The beginning of part 3 begins when Liesel’s papa, Hans, sees that she stole a book out of the celebratory fire. He promises not to tell Rosa, her mama. You also find out that the mayor’s wife was the mystery identity who saw her steal the book. Later, when she goes to the mayor’s house to pick up the washing, she fears Frau Hermann will scold her, but instead, the Frau invites her into her library room. That puts Liesel in awe and also makes her very happy. Everytime she goes to the Hermann house for the washing, she also reads a few books at a time, a few paragraphs each. Liesel’s understanding of the literary world is expanded. It is in the library Liesel finds out that Frau Hermann’s son had died and that is why she is so reserved. At the…
In discussion question 3, we analyze the reasons behind Liesel’s book thievery and how they were important to her- emotionally wise and as well as in her outside relationships.…
Her brother died on the train when they were going to the Hubermanns. Her nightmares started the first day she was with the Hubermanns. Hans tries his best to sooth her pain from the memories by playing the accordion for her “Some days papa told her to get back into bed and wait a minute, and he would return with his accordion and play for her.” (Zusak 37) He plays for her to not only amuse her but to show her that he cares. Liesel’s nightmares tend to reoccur every night until she realizes that she is loved and she can trust her new…
It is 1918, Liesel Meminger, a nine-year-old girl living in Germany during World War II. Undergoing many troubles Liesel’s experiences are narrated by Death, who describes both the beauty and destruction of life in this era. Liesel avoids the mayor's house at all costs because she suspects that the mayor's wife saw her steal the book from the bonfire. However, Liesel’s mother is working under the mayor, she has to pick up and deliver laundry everyday. The mayor’s wife has invited her to her library every time Liesel comes to pick up laundry. One day the mayor fires Liesel’s mother and that began the mischief of Liesel and…
Grief and a sense of the tenderness of death assimilates itself throughout the tale of Liesel Meminger and hearkens us to what will one day be the fate of all. In conclusion, death possesses an omnipresent outlook within this novel and exemplifies the tragic unfolding of the life of Liesel…
Stealing her first book opened Liesel up to a world filled with words and grammar. As she stared at The Grave Digger’s Handbook, “touching the print inside, she had no idea what it was saying.”(38). Because Liesel could not read or write, as a nine-year-old, she was forced to attend school with children who just started learning the alphabet. There was a stolen book hidden under Liesel’s bed and she didn’t know what any of the words said. That inspired her to have “sudden desire to read it that she didn’t even attempt to understand” (66). However, it was also ironic that she asked her foster father to teach her these skills, when he could not comprehend them himself. It all became beneficial for Liesel because his lack of ability “would cause less frustration in coping with the girl’s lack of ability” (65). Because Hans could not read acutely, he understood what she was going through, and he was patient. In a few years, she was able to pick up a book and read…
This passage was chosen because throughout the entire book the characters are tragically dying, especially at the end after the bombing. We see everyone that Liesel associated herself with die, and this one haunting sentence foreshadows the events. This statement makes it known to readers that death, is basically inevitable and that there will be a great deal of it in the text. The passage contributes to the work as a whole because it focuses in on one of the major themes in this novel, death. It uses death as a unifier, conclusively…
This passage makes me feel sad because of the sudden death of Liesel. As a result, this prompts me into realizing that one of theme of this book is about how life is unpredictable. An example of this is when Liesel dies without warning. I can relate to this theme because a friend of mine from elementary has committed suicide and none of her friends knew until her parents posted a post on Facebook declaring that she has died. Therefore, I've learned that cherishing the people around me is important as they might die without warning, like…
Upon Liesel’s arrival to Himmel Street, she has no desire to meet Hans: her new Papa. Hans notices her stolen copy of The Gravedigger's Handbook and offers to teach her how to read and write. From then on, a lively friendship presents itself as “Liesel made her way down to the basement.…
