Jimmy Lai
In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, the author uses many symbols to give readers a
deeper understanding of the novel. The main character in the book is Liesel Meminger. She has a
hard time in life because she has to learn to love her foster parents, Hans Huberman and Rosa
Huberman in Nazi Germany during World War II. The symbolism of an accordion, colors and
books, all play an important role in The Book Thief. These symbols help characters survive
difficult times.
The first symbol that plays an important role in The Book Thief is the accordion. The
accordion represents friendship to Hans Huberman. This represents friendship because Erik
Vandenberg and Hans were in World War I together. At one point Erik volunteers Hans to be a
writer and this would prevent him from going to war that day. Everyone that did go to war that
day, died. So Erik saved Hans life. “A German Jew named Erik Vandenberg who taught him to
play the accordion” (Zusak 175). The accordion represents love and comfort to Rosa Huberman.
This represents love or comfort because when Hans goes to war, Rosa remains strapped to the
accordion because it reminds her of Hans. “The accordion remained strapped to her chest”
(Zusak 429). The symbol of the accordion is important to the book because of the memories and
what it represents to characters like Hans and Rosa.
Another symbol that plays an important role in The Book Thief is the books. To Liesel
books represent memories, such as “The last time she saw her brother” (Zusak 38). This book is
The Grave Diggers Hand Book. Liesel get this book right after her brother’s death. “The last
time she sees her mother” (Zusak 38), is also right after taking this book. Books can save you in
different types of situations. When Max Vandenberg, the Jewish son of Erik Vandenberg is
walking to Hans Huberman house he has to carry the book Mein Kampf so that people would
think that he is a good German. If they find out that he is Jewish then he will of probably be sent
away to a concentration camp. “In front of him, he read from the copy of Mein Kampf. His
savior” (Zusak 157). Another time books save a life happen at the end of the novel. In this instant
Liesel was in the basement when a shower of bombs comes to her street. She was safe because
she was writing a book in the basement, however everyone else dies. “But there was no Liesel in
that house. Not for me, anyway” (Zusak 532). Books serves an important symbolical because
they help characters survive.
A different symbol that plays an important role in The Book Thief is colors. Death uses
colors as a distraction from humans. When someone dies and Death has to come pick them up,
he uses color to distract him from the survived. He does this because he doesn’t want to see the
despair of others. Colors can also define things. “I deliberately seek out the colors to keep my
mind off them, but now and then I witness the ones who are left besides crumbling among the
jigsaw puzzle of realization, despair, and surprise” (Zusak 5). Hans Junior has the eyes of his
father and the height. Silvers eyes represents clam, warm, etc. “The silver in his eyes however
wasn’t warm like papa- they’d been Fuhrhred” (Zusak 103). The lemon candle stands for Rudy. I
think that the color yellow represents the goodness that shines through him. “A lemon candle
stood below the branches” (Zusak 491). In this scene Rudy is leaving a teddy bear behide for a
scared child. The symbol color is important to the book because it explains how people are or
how important something is.
The symbolism of the accordion, books, and colors all are important to The Book Thief.
These symbols are very helpful. They help characters get through a situation. When they get
through this situation its shows that they are strong. That is how symbols are important to the
book as a whole.