the wounded soldiers. Also the Nazis could take the girls and boys drafted into the army and keep them in the army for as long as they wanted. Some children did not see their parents for over five years during and after the war. Once the bombing started, the girls also were dispatched to go into the bombing zones and treat wounded people because the Nazi's could not spare the soldiers fighting.

After reading that I found out that the German government could send a notice to you that you have to join the army and within seven days, you have to enlist in the Germany army or you are a criminal. Whats worse is that this law still exists to this day in Germany, but only for people over 18. Also if you most of the people who were put into the army were prisoners that were jailed and had no other option because they were forced and sometimes tortured to join the army. All in all the Nazis created some scary laws to try to supply the need of soldiers and they clearly went to far.

http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/hitleryouth/hj-boy-soldiers.htm

The Thought of Rudy Naked

At first when I read "The Though of Rudy Naked", I was extremely confused as to why this chapter was included in the novel. It seemed to me that it wasn't the most revealing chapter (oh irony. I do mean information), aside the facts that Rudy may be serving for the Nazi Party, and Liesel is having the "dreaded visions". Soon after rereading this chapter, I discovered a connection. I remember from the Holocaust Museum, that Jews were ordered to line up (mainly men) and completely strip. They were then shot. For both Rudy and the Jews that were forced to strip, this is public humiliation:

". . . it was with abject humiliation that he stood in the small, cool office" (413.4) and "Stripped of their dignity, the boys were allowed to dress again. . ." (414.5).

Rudy and the other two boys were filled with anticipation and dread for the results of who is eligible to serve for the Nazi Party. The Jews, on the other hand, are also filled with dread, but the feeling is worse, because they have to 'look forward to' being killed. For both the boys and the Jews that were force to strip, they had to endure public humiliation, and they most likely felt conflicted emotions of embarrassment and dread. While the boys don't have as much to worry about in their futures, the Jews have a lot to worry about their lives in the very near future. Also, because the nurse has a "large, direct voice" she reminds me of the Nazis that force the Jews to humiliate themselves. I can imagine her spitting out vitriolic orders directed at the Jews.

"'And?' 'The Shoes?' 'Und die Unterhosen,' said the nurse. 'And the underpants.' 'Arms out now.' 'I said arms out.'"

~ Zoe

PS: You'll have to excuse me if my blog today seems sparse; I accidentally pressed Ctrl + Z causing half of my blog to disappear and I tried to retype what I wrote. I probably had a lot more than this, but I have forgotten what I wrote before. ^^;...

The differences between Humans and Animals

In the chapter The Long Walk to Dachau, Markus Zusak, emphasizes the differences between Humans and animals. On page 394-395 Hans Hubermann shows compassion for the Jews that are on the death march by offering one of the men a piece of bread, in front the entire town, the other people on the march, and the soldiers. In what should be a simple act, but is currently a miracle, the jewish man finds unending kindness and hope in the gesture and cannot help but to collapse in his gratitude to a complete stranger. This exchange is short lived, because the nazi soldiers have noticed the exchange.

As a punishment for their actions, the jewish man is whipped six times while being being verbally abused, and is still expected to walk on. Where as Hans is whipped four times, and simply left on his knees. The jewish man's punishment and Han's are only different because Hitler has convinced a majority of the population that this man, and anyone else who follows his beliefs, are no better than an animal and deserves nothing better, where as Han's is still considered a human.

Soon after we are told that the piece of bread was left by the jewish man, only to be picked up and fought over by others that are also participating in the march, as if accepting their title as "animals". The comparison between being a HUman and being an animal is most explicit when looking at the different reactions to the piece of bread from The old Jewish man and the other Jews.

"If nothing else the old man would die like a human. Or at least with the thought that he was human." (p. 395)

The readers are lead to assume that the Jewish man is thankful for the piece of food, only to be told that all that was needed was the offer. The Jewish man refused the bread because he wanted to prove that he was still human, despite what many thought. The Jewish man still had self respect, and he still showed gratitude, unlike others. This Jewish man, wasn't just a Jew, he was human, and he didn't feel the need to prove this to anyone but himself, and was ready to refuse the food if it meant he could die a human.

Why not yet?

Correct me if I am wrong, but we have not yet seen a plane crash. Why do I ask this? Well, if you recall in the earliest chapters of the book, Death claims that he has seen the "Book Thief" only three times.

"I saw the book thief three times" (5).