It seems as if books are the only thing close to a permanent “family” that Liesel has, as all of the real family she has seems to always be taken away from her. On the other hand, books always seem to be there for her when she wants to soften the blow of the losses and sorrows thrown towards her, such as losing her friends and family. Books are Liesel’s safe haven throughout having to leave her parents at the beginning of the book, all the way through the deaths of her extended family and friends at the end of the book, and she would most likely use books as her therapy throughout the rest of her life after the book ends. However, there still might be a lingering trauma following her and her relationships with books, as they will always remind her of why she needed them.…
In this passage, Liesel is going through one of her toughest moments in her life. At the same time, the author uses the word darkness, to symbolize Liesel's feelings. In this situation, darkness is representing the feeling of hopeless. In other words, Liesel is currently going through a lot of fluctuations in her life which causes her to get trapped inside of her own world. Simultaneously, she loses hope in this world, causing her to see everything in darkness. The reasons that Liesel would feel this way is most likely due to her brother's death, being sent to a foster home and getting beaten by her foster mother and realizing that she will never have the chance to see her real mother again. As a result, Liesel's experiences makes my…
Therefore, Liesel evolves from a lonely character that had nobody to a character who creates many incredible bonds with her new family and friends. Even though Liesel has a hard time trusting and allowing herself to vulnerable, she easily starts an incredible and amazing bond with her foster father, Hans Hubermann. When Liesel was getting to know him, “Liesel observed the strangeness of her foster father’s eyes. They were made of kindness, and sliver... Upon seeing those eyes, understood that Hans Hubermann was worth a lot” (Zusak 34). No one has ever played her music, and no one has ever taught her how to read till Hans came along. No one has ever cared for her like Hans has. This is why Liesel loves Hans the most out of everybody. Liesel also starts an amazing and a heartwarming relationship with Max Vandenburg, who is a Jew surviving in Hubermann’s basement. “You could say argue that Liesel Meminger had it easy. She did have it easy compared to max Vanderburg... anything was better than being a Jew.” (Zusak 161). Liesel was a lost girl who had nobody till her new family found her. Max has also lost his family but he is also by the Nazis. Liesel and Max are both broken people living in a broken world. They both have lost many important things in their lives, this is what makes them bond really easily. Liesel did not care that Max was Jewish; they still create…
When Liesel saw Rudy “her hands were trembling” and she was “losing control and misjudging” things. Liesel was so shocked after seeing Rudy’s corpse that she started losing control of herself. She couldn’t accept his death, so she lost it and continuously tired to wake him up. Liesel described “Papa” as “a man with silver eyes, not dead ones.” Papa had silver eyes when he was alive so she expected him to have those eyes when she found him, but they disappeared and became dead after he lost his soul. His eyes “were all empty” and they “continued to rust.” After looking at Papa, Liesel said, “Goodbye, Papa, you saved me. You taught me to read.” This major detail expresses Liesel’s feelings towards her father, and it shows how important and influential “words” are to her.…
Liesel has a great passion for books and it is first shown when her brother dies and she steals her first book The Gravedigger’s Handbook. The second time Liesel steals a book, she is seen by Ilsa who is one of the clients of Liesel's mother Rosa Hubermann. Liesel faces an argument with Ilsa and this is how she used the power of words: “It’s about time,” she informed her, “that you do your own stinking washing anyway. It’s about time you faced the fact that your son is dead. He got killed! He got strangled and cut up more than twenty years ago! Or did he freeze to death? Either way, he’s dead! He’s dead…
However, the Hubermanns are too poor to pay for something extra like a book for Liesel, so Liesel getting a Christmas present was completely out of the question. Even though Papa wanted to get Liesel a book, “the Hubermanns were essentially broke, still paying off debts and paying rents quicker than money could come in” (88). After Liesel, Rosa, and Hans got back from church on Christmas Liesel sees something wrapped under the tree in newspaper addressed to her, even though it is from Saint Nicholas she knows her Papa got it for her. When Liesel got the gift it completely surprised, that she even got a gift, at that a book, when her family couldn’t even afford it, without going further into debt. Also the way Hans got the books surprised me, making cigarettes and trading them to a…