The Book Thief Essay

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The Book Thief Reduction Author information The Book Thief is written by Markus Zusak and published in 2006. The book began as adult fiction but became young adult fiction when it was brought to America. The book earned Zusak many awards, most notably a Printz Honor. It has stayed on The New York Times bestseller list for 375 weeks. Setting and Plot
The Book Thief takes place in Molching, Germany, between the years 1939 and 1943. These years are relevant, as these are the years of World War Two. With Death as the narrator, the book begins with the took thief, her little brother, and her mother traveling on a train to Molching, where her mother plans to give them up for adoption. On the train ride, the book thief’s little brother dies in …show more content…

He must live in the Hubermann’s basement, and while he is down there he teaches Liesel the power of words, alongside encouraging and helping her read. Time spent alone in hiding has made him a quiet, withdrawn man who keeps to himself, but Liesel changes that. The reader learns that in the past Max was a rowdy, boisterous kid who was always looking to get in a fight in a chapter dedicated to him.
Ilsa Hermann The mayor’s wife. Almost never leaves the house (with the only exception being when she comes to Liesel’s house to give her a diary). Most of the townspeople think she’s a bit odd. Liesel steals books from her library, and while Ilsa knows this, she allows Liesel to keeps stealing them. Near the end of the book, Ilsa gives Liesel a diary so that she can create her own words.
Theme
The overarching theme of The Book Thief is that words can have more power than actions. An example of this theme would be that Hitler is able to lead entire countries into war using only words. An example directly in this novel is how Liesel is able to calm the people of Molching as they hide in the air raid shelters. A strange example of this would be when Liesel yells at Ilsa about how she doesn’t care about her dead son, and Liesel later imagines the scene as Ilsa developing burns and scars from Liesel’s words.

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