Death is Busy and it's the End for Himmel Street

The ending of The Book Thief, is probable the saddest I have ever read. This is the first book that I think I have had real emotion toward the characters. Before I give everything away I want to pick up where I left off. I'm going to finish the summary that I started last time. After Hans Hubermann goes to the war we see a different side from Rosa. She stays up long nights playing the saddest of songs on Hans’s accordion. Liesel would sometimes watch as she mumbled to herself all her prays to Hans. I think this had a lot of meaning because we see Rosa in the begining this strict hardknock mother, to more be more caring and sensitive now. And nothing has realy changed with Max he is still no where to be found. But something he left behind is now revealed. He gave a book to Rosa that he wrote while staying with the Hubermanns; he told Rosa to give it to Liesel when the time was right. As Liesel began to feel depressed about Papa leaving, Rosa could not think of a better time. I think the book had symbolism of not forgetting. Whenever the story kind of detours away from Max he reemerges in their mind after hearing a phrase or seeing something.

The war just keeps getting worse and worse for Germany. Death is busy at the moment. We also see the mayor's wife, Ilsa Hermann, reach out to Liesel again with cookies. I know I have been hopping around with subjects a bit but I’m trying to get the information you will need to get the most out of the ending of the novel.

Well back to Hans who is now in the army. He meets a man by the name of Reinhold Zucker who was a pretty rude and obnoxious person. Hans was very well liked always offering tobacco to his superiors. After they introduced Reinhold, Death says, “ it kills me sometimes, how people die.” . This author has used this sort of thing a lot, giving away peoples fates then filling in the blanks. I think it’s interesting how Death has emotion toward the lives he takes. What ends up happening is while traveling in a truck with the rest of his group, they get a flat and the truck starts flipping over. The only one dead was Reinhold and ironically he forced Hans Hubermann to move out of his sit to the back where it was smelly. Even after this Hans with such a kind soul blames himself saying “It should have been me who died”. Just one of the many acts of sympathy and kindnesses we see from Hans. We leave Hans knowing the burden of guilt he has, they explain what happens after this event later in the book, back to Himel street. Frau Holtapfel their neighbor, lost one of her 2 sons in the war. She is beginning to lose hope in the world. Her other son, Michael, has come back home to comfort her. During the next air raid, she would not come out of her kitchen and the bombs were beginning to drop. She ended up coming down for Michael’s sake she later exclaimed. Michael’s character seems to be cheerful and upbeat but from death's insight we see he feels he is not fit for this world. Michael ends up killing himself, he will not be the only soul Death will steal or relieve in the near future. After all these events the novel picks up pace. One thing I did want to mention was a change in Liesel's and Isla Hermanns relationship. Liesel went up to the mayor's house one day (Isla Hermann's husband), she planned on stealing a book. When she arrived, she just could not bring herself to do it because of all the recent events. She ended up leaving a note stating she was done stealing from her library and sorry for any inconveniance she might have caused. The letter was so well written that Isla Hermann came the next day with a blank book. She said she should write in it and that you have a remarkable story, little book thief. I think this is where the title was derived from. Later that day Hans Hubermann made his way back home, he had broken his leg in the crash.
A new section starts and Death gets right into things giving us a glimpse of the future. Himel Street is flattened. In a sea of flames, it amounts to rubble. I disliked and liked that the author wrote it this way. It still makes you want to read to see everything that happened and the emotions that were swirling around. But on the other hand, it ruins a lot of things that you might have been looking forward to, a sense of mystery. Now Death goes back to where he was before Hans came home. Here comes Max. Another parade of Jews is arriving to Himmel street; Max being one of them. I started this post by saying this one of the only books I have ever had true emotions for the characters. And when Liesel meets up with Max Markus Zusak made it so you were right there next them, hearing every word. It was a heartwarming moment when they met up but soon turned to heartbreaking when they were both whipped and torn away from each other. She embraced him and told him how hard it was without him. He told her to stay strong the worst has not come yet, leaving with the words “It’s a beautiful day to die” as he was whisked off into the camps. Rudy helped her up after being slapped and insulted by the Nazi’s. After she was filled with all these emotions she could not help but tell Rudy everything. He promised to keep her secret, which would not be hard considering he would be dead the next day. The End of the World as Death describes it. Liesel lately had spent much of her time writing her book in the basement. She loved the basement because of all the memories there. Learning to first read and write, Max the Jewish fighter who was determined to kill Hitler, and now she got to write her life story there. She was the only one who lived. It happened at night, it was too late when the Sirens were sounded. Allie planes galloped through the sky and made Himel Street lifeless. Death described everyones death and Liesels reaction. First was her best friend Rudy Stiener: “Come on, Jesse Ownes—" But the boy did not wake. In disbelief, Liesel buried her head into Rudy’s chest. She held his limp body, trying to keep him from lolling back, until she needed to return him to the butchered ground. This is what Liesel had said when she saw him. When they first met and till the day he died all he ever wanted was a kiss from Liesel. She kissed him as he was being carted away. Next was Papa and Mama... This is the part of the book that was most memorable to me and most impacting. The whole day she cried holding her parents, not able to comprehend what had occurred that night. To have a full reaction to this novel, I think you would have to read The Book Thief for yourself. I can only give you my thoughts and a brief overview. Markus Zusak did a stupendous job creating this story. Depressing as it is it is probably one of my favorite books I have ever read. The uniqueness of Death as the narrator fits perfectly to this time period. And all the analysis he put into each character revealed by Liesel and Death himself. I felt like I was right next to Death while he told the story, this is how amazingly he described each scene. Before I finish this post I want to give you guys a little bit of happiness and leave on that note. Liesel ends up living with Isla Hermann in the Mayor's house (which received no damage). She did not talk for weeks, until Mr. Stiener came back from the army. He had the same reaction as Liesel did with her parents. A few years had passed and Liesel worked with Mr. Stiener in his shop. Max wanders into the store one day after the Nazi’s were no more, being one of the lucky to survive. Staying with Liesel till her death at the age of 72. As Death took her soul he handed her the book she had written and finished the night her parents died. She sobbed and asked if he’d read it. He said he had many times. Liesel also asked if he understood it. There was a pause. Deaths response, “I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her about those things that she did not already know? I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race—that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its' words and stories so damning and brilliant. None of those things, however came out of my mouth. All I was able to do was turn to Liesel Meminger and tell her the only truth I truly know. I said it to the book thief and I say it now to you. A last note from your narrator. I am haunted by humans.” There are many things you can take from this quote and book but for me it was that humans have an impact on Death. Thank you everyone who has taken an interest in my blog, I suggest everyone reading this blog takes the time to read The Book Thief for themself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95s8GlKY40o&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fthekoolaidmom%2Ewordpress%2Ecom%2F2009%2F03%2F21%2Fthe%2Dbook%2Dthief%2Dby%2Dmarkus%2Dzusak%2F&feature=player_embedded-Please take a look at this video it might antis you to get your own copy.

