Book Thief Characters
The Book Thief is the fifth novel by Australian author, Markus Zusak. The setting is Nazi Germany just before the start of World War Two, through to 1943, and the story is narrated by Death. Death was decidedly overworked during the war, but he informs the reader that he saw young Liesel Meminger three times in those years before he finally took her much later. Liesel comes to 33 Himmel Strasse in Molchen to foster parents Rosa and Hans Hubermann, having just lost her younger brother, Werner to Death’s grasp. Cranky Rosa keeps the family fed with her washing and ironing service while kind Hans paints when it is needed, plays the accordion and teaches Liesel to read, all on the background of deprivation, anxiety and fear that is wartime Germany. The anxiety level rises when Max Vandenburg, a Jew, comes to hide in the basement.
But the presence of this unassuming man also helps to expand Liesel’s experience of reading and of life. With her best friend, Rudy Steiner, Liesel embarks on a career of thievery, starting with apples but graduating, eventually, to books from the Mayor’s library, although her first books are acquired in quite a different manner. This much-awarded, best-selling novel looks at war from a different perspective: the effects it has on ordinary people trying to lead ordinary lives in an ordinary town.
While the Fuhrer and Mein Kampf play integral parts, illustrating the use of words for evil, the emphasis is on the struggle of the common man (and woman) to do the right thing in a dangerous environment. Zusak’s characters have depth and appeal (even cranky Rosa): the banter between them often lifts the tension from serious moments with some quite black humour. Zusak is skilful with his imagery and wordplay: “He was teenage tall and had a long neck. Pimples gathered in peer groups on his face.” and “She imagined the sound of a police siren throwing itself forward and reeling itself in. Collecting itself.” are just two examples. The illustrations by Trudy White are a charming enhancement to the text. This novel has brutality, but it also has beauty.
The narration style may take a little getting used to, but the reader who perseveres is rewarded with a wonderful experience.
Book Thief Characters
Character Analysis In The Book Thief Novel
Get free homework help on Markus Zusak's The Book Thief: book summary, chapter summary and analysis, quotes, and character analysis courtesy of CliffsNotes. Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, set in Germany during World War II, follows young Liesel Meminger as she struggles with the loss of her mother and brother and must go to live with foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. 4 days ago - The Book Thief Character List. A metaphysical being, Death serves as the dryly cynical narrator of The Book Thief. Liesel Meminger. Max Vandenburg. Hans Hubermann. Rosa Hubermann. Rudy Steiner. Ilsa Hermann. Werner Meminger.