The Book Thief
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The Book Thief is a 2005 best-selling novel by Markus Zusak, and a finalist for the 2007 Michael L. Printz Award. It was on the New York Times Children's Best Seller list for over 21 weeks.
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[edit] Plot summary
The Book Thief is set in Germany, during and post-World War II. The story is told from the point of view of Death, a reluctant collector of souls, who doesn't enjoy the job appointed to him. One of the few pleasures he has is in the story of the book thief, Liesel Meminger, whom he encounters three times. Liesel's story begins when she and her brother are sent away by their mother because her medical bills cost too much to properly take care of them, to the Hubermanns, a foster family. However, on the way to the small town outside Munich where the Hubermanns live, Liesel's six-year-old brother dies after developing a cough. Death first encounters Liesel as the gravediggers are burying her brother, and notes that Liesel steals the younger gravedigger's handbook, despite her inability to read. She later arrives at the Hubermanns' house on Himmel Street in Molching and meet her foster parents, Rosa and Hans, who treat her well, despite Rosa's infamous swearing. Liesel then meets Rudy Steiner, a neighbor of her age who later becomes her best friend. Rudy, a local troublemaker and ladies' man, is well known for his impersonation of the African-American athlete Jesse Owens and his flame for Liesel (especially the fact that he asks her for a kiss whenever it is possible to fit the request into the conversation). Eventually Hans Hubermann decides to take in a Jewish refugee, Max Vandenburg, and lets him stay in the Hubermanns' basement because Max's father saved Hans' life during World War I, an event which lead him to question the morality of the Jewish persecution (and left him in possession of Max's deceased father's accordion, a symbol of joy and remembrance throughout the novel). Max becomes Liesel's close friend, and he chronicles the experience in a series of sketches, as well as two homemade books for Liesel. (All of Max's books are made by painting over the words in a copy of Mein Kampf.) However, because Hans helped another Jew as he was being marched to a nearby camp, Max is forced to leave due to fear that the Hubermanns' will be searched by the SS.
Meanwhile, World War II is creeping closer to Himmel Street, bringing death to the area. The Nazi Party asks the Steiner family for Rudy in order to send him to the war, but the Steiners refuse. As a result, Rudy's father is sent away as a punishment. Hans is also sent away; he survives his brief draft into the army and returns, but one soldier, the son of one of Liesel's neighbors, commits suicide because he feels responsible for his brother's death in battle. Also, an Allied plane crashes just outside the town, and Liesel witnesses the pilot die (the second time Death sees Liesel). The threat of an air raid increases by the day, and during drills the neighborhood gathers in basements of "adequate depth" for protection. Here, Liesel becomes more aware of the power of words, as she reads to her neighbors and family to calm them. However, one day, the alarms are too late. All the citizens of Himmel Street are killed in a late night bombing except for Liesel. She survives because she is writing her life story in the Hubermanns' basement when the bombs crash. Liesel is overcome by grief at the deaths of her family and friends, and loss of the only happiness she had ever known. She witnesses both her parents' corpses as well as Rudy's, which she kisses as a final goodbye. This is her third encounter with Death, who picks up her discarded autobiography, bringing him new perspective on the life of this strange girl. Miraculously, Max survives the camps and is reunited with Liesel several years later, when Liesel is working in Alex Steiner's shop, since he has also astonishingly and ironically survived the war. The story ends with Liesel's death as an old woman, living with her family in Sydney, Australia. Death questions her about her life, showing her the long discarded autobiography, and comments that he is "haunted by humans," which is very ironic seeing that usually humans are afraid of Death, not vice versa.[1]
[edit] Characters in "The Book Thief"
Death - This story is told through the view of Death, though he is not at all like the stereotypical Grim Reaper. He mainly focuses on colors in situations instead of the people, which he uses as a coping mechanism to deal with the inherent tragedy of his profession. Through what he has witnessed and from what he has read in a book he found, written by Liesel Meminger, Death gives a personalized account of this young girl's life from the time she was given up by her mother to the time when World War II disturbs her previously unaffected area of Germany.
Liesel Meminger - The protagonist of the story. Her mother was forced to give up her two children to foster care - although Liesel's younger brother dies on the way (this has a profound effect on her). Her foster father, Hans, taught her to read at the late age of 11, to roll cigarettes, and while she remains behind in school it becomes her new obsession. However, because of her family's poverty, she is forced to steal new reading material from various sources (thus the title). She later falls in love with her best friend Rudy Steiner, although she never tells him of this during his life.
Rudy Steiner- A boy who lives on Himmel Street during the same time as Liesel Meminger. He is well known around his neighbourhood for painting himself black and running through a field like the athlete Jesse Owens. Throughout the novel, he often stands up for a handicapped boy in the Hitler's Youth, steals from the rich neighbourhoods and farms, and frequently asks Liesel for a kiss. A self-proclaimed ladies' man, he ends up falling in love with Liesel, but goes to his death without ever professing his love or receiving her sought-after kiss. He was also known for his "lemon coloured hair" and his prowess in athletics and in the classroom.
Hans Hubermann - Hans Hubermann is Liesel's foster father, and becomes her closest confidante. He is a painter by trade and an amateur accordionist. He served with a Jewish man, Erik Vandenburg, during World War I. Instead of going to the battlefield, Hans was nominated by Erik as a letter writer; it was Erik who miraculously saved Hans Hubermann's life because everyone who went to the battlefield, including Erik, died. This causes him to make the decision to shelter Max, Erik's son. He was described as being very tall with silver eyes and is well known for his smoking habit, although he confesses that he enjoys rolling the cigarettes more than smoking them.
Max Vandenburg- A Jewish refugee. He hides in the Hubermanns' basement to avoid capture because of the Holocaust. During this time period, he becomes close friends with Liesel, who becomes the inspiration for many of his metaphorical stories about Hitler and their situation. Like many of Zusak's characters, he boxed when he was younger, and often dreams of fighting Hitler in his basement. Max is described as having hair like feathers (or twigs) and swampy eyes.
Rosa Hubermann- Rosa Hubermann is Liesel's foster mother. She is a laundress and, although she loves her husband and foster daughter, it is often not very apparent. She is well known for her constant swearing and cursing, as well as her extraordinarily bad cooking. Rosa is described as having hair like grey elastic, and a build that resembles that of a wardrobe. Rosa will later live every living moment scared because of the Nazis finding Max.
[edit] Themes
Death, dying - Throughout the novel, the discussion of dying comes to the forefront. This is a very apparent theme because the narrator is Death (who even experiences difficulties with the sheer amount of brutality). World War II is also in the background, which denotes that death is all around Liesel. The source of all of Liesel's and Max's nightmares are the deaths of their family members.
Literature - Liesel learns the value of having a voice and knowing how to read from the beginning of the book. She also realizes that words are what hold the country under the power of Hitler and Nazi party. The theme is recurring: Hans teaches her to read at night, the mayor's wife allows her into the library and Max gives her two stories. As well as being the source of her strife, literature also becomes Liesel's escape from her bleak life.
Colors - Death values colors throughout the book as a means of expressing the scene. It is the best way it can describe the emotions and the feeling of what is happening. Colors are a means for escape from the horror of death, as well as a confirmation of it.
[edit] Film Adaptation
- The Book Thief has been optioned by Fox 2000 for film adaptation.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Markus Zusak books. Random House Website. Retrieved on 2007-01-16.