Then afterwards he describes the settings of where Death saw her. Going back to my original point the SECOND time he sees her is when there is a plane crash, again there hasn't been a plane crash yet. I thought originally we would se the three events equally throughout the book, but now two thirds into the book we only have seen Death encountered with Liesel once. I think that this tells us that at the very last minute things are going to ramp up immensely. The one thing that could justify this would be that Liesel, after arriving at Himmel street, has never left. Not saying that she will, but if she does, the outside world will imprint on her and there will be a higher chance that she will be to someone else who is dying, so that Death will come.

The Word Shaker

Immediately, I noticed a theme that occurs throughout The Word Shaker. This theme is drawn out into a story that includes a large extended metaphor about a seed and a tree that grew from it. Max created this book-within- a book for Liesel, to give to her at some point. Although the story line is somewhat masked by the metaphor, it appears as though Liesel is able to understand it, despite her naivete when it comes to some aspects of occurrences in WWII.

The Word Shaker begins with Max Vandenburg's version of how Hitler became "the Fuhrer." A drawing included in this book shows Hitler in "the Fuhrer shop," which had "the Fuhrer's handbook," a swastika and small mustaches - all for free delivery. It was not until I looked much closer that I found that also in this shop, on the shelves with these various items, were two jars. One was labeled "fear" and the other "hatred." These two jars say something very clear about the Fuhrer.

In Max's background story of Hitler, Max imagines the Fuhrer deciding to "rule the world with words" (445). I think that these words are equal to the propaganda spread about Jewish people in particular, by the Nazi party. Zusak uses a very strong metaphor to equate the propaganda created by Hitler to seeds and the spread of the propaganda among many people in Germany to the growing of that one seed, which went to create many forests. One particularly fascinating, yet terrible, phrase that is used is: "{Hitler} invited his people toward his own glorious heart, beckoning them with his finest, ugliest words, handpicked from his forests" (445). One word in this phrase that stands out for me is his. Hitler invited his people. This one word suggests that these people (most likely the Nazis) belong to Hitler, which, in a way, they did.

Max writes: "They were all placed on a conveyor belt and run through a rampant machine that gave them a lifetime in ten minutes. Time disappeared and now they knew everything they needed to know. They were hypnotized" (446). Even though in the book, there is a picture of people literally going onto a conveyor belt (which we know did not occur), many people in the Nazi Party became hypnotized, so to speak. They were brainwashed not only by Hitler's strong propaganda, but also by pressure from around them.

At one point in the story, a girl representing Liesel meets a male character representing Max (who was "despised by his homeland" - 446). Liesel's teardrop became a seed of friendship, and when planted, became a tree. This new seedling was planted in the same forest where all the other trees were, which all contained words of hatred and propaganda. This, I feel, is a metaphor for the beginning of Liesel and Max's friendship in the midst of Nazi Germany. Except instead of trees, there are people holding and spreading the hatred.

Liesel's willingness to stay up in the tree somewhat echoes back to the time when Liesel stayed beside Max, when he was sick. She read to him and just sat there by him, full of hope. Also, the tree's unwillingness to be cut down signifies the strong bond that was created (and grew, like a tree) between Max and Liesel.

I find this story to be a very effective way to get across what is happening during the time in Nazi Germany. And upon finishing it, "Liesel sat at the kitchen table and wondered where Max Vandenburg was, in all that forest out there" (451). And "that forest" being the growth of propaganda (against Jews) and the people who spread it.

games representing life

For Rudy, his version of dominoes represents a lot more than a game; it also represents his life. Instead of matching up the numbers on the game pieces, he stands them up in lines and tips the first piece over. Tipping the first domino piece leads to all the other domino pieces falling.

To Rudy and his siblings, this game gives a lot of pleasure. Zusak uses the dominoes to symbolize one action leading to another. Rudy thought that winning the races at the carnival would lead other people to disregard the charcoal incident because they would see that he actually was a really fast runner. Rudy thought his life would improve because of his great results at the carnival, but instead his action leads to the destruction of his life. As the dominoes pushing each other is a chain of reactions, the events in his life are a chain of reactions, too. His running fast leads to him getting noticed as a superb athlete, which leads to the men in coats showing up at his door. Because of the men in coats showing up at the Steiners' door, the father has to refuse the Nazi Party something (Rudy not going to a boarding school).

Zusak makes the parallel of the game and Rudy's life very clear to the reader, by alternating from the kids playing this version of dominoes and the adults talking about Rudy's future.

