"It disappointed [Liesel] that she'd sucessfully made peace with Ludwig Schmeikl and not with the innocent Tommy Muller" (248.4).After reading this quote, I started to wonder what the big deal was with Tommy and Ludwig. I immediately thought that Liesel forgiving Ludwig (the "bad" guy) and not Tommy (the "innocent/good" guy) is like non-Jews in Germany forgiving Hitler and the Nazis, but not the innocent Jews, due to propaganda.
Another of my observations, is a sort of "so Zusak" observation. I've noticed that Zusak (or Death) often uses sentences such as:
"... the secret sat in her mouth. It made itself comfortable. It crossed its legs" (246.2) "A single word leaned against the girl" (113.3).Each sentence is a personification. What I love about Zusak's language is that he uses many personifications and puts so much creative detail in each one that I never would have thought of. My favorite use of personifica
"A bathrobe answered the door" (42.9).I thought "An Abridged Roll Call for 1942", one of Death's many lists, was interesting. I went and researched each event just to make sure I knew what each one was, and once I was able to understand each moment in history, this list became more depressing, especially because death calls it "abridged" and says that he could go on. Death was right; I did get the ashen taste in my mouth:
"Three examples, if nothing else, will give you the ashen taste in your mouth that defined my existence during that year" (309.1).
Along with my observations, I have a few questions. Why does the Mayor's wife keep the window open so often? Why does Rudy Steiner continue to answer Hitler's birthday incorrectly? This question is very minor, but I am still wondering, who is Kristina, mentioned at the top of page 299? I don't remember hearing her name before, but maybe I'm just not observant enough.
~ Zoe
I also really admire the language of Zusak. It helps me to imagine the image or moment that Death or Liesel or anyone is describing. Its also original, which just makes these metaphors and personifications so much more effective. I have read a lot of books, but never have I heard a weather report like Liesel's:
ReplyDelete"...Cardboard clouds, or a sun that had broken through like God sitting down after he'd eaten too much for his dinner.
When I read that, I laughed. It was just such a great way of describing the sun.
-------------------------------------------------
Why does the Mayor's wife keep the window open so often?
Death describes Illsa Hermann as a woman who:
"...had decided to make suffering her triumph. When it refused to let go of her, she succumbed to it. She embraced it."
The window is usually opened to let in a draft, which Liesel thinks makes the room cold and uncomfortable. While a warm room would represent a happy and cozy atmosphere, an uncomfortably cold room represents Illsa Hermann's life perfectly. She has decided to live in eternal pain of the memory of her deceased son. Zusak contrasts her weak and undetermined attitude with Liesel's, who has survived the nightmares of her dying brother.
Why does Rudy Steiner continue to answer Hitler's birthday incorrectly?
We all know Rudy. He is a Jesse Owens-loving, smart, athletic, enegertic boy. He likes to steal for fun and is always hungry. Rudy is anything but submissive. He does what he believes in, not what other people want him to ' do, or in this case, say. It wouldn't fit Rudy's personality to tell Franz Deutscher the right date. Rudy treats this unspoken rebellion as a victory. His continued attempts to frustrate Franz Deutscher is revenge for all the laps and punishments.
-Jessica
In response to your response to my question about Rudy: After reading further, I noticed that the main reason that Rudy purposely answered incorrectly is because he wanted to be assigned laps to practice for the races.
ReplyDeleteI think your answer is right too; it definitely seems like a "Rudy" thing to do.