Summary
EXPOSITION
RISING ACTION
- Setting:
- Himmel Street Molching, Germany during WWII
- Main Characters:
- Liesel Meminger (The book thief)
- Hans and Rosa Hubermann (Liesel’s foster parents)
- Rudy Steiner (Liesel’s friend and neighbor)
- Max Vandenburg (a Jewish fistfighter who is in hidding)
- Death (the narrator on the story
- Main Conflict:
- Person vs. Person
- Leisel vs. Hitler: because his the reason why her family has either disappeared or is dead and the reason why her foster father has no work. She also resents him for being the cause of so much suffering by so many people.
- Rudy vs. Leisel: for her unwillingness to kiss him
- Person vs. Society
- Max vs. Nazi Germany: He is a Jew in Germany and during Hitler's time as dictator Jews were severely persecuted against.
- Hans vs. Nazi Germany: Hans does not believe in the Nazi morals and so he goes against Nazi Germany by hiding Max in his basement.
- Person vs. Self
- Leisel: she wants to steal more books, but she knows it's wrong
- Hans: whether or not to put is family in danger by hiding Max in their basement
- Max: whether or not he should stay in the Hubermann's basement and continue to put them in danger
- Background:
- This book takes place in Germany during WWII and the Holocaust. During this time Adolf Hitler was the dictator of Germany and Jewish people were severely persecuted and many were taken away from their homes to concentration camp. Others were taken in by German people and hid in basements and secret rooms. The Book Thief follows a young girl named Liesel Meminger who is taken in by the Hubermanns, her new foster parents.
RISING ACTION
- Liesel's brother dies on a train
- Liesel and her mother have her brother buried and Liesel steals her first book, The Grave Digger’s Handbook, after the funeral
- Liesel’s mother drops her off at the orphanage and leaves her. Liesel is then taken to Himmel Street Molching where she meets Hans and Rosa Hubermann, her new foster parents.
- Liesel meets Rudy while playing soccer outside with the boys; they become good friends.
- Papa (Hans) starts teaching Liesel to read the Gravedigger’s Guide
- In class, while everyone was being tested on reading, Liesel goes up and because she unable to properly read the book given she starts to reciet the Gravedigger’s Guide. She then beats up Tommy and Schlieker (kids in her class) because they were teasing her. Once the teacher found out she was beaten and Rudy comforts her.
- In the Christmas of 1939, Papa trades his cigarettes to give Liesel two books.
- Hans and his son fight and Hans Jr. runs away
- During the book bonfire on Hitler’s birthday, Liesel steals her second book, The Shoulder Shrug, and also realizes that Hitler most likely has something to do with her father and mother’s disappearance and her brother’s death. Making her say she hate the Fuhrer (Hitler). This causes Hans to hit her to tell her never to say that again. Hans then promises not to tell anyone about The Shoulder Shrug as long as she promises to keep any secret he tells her in the future.
- The mayor’s wife,
- Liesel joins Hitler Youth
- Hans applies to Nazi party and comes home with an idea and a copy of Mein Kampf
- Max Vandenburg comes to Himmel Street with a copy of Mein Kampf seeking help from the Hubermanns
- Max is moves into the basement and Hans talks to Liesel to scare her into promising to not tell anyone about Max
- On Liesel’s birthday she hugs Max and Max decides he must make something for her to repay her for her kindness
- Max writes the Standover Man on pages of Mein Kampf and gives it to Liesel as a late birthday present
- Max starts to work out and dreams of boxing Hitler
- The Mayor fires Rosa/Liesel, after which Liesel says some very rude things to the Mayor’s wife
- Liesel and Rudy steal a The Whistler from the Mayor
- Max becomes ill, but he gets better.
- Liesel and Rudy steals the Dream Carrier
- Soldiers check the basement, but do not see Max
- Liesel and Rudy go to steal book from Mayor but find a dictionary with a note in it asking Liesel to just come to the front door
- Everyone goes to the bomb shelter but Max has to say home
- Hans gives food to a jew and is whipped
- Max leaves and never comes back
- Rudy gets drafted into military school after being examined but his father goes to war instead
- Hans is accepted into Nazi party and leaves for war
- Rudy and Liesel feed bread to marching Jews
- Rosa gives Liesel The Word Shaker
- Hans breaks his leg and is discharged from the army
- Michael Holtzapfel comes home and kills himself
- Liesel sees Max and they both get whipped
- Ilsa Hermann, the Mayor’s wife, gives Liesel a little black book that Liesel uses to write her story
- the bombing of Himmel Street
- Everyone that Liesel loves and cares for is gone
- Liesel leaves her story behind after which Death picks it up
- Liesel runs away from the people who discover her among the rubble
- She finds Rudy and kisses his lips
- Also finds her foster parents and hold onto her mother’s hand
- Liesel goes and lives with the Mayor
- Max returns and visits Liesel in Alex Steiner’s shop
- Liesel dies at a very old age in Sydney, Australia and walked with death as he told her his impression of her life story.
Setting/ Time Period
The Book Thief is placed on Himmel Street Molching, Germany during the Holocaust. The Holocaust was a period of time from 1933-1945 during which Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party persecuted and killed Jews in Europe. WWII was also occurring during this time.
Main Characters
- Death: He is the narrator of the story and holds the job of caring away souls that have recently departed. Because of his job, Death tries to focus on colors as a way to distract himself, so that he does not get distracted by humans. However, Liesel's story gets Death's attention, and after he finds her autobiography, he decides to tell her story
"*** A LAST NOTE FROM YOUR NARRATOR***
I am haunted by humans."
