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.
When i read this i felt as if this was an acknowledgement of how dependent max's survival is to the actions of Hans, Liesel, and Rosa. It also is a way of showing how hard Hans, Liesel, and Rosa had to work just to preform normal tasks without conveying their nervousness.
ReplyDeleteI also found it strange how Zusak made the Nazi so civil and polite to the family, because so far in the novel we have been shown the cold and dour manner of the Nazi's. I think Zusak used this as a way to show how a majority of the population not only supported Hitler and his beliefs, but also completely failed to see anything wrong with it, it was normal and expected to them. It was how they were convinced the world should be like.