Rudy's Relationship In The Book Thief

In The Book Thief, the protagonist, Liesel Meminger has a strong and emotional relationship with her neighbor, Rudy Steiner. He is a young German boy who is eight months older than Liesel, has bony legs, sharp teeth, blue eyes and lemon-colored hair. He is depicted as a kind and loyal character that is at Liesel’s side for a majority of the book. Soon after meeting each other a few days after Liesel arrives on Himmel Street, the two become best friends. Rudy accompanies Liesel on all of her adventures in addition to providing emotional aid to each other’s problems. As the story progresses, we see their already very strong relationship fortify in a way that makes the two them the most prevalent character-to-character relationship in the book. It seems fit to include them as, if not the most,

then one of the most important relationships throughout The Book Thief.
The relationship between Liesel Meminger and Rudy Steiner is similar to the relationship I have with my best friend. My best friend and I have a strong friendship with each other. We almost always go out of the way to help one another. We spend a lot of time together doing all the fun things two kids in this day and age would want to do. Whether it be going downtown or playing video games at each other’s houses, we are constantly having fun and maintaining the strong relationship that the characters in the novel portray. It would be hard to say what we honestly would do without each other. Just like Liesel and Rudy, they do basically everything together and can almost certainly count on one another. For example, when Liesel’s book was thrown into the river by Viktor Chemmel, Rudy didn’t hesitate to retrieve it: “A book floated down the Amper River. A boy jumped in, caught up to it, and held it in his right hand. He grinned. He stood waist-deep in the icy, Decemberish water”. This demonstrates how, just like Rudy and Liesel, my best friend I would each go to great lengths to help each other out whenever one of us is in a dilemma.
Another instance where the characters in the book are similar to my best friend and I is where Liesel feels that she must go out on her daily laundry duties by herself rather than with the company of Rudy(as he frequently joins her during this task). This prompts Rudy to take offense to this suggestion when it is proposed to him, as he thinks to himself angrily, “Who did Liesel Meminger think she was, telling him she had to take the washing and ironing alone today? Wasn’t he good enough to walk the streets with her?"
This quote demonstrates instances where either my friend or I embark on doing something alone or with someone else. It makes both me and him, depending on who is being excluded, feel left out or almost betrayed. So it is somewhat understandable where Rudy’s displeasure is coming from. For example, if my friend said he was going to the movies and then I asked to come with, only to be answered with him saying he’s going by himself or with someone else makes you feel as if you aren’t good company. So when Rudy is shut down by Liesel he reveals his frustration and lack of understanding as to why Liesel does not wish to have his company this time around. Regardless of what mundane task Liesel is faced with, Rudy wants to tag along as it means he gets to spend time with his best friend. This exhibits the urge that, both my best friend and I as well as Rudy and Liesel, desire to accompany one another on our various daily activities or happenings. This is just one of the many similarities Liesel’s relationship to Rudy has with the relationship I have to my best friend.
Rudy and Liesel are like brother and sister due to the fact that they spend a lot of time together. Almost all of the time they consume outside of their homes is spent with each other. They are usually going on their own little adventures, chatting up other people or doing simple chores; for a good majority of the book, the consistently accompany each other throughout. They often get into trouble together and also find themselves getting each other out of said trouble one way or another. This quote from the book demonstrates that they are best friends and are almost sibling-like in the way that they coexist, “When she finally finished and stood herself up, he put his arm around her, best-buddy style. There was no request for a kiss. Nothing like that. You can love Rudy for that, if you like”. Their behavior around each other gives an impression of them being related. With my best friend, I feel as though we are siblings in the way that we always have each other’s backs and spend lots of time together. My best friend and I have the same type of loyalty employed within our friendship as Liesel and Rudy do in theirs.
In a way, Rudy and Liesel are similar to my best friend and I through our own individual behavior.

I feel as though I am a little more outgoing than my best friend. While on the other hand, he is more restrained and less forward. As stated in The Book Thief, the “Jesse Owens Incident” is a prime example of how Rudy Steiner is outlandish compared to Liesel, who is of a more civilized manner. The “Jesse Owens Incident” took place as such: “He pulled some charcoal from the stove and gripped it in the smallness of his hands.” and, “He smeared the charcoal on nice and thick, till he was covered in black. Even his hair received a once-over”. This shows Rudy’s crazy personality and displays him as the less-serious one of the pair. In this sense, Liesel is the more mature person in this situation, parallel to my best friend. Therefore Rudy and Liesel’s relationship matches up with my relationship with my best friend in the way that we have similar behavioral traits. Rudy provides the amusing antics while Liesel often brings things back down to earth. The same scenario goes towards the affiliation I have with my best friend, taking account to the roles we both play in our

friendship.
In conclusion, the relationship withheld by Rudy and Liesel in The Book Thief is very similar to the relationship I share with my best friend. Both friendships are strong with each side’s affiliates being loyal, whole hearted individuals. In addition to this, both people in each alliance have character traits parallel to those in the others’. One person is more restrained while the other is more unreserved. Me and my best friend also spend significant amounts of time together, just as Liesel and Rudy do. Both my best friend and I as well as Rudy and Liesel have a sibling like bond that gives us familial qualities. Finally, we both look out for each other’s best interests and keep our intentions pure. My best friend and I have a relationship similar, if not exact, to the one occupied by Liesel and Rudy. All this is supported by the information and details obtained through The Book Thief by Mark Zusak.