(Zusak, 550)
I am haunted by humans."
(Zusak, 550)
Through the story it can be seen that Death is haunted by humans and their ability to so much evil but at the same time do so much good.
- Liesel Meminger: Also known as the book thief, Liesel is the hardworking and kind-hearted main character of the story. Her brother died on a train and her mother and father have both disapeared. Liesel is than forced to live with her foster family, the Hubermanns. During the story she creates many relationships. One being a friendship with Rudy, who she loves dearly. Also, throughout the book Liesel acts out a numerous amount of kind deeds. Including the time when she hugs Max, trying to comfort him and and not let him feel left out.
"And she walked over and hugged him for the first time. "Thanks, Max." At first, he merely stood there, but as she held on to him, gradually his hands rose up and gently pressed into her shoulder blades. Only later would she find out about the helpless expression on Max Vandenburg's face. She would also discover that he resolved at that moment to give her something back."
In the scene above, Liesel hugs Max so that he would not feel lonely, proving how kind Liesel truly is. This act of kindness is one Max will never forget.
- Max Vandenburg: Max, also known as "the struggle , is a Jewish fist fighter who is in hiding from the Nazis in the Hubermann's basement. He is consumed by guilt.
""I'm so selfish." When he said that he used his forearm to shield his face. "Leaving people behind. Coming here. Putting all of you in danger..."" (Zusak, 218)
The quote above demonstrates Max's guilt of leaving his family behind and surviving alone. He also feels guilty about putting the Hubermanns in danger for hiding him in their home.
- Hans Hubermann: Hans is Liesel's foster father who is a tall, gentle man with a great amount of bravery. He is horrified by the Nazi persecution of the Jews and does not believe in Hitler's morals. He is also an amateur accordion player and is a skilled house painter by trade.
"Many times, on the way home, women with nothing but kids and poverty would come running out and plead with him to paint their blinds. "Frau Hallah, I'm sorry, I have no black paint left," he (Hans) would say but a little farther down the road, he would always break. There was tall man and long street. "Tomorrow," he'd promise, "first thing," and when the next morning dawned, there he was, painting those blinds for nothing, or for cookie or a warm cup of tea..." (Zusak, 354)
The scene above proves that not only is Hans Hubermann a kind man but also a man of his word.
- Rosa Hubermann: Rosa is Hans's wife and Liesel's foster mother. She is a strong willed woman that makes some money by doing the laundry for the wealthier residence of Himmle Street. She is portrayed in the beginning of the book as strict and mean; however, it is soon evident that she cares for her family very much.
""Come on, Max," she whispered, and even the sound of Mama's arrival at her back did not stop her from silently crying. It didn't stop her from pulling a lump of salt water from her eye and feeding it onto Max Vandenburg's face. Mama took her. Her arms swallowed her. "I know," she said. She knew." (Zusak, 324)
The quote above shows how Rosa can be extremely kind and caring. During this scene Liesel is crying because Max is not waking up and she is extremely worried about him. Rosa, seeing her foster daughter cry, comes in and comforts Liesel.
- Rudy Steiner: Rudy is Liesel's best friend and is one of the six Steiner children. He is best known for painting his face black and running around the track to imitate his hero Jesse Owens. Throughout the book it is also evident that Rudy truly loves Liesel.
"He stood waist-deep in the water for a few moments longer before climbing out and handing her the book. His pants clung to him, and he did not stop walking. In truth, I think he was afraid. Rudy Steiner was scared of the book thief's kiss. He must have longed for it so much. He must have loved her so incredibly hard. So hard that he would never ask for her lips again and would go to his grave without them." (Zusak, 303)
The quote above illustrates Rudy's love for Leisel because Rudy loved Leisel so much that he was willing to jump into a freezing lake to retrieve her book for her. Not to mention in the quote itself is stated that Rudy loved Leisel so much that he stopped asking for her kisses.
Themes
- Friendship is a Savior: Friendship being a savior is a recurring the story, starting from Liesel’s instant friendship with Hans Hubermann and the fact that their friendship allows Liesel to forget, if only for a little while, about her brothers death and her nightmares. It is also shown in her relationship with Rudy and Max. Her friendship with Rudy allows her to feel love and allows her to explore the world with her best friend. Friendship is a savior to Max because if it weren't for his father's friendship with Hans, Max would most likely not have survived in Nazi, Germany. Also, Max's friendship with Liesel makes living in the basement bearable Friendship in this story shows the capability of humans to love and care for others.
- The Power of Words: The story illustrates both the good and the bad that can come from words. The bad is shown by the time period. During this time Hitler used words/propaganda to brainwash some German people into believing that Jews were the source of all their problems. Liesel, on the other hand, uses words for good. For example, during the air raid warning Liesel starts to read The Whistler and this allows people to calm down. Words also save Liesel’s life at the end of the book. Because she was writing her book in the basement, she was able to survive the bomb.
Symbols
- Death: Death is everywhere in this story. It is the narrator and is also an event that constantly occurs in the story.
- Colors: The colors of the sky are Death’s distractions. They also allow the readers to picture what Death is describing, and they also set up the mood of the book.
- The Accordion: The accordion means different things to each character
- To Liesel it means distraction, comfort, and hope
- To Hans the accordion represents his Jewish friend who saved his life during WWI
- To Max it represents hope for his survival through the Holocaust
- To Rosa the accordion represents Hans himself
- After Hans had died, Liesel finds the accordion which than becomes a symbol of great loss
- To Liesel it means distraction, comfort, and hope
- The Books: Each book symbolizes something different to Liesel
**** The Prezi below explains what each book represents to Liesel****