THEMES AND
QUOTES
THE BOOK THIEF
 The story is
narrated by ‘Death’ – what impact
does this have?
 ‘Death’ as
the narrator is reluctant to do his ‘job’.
He is sentimental and cares for souls:
- “ your soul will be in my arms..I will carry
you gently away” p4
 Max
and Liesel have been touched by death and
loss
 Death is all around:


Devastation of war
Hatred of the Jews- loss of freedom and identity
 Frau
Hermann’s grief following the loss of her
son is evident.
 Michael
Holtzapfel hangs himself after his
brother dies in war


The novel describes Rudy Steiner:


‘In years to come he would be a giver of bread, not a stealer
– proof again of the contradictory human being. So much
good, so much evil. Just add water.'(p 178)
Even ‘Death’ cannot comprehend how humans can be so
cruel and yet so good at the same time.


‘The consequence of this is that I’m always finding humans
at their best and worst. I see their ugly and their beauty, and
I wonder how the same thing can be both . . .’ (p522)
- He is “haunted by humans” p584
Brutality of humanity
Suffering endured by Max, Liesel and many other characters in the novel
 The atrocities committed in the war, the persecution and deaths of millions
of Jews
 The horrors of war, e.g. The dying pilot scene










Erik Vandenburg (Max’ father) saves Hans’ life
Walter helps Max to initially escape the concentration camps
Hans gives one of the starving Jewish camp prisoners a piece of
bread- a risky decision
Max and Liesel’s friendship, developed amidst war and suffering
Rudy leaves a teddy bear on the chest of the American pilot who
crashes his plane (Part Nine)
Hans and Rosa accepting Liesel into their home, despite their own
lack of wealth and food
Hans’ patience in teaching Liesel and his selflessness through
buying her the books for Christmas
Hans helps Max by allowing him to stay with the family, despite the
obvious risks
Frau Hermann sharing her books with Liesel

It amazes me what humans can do, even when streams
are flowing down their faces and they stagger on,
coughing and searching and finding” (p570)
Hans shows compassion and courage, and rebels
against Hitler and the Nazis by hiding Max in his
basement
 Liesel stealing books and sticking up for herself at
school
 He is trying to uphold his beliefs and morals in a
society where they are not tolerated and accepted.



“Since 1933, 90% of Germans showed unflinching
support for Adolf Hitler. That leaves 10% who didn’t.
Hans Hubermann belonged to the 10%” p65
Who else shows courage in the novel?

Liesel finds solace and sanity in books she has
stolen or salvaged from the Nazi bonfires of banned
books.

The Shoulder Shrug- stolen at the bonfire
Liesel develops a bond with the Mayor’s wife after
she is allowed into the library.
 She is striving for knowledge at a time when ideas
are being squashed
 She is comforted by reading after her nightmares
 She is able to tell her own story through her book
 Max’ books “ The Word Shaker” and “The Standover
Man”
 “she knew how powerless a person could be
without words” – (Max, The Word Shaker p476)

“The words. Why did they have to exist? Without them, there
wouldn't be any of this. Without words, the Führer was
nothing.” – Liesel p553
 She “wanted to kill the words” p554
 ‘It was a nation of farmed thoughts…our Führer also planted

seeds to create symbols.'(p 475) - Max's story suggests that Hitler's
power lay in the words he planted




She said it audibly now, to the orange-lit room. "What
good are the words?"(p.553)
I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I
have made them right. (p.562)
Liesel grows to understand how words are used to
invoke and spread feelings of hatred during the war, and
how powerful they can be (i.e. To the Nazi Party)
Gravediggers Handbook is a link to Liesel’s past. Why?

Storytelling – The Book Thief, ultimately saves Liesel. How?
“The words were on their way, and when they arrived, Liesel would
hold them out like the clouds and she would wring them out like
the rain” p85
 “She was holding desperately on to the words that had saved her
life” (p499)





Liesel reads aloud to calm everyone as they await the bomb
raids- [find a quote and highlight.]
Frau Hermann gives Liesel a blank book to record her story.
Liesel reads aloud to Frau Holtzapfel as a favour. Why does
Frau Holtzapfel enjoy this? What does she get out of this?
Max and Mein Kampf
 He carries it with him on his journey to Munich. How does
the book ‘save’ him? How is this ironic?
 He uses it to make The Standover Man (he paints over the
words)

Liesel and Rosa
“a woman with an iron fist”
 Made to clean Frau Holtzapfel’s spit off the doorstep, made to help with the
housework and ironing
 “She did love Liesel Meminger..her way of showing it just happened to be
strange. It involved bashing her with wooden spoon and words..”
p35
 Liesel watching Mama wearing Hans’ accordion when he is taken off to war



“I came and watched you and you were beautiful. God damn it, you were so
beautiful, Mama” p571
Liesel and Hans





The accordion
Education in the basement, and night-time reading
He buys her two books for Christmas after selling his cigarettes
Hans gains Liesel’s trust early on when she is suffering from nightmares
every night “a stranger to kill the aloneness” . He convinces Liesel to take a
bath when she arrives in Molching.
His eyes were made of “kindness, and silver” p34

Liesel and Max







Max makes a book for Liesel as a birthday present (The Standover
Man)
Max and Liesel have many things in common
Max asks Liesel to cut his hair
The Word Shaker is a symbol of their strong friendship which has
developed throughout Max’ stay with the Hubermanns.
Liesel diligently watched the Jewish marches looking out for Max,
signifying her affection and hope for Max.
“Often I wish this would all be over, Liesel but then you go and do
something like walk down the stairs with a snowman in your hands”
p335
Rudy and Liesel
A strong friendship from the start
 “He was there for her at the beginning and he would be there later
on... But he wouldn’t do it for free” p53
 Liesel finally gives Rudy the kiss he always wanted after he dies from
the bombs in Himmel Street.

Max’ guilt for leaving his family behind to be
arrested
 Feels guilty for sleeping in Liesel’s room like a guest
and moves into the basement
 Liesel’s guilt at calling Frau Hermann “a pathetic
woman”
 Rudy feels guilty for his father being drafted into the
Nazi Party to fight in the war
 Frau Holtzapfel’s son’s guilt at wanting to live while
his brother is dead.

 Liesel is
unsure of her identity as she is taken
away from her family to be raised with an
unknown foster family
 She suffers ridicule at school because she
cannot read well
 Through her education at home with Hans,
Liesel creates her own identity as she becomes
independent in her reading.
 She becomes the ‘Book Thief’