More in depth thoughts

I related all the pictures in this slide show to my book. In previous blog post I might not have mentioned some of the stuff that i will delve into from the pictures.
Picture of Hitler- He has set the tone for the entire novel. Living in Nazi Germany affect the characters in many ways. Hitler was the reason why Max Vandeburg wanted to live. His goal of killing Hitler, which he dreams about daily. This goes into the other picture which was of a dream (not in order). Picture of Dream- I think this picture has a lot of meaning in the story. In the beginning of the book we see the use of dreams with Liesel and dreaming about her brothers death. Which brought her closer to her father because he would stay up and help her ease back into sleep. We see the use of dream kind of recurring as Max walks into the picture. Max always dreams about fighting the Fuhrer and killing him, which first brings Liesel and him together. Picture of Pea Soup- This was just a kind of tidbit of information, and just describing the kind of poverty they live in. Every night all they have to eat is Pea Soup and if there lucky some potatoes. Picture of Grave- Death has played a Huge role in the story as well. A lot of the characters make there decisions in fear of death or because death has touched them in some way. For example, Liesel is guided by her dead brother when she needs help or motivation at times. I think death can relate to a growing theme of, Losing a loved one influenced your decisions and choices you take. Picture of Soccer- This was just anther bit of information. She first met Rudy in a pickup game of soccer with neighborhood friends. Picture of Accordion- This has had a lot of meaning to Hans Hubermann (Lisels foster dad). He learned while in the army and has brought great joy to all of his town with his talented musical paintings. And has been as symbol of calmness in Liesels life. Picture of Death- Death is the narrator of the story. This came across very interesting to me and was shocking. He gives his insight into a lot of situations, also he synthesizes with Liesel and her foster family a lot. This aspect of the book made it very interesting for me as the reader. Picture of Jesse Owens- This picture relates to Rudy in particular. It his role model and makes a lot of choices based on if he were Jesse Owens. This is Rudy's motivation much likes Liesels motivation from her dead brother. Picture of Apple Tree- The picture of the apple tree represents the first time they stole something other then books. I think it set the stones in motion for them to making thievery a more daily action. And it also relieved them of a lot of hunger, bringing some cheerfulness in there life. Picture of Books and Library Thief- This two pictures go hand and hand. They go along with Liesels actions. Her lust for a good education. A lot of the book centered around the moments that she steals, and everything that courses through her mind. Books are one of the only forms of education she gets, school is centered around the Nazi party.

