Michelle Li
class 730
4/28/14
MAT
In the book The Book Thief, the author, Markus Zusak, used a significant amount of historic
details in order to create a captivating book. This book takes place in the 1930s in Nazi Germany,
and the setting, character’s thoughts and emotions, and the lessons that I learned leaves a powerful
image in our minds. These details all come together to create a colorful and striking picture of Nazi
Germany in the 1930s, which left a very strong impression in my mind after completing the book.
A noteworthy way that history comes alive in this book is the setting and the events that
unfold as the Nazi's fight for dominance progresses. This story takes place in Nazi Germany, as
said in the introduction. Due to the setting, the main events that happen relate back to the events
shortly before World War II. One of the main methods the author uses to create a vivid story that
comes to life is suspense. In one specific scene that I found really showed suspense is when there
starts to be bombings around Himmel Street, where the main character Liesel lives, and the Nazis
are checking basements to make shelters. Most unfortunately, the Hubermann family is hiding in
their basement a Jewish man. Liesel runs home to tell her dad, but she is not quick enough. Page
342, 343 of the book quotes, "a seven-punch knock was hammered into the door of 33 Himmel
Street, and it was too late to move anyone anywhere... I doubt any of them had the audacity to
consider what they'd do if the basement was appointed as a shelter. They had to survive the
inspection first." In many ways, this is a life and death situation. If Liesel and her family were caught
harboring a Jew, they were as good as dead, labeled as Jew lovers. Their fates would then lie in the
Nazis hands once they were discovered, not something to look forward to because Hitler is known
for his brutal ways. This scene of the book includes a lot of suspense and action, which made me
want to keep reading on to find out what will happen to Liesel's family and wether or not the
Hubermann family will get caught. Since living in Germany during the Nazi’s rule were stressful and
tense times, it is practical that the author shows this by using suspense, and that's what makes The
Book Thief such a brilliant and life changing book.
The characters and their emotions in The Book Thief make the book even more captivating.
One example of this is the feelings of a man named Max Vandenburg, a Jewish man that the main
character Liesel is hiding in her home. Liesel didn't think at first that she would be friends with Max.
However, Liesel slowly realizes how much similar Max is with her despite the difference in their race.
One day, Liesel's adoptive dad Hans is called a Jew-lover. Hans fears they will come to search his
home, forcing Max to leave. Leisel is unaware that Max, left wandering and searching for another
family that will accept him, is accidentally caught by the nazis. As the nazis march groups of Jews to
concentration camps through Himmel street, Liesel and Max finally reunites. "The book thief
stepped onto the road. Never had a movement been such a burden. Never had a heart been so
definite and big in her adolescent chest."(Page 509) Liesel at this point has decided to not let her
fear overpower her love for Max and even though she will face dire consequences, she still shows
her unrequited love. Liesel is confident of what she is doing to take such a large step. Meanwhile,
the book describes Max's feelings. "There was an intense sadness in his eyes. They swelled.
'Liesel... They got me a few months ago.' The voice was crippled but it dragged itself towards her."
(Page 511) Max feels the regret of leaving Liesel because if he didn't, he might still be with her.
Max's eyes "pleaded" with Liesel not to risk herself for him. (Page 510) The author's use of feelings
between the characters, especially Liesel and Max's feelings shows how intense their relationship is
and Nazi Germany comes alive in our eyes because we understand how the characters in the story
think and feel.
One thing that I noticed as I read The Book Thief was that under the words and the stories
that Liesel and her friends tell, there is always a hidden meaning. I realized that these messages
actually made the book more engaging. What captivated me the most was a story that Max
Vandenburg wrote for Liesel, called "the wordshaker". It is about one man, Hitler, who rose to power
using only his words. "Yes, the fuhrer (Hitler) decided that he would rule the world with words. ‘I will
never fire a gun,' he devised. 'I will not have to'"(page 445) I learned that in times of war, individual’s
words can have such a great impact to the people around them, and like Hitler, words can be used
for evil and to gain authority over weaker people. Hitler planted words and images into the minds of
many people, and these words became symbols, and the symbols became hate. And like tiny seeds,
the words of hate were cultivated and spread into forests. "It was a nation of farmed
thoughts."(Page 445) This shows how desperate people can be for someone, anyone, to lead them,
and in the 1930s, that person turned out to be Hitler. This also shows how easy people are to
convince and how quick they are to believe what other people say to them. However, among these
people, a little girl, Liesel, didn't follow the rest of the world in doing what they did. She cultivated a
tree of her own out of friendship and love and with her word’s power kept the tree standing no
matter who tried to cut it down. "A hundred and ninety-six soldiers could not make any impact on the
word shaker's (Liesel's) tree."(Page 447) Like Liesel, words can be used to create peace, not war
and suffering. Amid all the hate and chaos around her, Liesel still stood up for what she believed in.
It is amazing that a small girl like her could stand up to Hitler with her words that could not be
brought down by everyone around her and to take a stand and save the man that is detested
because he is a Jew. This story and it's hidden historical details brings the book to life by showing
what a big impact words can have on people, one main theme in The Book Thief.
In conclusion, the setting and historical events, the characters and the character's emotions,
and the lessons that the author includes creates a bold and attention worthy book. The setting,
which is in Nazi Germany, shows that the book takes place in a historical time period and the
suspense that the author uses in many of the events throughout the entire book made the book very
exciting. The emotions that many of the characters felt: sorrow, loss, and regret add to the mood of
the story, and make this book realistic. Many of the lessons that I found are about historical events,
for example in the story “the wordshaker,” which talks about Hitler and his influence over people.
Overall, as you read The Book Thief, the combination of historical details along with the methods
that Markus Zusak used to write this book starts to make you truly feel for the characters as if they
were alive.