Stars

"Max lifted his head with great sorrow and great astonishment. 'There were stars,' he said. 'They burned my eyes."
-pg. 378
When the faux alarm was sounded, everyone on Himmel Street disappeared. For the first time in 22 months, it was safe for Max do look outside. Zusak speaks profoundly through Max when Max spoke of the stars. Max was not talking of the true stars in the sky, but the Star of Davids painted on the windows and doors of Jewish shops. One of the only places where Max is safe is in a house surrounded by anti-Semitic people who are destroying the shops of Jews. These marks of hatred are truly what burns Max's lives as he realizes that his survival is so delicately balanced and what danger he has put on one of the only families to still have souls.

A Visitor Bearing Bad News

The man who comes to inspect the house to see if the basement it fit to be a bomb shelter, causes much tension in the Hubermann household. Although the man only comes to inspect the basement, he is create the fear that Max could be found. The Nazi is created as a nice character to create a false sense of security, similarly to Mr. Lidner in ARITS. The man is very nice, helping Liesel to her feet after she falls, and even talking to her in a very friendly manner.

Even though the Nazi does not bring bad news, his presence is enough to get the whole family nervous. The whole family suspiciously looks worried at the table until, Hans suggests, getting to work to avoid the Nazi asking them why they are so worried. Hans was very smart when he suggestd that Liesel read and Rosa cook, not only to avoid suspicion, but also to get therir own minds off of the man in the basement. Death even states that Liesel's look of horror could be seen as concern for her injury. This misconception was very lucky for Liesel and her family.

The whole family is relieved when the man leaves.

Plot vs. Language

In class today, we had a discussion about Death (Zusak) repeatedly giving away (or spoiling) parts of the plot. For example, the mention of Rudy's death was one such giveaway. However, in my opinion, death's witty language more than compensates its interruptions and spoilers. "German air was in [Max's] lungs." (397). This short sentence alone paints a picture of Max Vandenburg walking down Himell Street. Yes, death does give away major parts of the plot and yes, these giveaways can be quite annoying.
In addition, the "spoiler" about Rudy's death is to me a very interesting part of the book. Every time I read about Rudy, I ask, "Well, is he going to die in this scene?" As the book progresses and more action starts taking place, death can get very confusing with its constant interruptions. However, this is the very point of death narrating the story. By taking away the limited omniscient, death can dwell on events that are, will, and were taking place. The reader knows what will happen, and therefore does not need to constantly question himself. It is this aspect that allows death to wrestle with language without worrying about plot.

Liesel's Emotions come out

In the chapter entitled The Gambler,z two events stand out to me. The events are connected because they both illustrated Liesel's emotions toward her dead brother and disconnected mother.

Ilsa Hermann writes Rosa Meminger a letter explaining why she must fire her, but foolishly gives the letter to Liesel to give to her mother. After leaving the Herman's home, Liesel immediately opens the letter and becomes furious at Ilsa. She returns to the Herman's house and upon Ilsa opening the door we see the first signs of strong anger from Liesel. Before this point, the audience has not fully realized what has been going through Liesel's mind. There have been hints that she is still mourning over her brother and mother but Liesel has never strongly expressed it herself. She uses extremely hurtful language towards Ilsa, saying things like: "your son is dead...He got strangled and cut up twenty years ago...He's dead and it's pathetic that you sit hear shivering in your own house to suffer for it.". Liesel's remarks after her incessant words about Ilsa's dead son are, "you think you're the only one." Immediately after these words, Liesel's brother appears beside her.

Liesel's anger towards Ilsa has come from the thought of her dead brother and the disconnection from her mother. All of her emotions have been stuck in her head the past few years and she appears to be letting all these emotions lose. Ilsa's actions are the cause of all of the se emotions letting lose from Liesel's head because of Ilsa's selfishness. Ilsa's laundry is one of the only elements keeping Liesel and the Hermanns alive. Without this work and pay, it will be hard to get by for the Hermanns and Liesel.

Later that evening when Liesel returns home with the bad news, she lies, telling Rosa that everything was her fault, that she was the cause of Rosa getting fired. I believe she does this because she wants a physical punishment from Rosa. Liesel thinks that this physical pain will overcome the mental pain that is burdening her. The thoughts that she will never see her brother again and probably will never get a chance to see her mother again is the most tremendous pain by itself. She is trying anything to overcome these thoughts, even if it means bringing more pain upon herself.