Hoped you enjoyed slide show, more to come.

A Turn for the Worst

A lot of things have changed for the Book Thief and the Hubermann's. Liesel (The Book Thief) has built a strong friendship with Max, and they spend days together reading and drawing. Things are still very dangerous, and times are getting worse as the war progresses. During the winter Max got very sick, and the Hubermanns feared for the worst. Max would sleep for days at a time. During the duration of Max's sickness Liesel was burdened with guilt. She had brought a bucket of snow down to basement where max was to explain how it looked outside. She thought the snow was what got him sick. She stayed at his side reading to him every night. I think this showed a side of Liesel we have not really seen yet, how compassionate she can be. If Max died there would be almost no way of keeping it under the rug. It is not like you can just walk up the street with a dead Jew during this time. But miraculously he started getting better and everything went back to normal for a few months, or as normal as it would be with a Jew in your basement. Germany started getting bombed and the Nazi party started making certain houses as air raid shelters if there basements were deep enough. The party checked every ones basements. Luckily Max was not found when they inspected the Hubermann's basement. During all of this Rudy has changed a lot as well.

Rudy as enrolled in the Hitler Youth Group. His leader Franz Deutscher has it out for Rudy. When they first met Rudy was standing up for anther kid in the class and ever since Deutscher has out it out for him. Rudy ends up leaving the Youth group. He sets a goal to one day get back at Deutscher and show he is the better man. He gets that chance at the beginning of summer, the youth Hitler games. He had been practicing for weeks for the 100, 400, and 1500 race. He was determined to win all three and prove himself. He also wanted to win all three just like Jesse Owens did in the Hitler Olympics. He started off with a victory on the 1500, he did not smile or show rejoice until he had trumped all three races. He barely won the 400 and seemed to be running out of steam for the 100. When it got to the 100 he was disqualified for false starting. Lisels was confused and asked what happened. Rudy's voice, "I did it on purpose.". I think he did it because he did not want to lose the last race, so he walked away with two. This showed to me that Rudy had a lot of pride and knew when to quit.

Then summer came and there are books that need stealing. Lately Liesel and Rudy have been taking books from the Mayors house. The Mayors wife used to let Liesel go and read in the library when she would drop of cloths for the dry cleaners and pick them up (A job her mom had her do). But once she was fired she did not want the Mayors, or his wife's pity of letting her read in there library as she described it. She mouthed off the Mayors Wife who was not a particularly strong women. And that firing her was the last money she was able to scrap up for her family. Leaving the Mayors wife in shambles she stormed off in uter rage. Now when Liesel needs a new book they take what they need from their library. They thought they were sneaky about it but ultimately were found out. One day when Rudy and Liesel were making there way to the Mayors house for a book, just outside there house was a tree with a book in it. They thought it was some kind of trap at first. After snatching the book and running off they found a note, on it read a message from the Mayors wife. She apologized for firing her and said she was not angry they were stealing the books. She said one day she hopes they will come take the books from the front door herself and not the back. The book in the tree was a dictionary, and throughout the book we get a word and definition protaining to events and characters feelings at certain times.

The section ends in a depressing way. There was a parade of Jews marching through Molching. A crowd of people formed to insult and attack them. An elderly Jew fell down and was being massacred by the crowd. Hans Hubermann was the only one how extended a hand to help him out. He was exiled by the community for this action. As panic struck him, he told Max he had to leave in case they searched the house. Max is gone he was supposed to meet Hans at a spot four days after his departure. He was no where to be found. My take on this is because he had thought they had already done enough. Now Hans waited for his punishment, or the Nazi's to come for him. The time waiting for them seemed like punishment enough. But his punishment came in good time. He's application to the Nazi party from years ago was accepted, he was drafted into the army. He got lucky and was not sent to Russia, rather Australia. And that is where i am at this point.

My prediction is Max will come back or in some way contact Liesel. They had to strong a bond for his part in the book just to be over like that. I think Hans will come home safe and unharmed from the war. My question is does death have a plan for Hans, Rudy, or Max?

More answers in my next post. Keep reading!