In both situations, the reader is getting a strong sense of how hard things still are on Liesel. They both illustrate that the disconnection with her family is taking over her mind and causing her to do things she wouldn't normally do.

Hans Generosity: Good or Bad?

After reading "The long walk to Dachau" and "Peace", I finally got to understand Hans' unconditional human kindness, and how his generosity can almost destroy his family's life. The chapter first starts off with a group of Jews walking through the town of Molching, which Zusak subtly points out Hans is bothered with their pain, " Hans watched them above the heads of the crowding audience. I'm sure his eyes are silver and strained." pg 392. After Hans sees an old Jew falling down constantly and close to death, Hans gives him some bread. Although Hans knew that the soldiers were right there, Hans innate generosity almost cost him his life and the Jew's life to give nourishment to a fellow human being. The Jews cry tears of joy for his kindness, while Hans is beaten by a German official. Hans is taken home bloody and beaten, and the family knows that they are in danger. The second chapter revolves around Max's leaving and Hand regret. Hans' choice to help those in need put other people in need into greater danger, like Max. When Max realises what Hans has done, he leaves the Huberman house to find a safer location and to spare the Huberman family. On another note, we also see how great an impact Max has on the Huberman family, because once he leaves they stand there "for 30 seconds of forever." Back to Hans, though, this chapter demonstrates his generosity for his family, and how he regrets putting them in danger. We see Hans drinking, which we haven't seen before, and we see him more stressed out. Eventually, after a couple of weeks, Hans tells Liesil " I am stupid...the thing i want them to come for me, Anything better than this waiting." pg 403. At the end of this chapter, Hans sees the coated men and runs to them, screaming " I'm right here, its me you want, i live in this one!" pg 403. We see Hans being such a good hearted person he gives himself up. While Hans sincerely believes they have come for him, they really have come for Rudy.

The Long Walk to Dachau

In the chapter "The Long Walk to Dachau", Liesel an awakening to the harsh prejudices of Nazi Germany in the early 40's. Liesel has been growing up in a land of prejudice, and although she has had constant reminders of the inferiority of the Jews, until now has she never witnessed their fate. This parade makes Liesel realize the true horrors of the Holocaust.

Soon after Liesel arrives on Himmel Street, she visits "Schiller Strasse". Liesel sees the vacant, vandalized Jewish homes and businesses. The Jews have already been forced to move out of Molching, presumably to a ghetto. With the Jews alienated from Liesel's community, she does not know that they are simply normal people and follows the beliefs that she learns in the BDM. Liesel is puzzled by the look on her foster-father's face when the two of them pass by Dachau on their way to their learning place. Yet, Liesel simply assimilates into the way of life in Germany and worries about other things, like dealing with her nightmares and going to school. Even with reminders of the Holocaust all around her, such as the proximity of Dachau concentration camp, Liesel still does not realize the scope of what is happening.

The arrival of Max Vandenburg changes the entire course of the plot, and Liesel learns that the prejudice against Jews is so severe that a Max Vandenburg's last hope for life is hiding in the basement of his father's best friend. Hans's debt to his friend forces his whole family to risk their lives to protect Max, and Liesel begins to see the horrors that are being committed against the Jews.

Finally, Liesel witnesses how the soldiers deliberately remove the Jews from the trucks and humiliate them by parading them through the streets of Molching. She sees how hey soldiers whip and beat them, and even witnesses her father giving a Jew a piece of bread. She knows the Jews have been persecuted, but never did she know their true fate. With her bond to Max growing ever so close, this parade shows her that it could be Max marching slowly to his death, as Death describes the parade as one of "colors". Liesel knows that Max is just an ordinary, friendly person, and this parade gives her insight into the true horrors of the Holocaust even as she grows up a Nazi.

Fear of Sleep

After Max wakes up from his prolonged nap due to sickness, Liesel is very nice and calm with him even though she is excited to see him again. Max is very sincere when thanking Liesel for the gifts, such as the toy soldier (Max's favorite) and the unusual leaf. Later, in the same encounter with Liesel, Max tells Liesel never to apologize to him again. Max really shows Liesel how much he loves her company and her gifts because he feels that she has given him too much to be the one apologizing to him. He feels that he should be the one apologizing to her, because he has endangered her family, but Liesel just accepts it and actually cares for Max. After Max's encounter with Liesel, it is clear that she has earned her full trust, despite the situation. He knows that Liesel really cares about him and likes him because of all of the gifts and the fact that she read to him twice per day while he was sleeping. 

Since Max was asleep for so long and almost died, he is obviously scared of going back to sleep. Liesel decides that she should read to Max and make sure that he doesn't fall asleep again. I believe that Liesel's friendship and bond with Max is really what keeps Max alive and gives him courage and inspiration to survive. Max knows that he is safe with Liesel, because he trusts that she will not let him realize his fear of falling asleep. 

While I was reading, I noticed that Liesel is becoming just like her father. During this encounter with Max, Liesel is a parallel to her father because he used to read to her and comfort her when she couldn't sleep. Liesel is also always there for Max, and comforts him almost always when he needs it, just like Hans used to do for her. Liesel wakes Max three times total before letting him drift off into sleep. I felt that she coaxed him into going to sleep, in a way. Max was so tired, but he couldn't fall asleep until he felt comforted and safe in Liesel's company. The comforted feeling that her company gave Max really convinced him that he was okay and could go to sleep without a fear of death. Liesel's reading also helped Max go to sleep. He absorbed all of her words, and was somewhat distracted from his fear of sleep and death. 

In conclusion, I believe that Hans' comforting feeling rubs off on Leisel, and she is able to comfort Max enough so that he can go to sleep somewhat avoiding his fear of dying in his sleep. In this episode, Leisel is very trustworthy and mature. She is patient with Max, and reads to him exactly like her father used to read to her in order to comfort her into going back to sleep. I feel that this is yet another step on the staircase to Leisel's maturity, and really shows how far Leisel has come since the day that she was dropped off at her new parent's house, as well as how her friendship with Max has evolved.  

Death's Diary: The Parisians

Death has always talked about colors. He's talked about and described the colors of the sky each time he met the book thief. As soon as I started reading this section Death said "the sky was the color of Jews"(349). Did Jews have a specific color or was it the color of their burning corpses in the German concentration camps? Throughout this chapter I kept seeing, not quite an extended metaphor exactly, but rather a theme of gasses and vapors. I didn't write it so I can't tell you if this theme was put there on purpose, but it certainly makes sense in the context seeing as how so many Jews were being gassed and burned during that time period. Here are some key phrases that helped contribute to this theme:
"their souls rose up"(349) like any kind of steam would
"and we climbed out of those shower facilities ... Minute after minute. Shower after shower"(349) these are obviously gas showers, not the kind you'd find in your bathroom
"Still, it was better than the gas"(349)
"Smoky sky in those places"(349)
"The smell like a stove, but still so cold"(349) Death here could be talking about an ordinary kitchen stove burning something on the plate but he is more likely referring to the types stoves used in concentration camps to incinerate Jewish corpses.
I want to move on now to Death's conversations with God/himself. Does Death believe in God or does he already know from experience that God is never going to answer him? I personally think it's a combination of the two. Maybe he thinks God exists but another part of him tries to convince him otherwise. That would certainly explain his behavior on page 350:
"I say His name in a futile attempt to understand. 'But it's not your job to understand'. That's me who answers"(350).
What would Death be attempting to understand? If there really was a God? I doubt Death is atheist because shortly following my previous excerpt, death asks the reader:
"You think you're the only one he never answers?"(350).
To me, these quotations show me that death believes in God. (unless this is a typo) why else would death capitalize "His" in "I say His name in a futile attempt to understand".
At the end of "Death's Diary: the Parisians", Zusak manages to confuse me once more as the last sentence is "They were French, They were Jews, and they were you."(350)
Can Zusak PLEASE stop being SO Zusak! Why can't he have a solid sentence for an ending rather than making you think he's going to explain what he meant, only to disappoint you?
This chapter has succeed in completely baffling me. Can someone please try and help me further understand this portion of the book?

Max's Death or... lack thereof

When I first read that Max was really alive, I was shocked. I thought to myself how could that be when that man was undernourished and his body temperture was way below 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, you could say that it was the gifts that Liesel presented to Max that kept him from dieing and in some ways I think that's what Zusak wants us as the readers to believe. You could take this in a scientific direction by saying that his body went into "survival" mode and found ways to conserve energy. But personally I believe that it was for the sake of the plot that Max stayed alive.

If Max didn't wake up there would be of course the first issue of a Jewish corspe in a German household. If he had died, the direction of the plot would have shifted significantly. The focus of the story would suddenly be taken off of Liesel and her adventures and quickly be focused on how the Hubermanns would survive with a dead Jewish body in their basement, especially since a few days later the NSDAP came to inspect their basement. And if the focus was taken off of Liesel, then the book didn't need to be named The Book Thief and instead it could have been named Nazi Germany and the Jew or something around those lines.