Live with what you have

I think a theme is starting to develop at this point in The Book Thief. Live with what you have and make the best of it. Throughout the book we see things are not the best for Liesel and she is living in poverty. No matter what happens though she finds some way to make the best of things, like reading. In the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bI1ucr_Y3U it talks about a holocaust survivor who had to dispose of dead bodies, ultimately his mothers body. He knew he could not take her body or he would have the same fate. It is a way more extreme example but he had to live with knowing what he could do, and make the best of it. That being his motivation to stay alive and he survived telling his story. Also at the end of the clip it talks about everyone getting taken away, no one speaking on there behalf only for the fact it was not them being sent to concentration camps. Until everyone was taken and no one was left to speak for them. This could also relate to Rudy's character. Whenever Liesel tries to bring up the topic about what is going in Germany all he says is, "Forget about it, be glad it's not us". In my opinion this will come back to haunt him later on in the story.

Walking on thin ice

A lot has changed in the novel. A few of my predictions were right from the previous reading. The narrator is revealed, Death is telling the story. And we find out that Rudy Steiner will die, Death does not explain anything more then that. The Book Thief or more formally known as Liesel begins to steal more and more. It begins with just books at a "need-to-need" basis she explains. Every time she steals she seems to give an excuse as to why it was necessary to almost clear her conscience. She also starts stealing food from her growing hunger. From a nearby farm Rudy and Liesel start getting what ever they can put their hands on. All of this takes place during the summer time. After the summer the book detours to Max Vandenburg and starts to explain who he is. He is a Jew in his early 20's who is being hidden from the Nazis. When we first are introduced to him, he was hiding with his childhood friend at his house. Liesel's father Hans was good friends with Max's dad when he was in the army. Max's dad taught Hans how to play the accordion which became a big hobby for Hans. They had a strong bond while in the army, becoming best friends Hans explained. One day they were told to get ready for a mission with no details provided. Their commander asked one person to step forward who is the best writer to help out with some letters. Max Vadenburg's father (whom we never learn the name of) tells the commander that Hans has the best writing he has every laid his eyes upon. So Hans stayed on the base and wrote letters to family's who had lost loved ones. Everyone who went on the mission that day died. Hans returned home and made a visit to Max's mom and said if there is anything you ever need do not hesitate to come to me. He gave her his address and left. This whole section of the story was very interesting and explains a lot about Hans' character. Later on Max ends up needing to relocate, there is a growing suspicion where he is staying, he goes to Hans. Max ends up coming to live with the Hubermanns (Hans' family) in the basement. I was expecting something like this to happen, you can hear from how the Hubermanns talk that they are against everything that the Nazi party stands for and does. I like the fact that they will always have this danger in there life, just 1 floor down. It keeps you on the edge of your seat which Markus Zusak has done a great job of doing. I also enjoyed reading the part when Max explained his story. I am very interested in this time period and he described it in historical context. I think there is a lot more in store for Max and Liesel who seem to be growing a friendship, through books.

How life was for a Jew in Germany

On the website www.ujfpittsburgh.org (United Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh) you can find the Holocaust center. There is a page that explains how life was for Jews during the Holocaust (http://www.ujfpittsburgh.org/page.aspx?ID=148359), which I think can relate a lot to The Book Thief. "Hiding a child was much less difficult than hiding an adult. Unlike adults, children were not required to carry any forms of identification. In addition, they could easily blend in with the groups of non-Jewish children who became orphans of war." this is quote from the web page and it directly relates to the story. Max Vandenburg the Jew they are hiding explains his life story, as he does he said his mom hide him where no one would look before she got taken away. Also because Liesels family was not in the Nazi party they were looked down upon. Liked the Jews were in the ghetto's. From this website it gives more insight into how life was at this time period. And how Max acts and some of the things that might be coursing through his depressed mind.

What is The Book Thief in for next?

I think A major event is bound to happen fairly soon in the story. From where I am in the book now, you have a sense of how things are during the time period and a window into Liesel life. And it seems as if Liesel is going to make a stand to one of her teachers or a higher authority. She is very opinionated and seems to have a growing problem with the Nazi party. I expect that she will also try to be rebellious by helping out a Jewish man. I cheated by looking at the outline of the story on the back of the book. But right now it seems like Liesel and Hans have reason to help out a Jew, they are kind and want to not be categorized with the rest of Germany and the Nazi party. Also it seems like there is going to be a turning point in the relationship between Rudy and Liesel. Either something closer to dating or a turn for the worse. I come to that conclusion by how they have been on a love/hate relationship, I do not think that will suffice with either of them for much longer. A lot more in store for our naive young adventurer