Also if Max didn't wake up, something pretty significant to the plot would be lost, Liesel and Max's relationship. Liesel, by this point in the novel, has created such a trustworthy relationship with Max that if that was lost a part of the novel would be lost. There is something about a German-Jew relationship in Germany at this time that is so special and important. Its specialness and importance come from the fact that a relationship like that and this time is PROHIBITED. But that's why the relationship is so vital to the plot, it shows that even though segregation between Jews and Germans were large at that time, that a realtionship like theirs wasn't completely out of the question. It was just out of the question by Hitler.

And lastly Max's miraculous recovery demostrated the small percentage of jews out there in Nazi Germany that were alive and "safe".

Max just couldn't die, there was too much at risk.

Death

Death has easily become one of the most memorable characters The Book Thief. Throughout the story he has proved to be neither the cliched image of death (i.e. dark clothes, scythe, etc.) nor someone who strongly defies these assumptions about his persona. Death appears as a character who is very aware about the role he plays. He certainly doesn't display any enthusiasm for what his job entails, but he is still able to recall what he has seen and talk about how he goes about his work in a surprisingly nonchalant way. (or maybe blunt is a better word)

Regarding himself and his job, Death has said:

• "I am all bluster--I am not violent. I am not malicious. I am a result." (p. 6) This quote is from the very beginning of the novel. From the start, Death has gone hand-in-hand with the human race's existence. Death has long since accepted this fact, and in a way, he is not required to fully shoulder the blame of war and mass murder. In fact, later on in the book, he even makes the remark about looking in the mirror if you want to see what Death looks like.
• "I've seen so many young men over the years who think they're running at other young men. They are not. They're running at me." (p. 174-5) Death makes this observation while telling the story of Hans Hubermann during WWI. Our narrator has, without saying it outright, explained exactly what makes war seem so pointless to many. It is, in the case of Hans Hubermann's story, young men against young men, but really, what does one of the young men gain personally by killing the other?
• "In the darkness of my dark-beating heart, I know... You see? Even death has a heart." (p. 242) Well played, Death. Also, whenever he makes these remarks about himself, he makes his character more and more human-like. Death is proving to be, as he said before,not violent, but simply a result.
• "Forget the scythe, Goddamn it, I needed a broom or a mop. And I needed a vacation." (p. 307) It's lines like these that help Death achieve a sense of dark humor. Nevertheless this quote still seems to say: Death is overworked, Death is overwhelmed by the deaths, Death wouldn't mind if it all stopped for a moment.
• "They say that war is death's best friend, but I must offer you a different point of view on that one. To me, war is like the new boss who expects the impossible. He stands over your shoulder repeating one thing, incessantly: 'Get it done, get it done.' So you work harder. You get the job done. the boss, however, does not thank you. He asks for more." (p. 309) This quote works because Death has turned war into something that people can understand and/or relate to. War, the tyrannical boss, forces him to work harder, regardless of whether or not the amount of work (or death) is unmanageable and unprecedented.

One of my favorite ways Zusak exploits Death's character is in the chapters "Death's Diary: Cologne" and "Death's Diary: The Parisians." Death is able to run off on these tangents about his experiences for a whole chapter without it seeming (too) random. Perhaps Death is able to do so because he has been and will be present for the duration of the novel. He is one of the other characters and this story belongs as much to him as it does to Liesel, or Hans, or Max. The "Death's Diary" chapters remind the reader that although life goes on for Liesel and the others living in Molching, there is violence in other places, too. A city has been bombed. French Jews have been gassed. Death is able to conveniently pull the reader out of Molching to see these other events.

Reading "Death's Diary: Cologne" was one of my favorite parts of the assigned reading. Why? Because it was made me think for a moment. When done with the chapter, of course the reader feels upset for the citizens of Cologne, and as a result feel anger towards whoever bombed the city. Something he or she may not consider, however, is that Cologne is in Germany, and was therefore bombed by the allies. When reading a book about WWII, it's easy to immediately consider the axis powers the "bad guys" (and I'm not saying they didn't do some horrible things) and consider the allies the "good guys." But when you see innocent German citizens on the receiving end of the violence, it makes it more difficult to consider the allies the "good guys."

So thanks, Death, for the food for thought.