The Book Thief: Liesel Meminger's Life

Reflection

The Book Thief is a book about a young girl, Liesel Meminger, and how her life changes when she is left with no family, causing her to live with Rosa and Hans Hubermann. She meets many people that are important later on in the book. One of those people was a woman named Ilsa Hermann, the mayor’s wife. They become friends because Rosa does the Hermanns’ washing and ironing. When Ilsa sees Liesel steal The Shoulder Shrug from Hitler’s bonfire in Molching, she shows Liesel her library. Liesel had never seen a room filled with such beauty. She would read there often but stops when the Hermanns fire Rosa Hubermann. In frustration, Liesel injures Ilsa brutally with her words. She spat on about how Ilsa Hermann “bought her off” by giving

her The Whistler out of pity. Liesel also evilly mentioned Ilsa’s dead son and called her pathetic for still being depressed about his death. Personally, I think she only did this because she was upset that the mayor’s wife thought that giving her The Whistler would solve all of their family’s problems. Liesel must have thought about how rich the mayor and his wife were and thought that they were firing her Mama even though they still had enough money to pay her. She must have felt betrayed that Ilsa Hermann was the one to tell her that her Mama was fired after all the times that she let Liesel in her library to read.
Later on in the book, Liesel starts stealing books from Ilsa’s library with her best friend, Rudy Steiner. The book thief felt great after she stole The Whistler back. After stealing from Ilsa Hermann a couple more times, she notices the books going missing. She then purposefully leaves a dictionary with a letter attached on it for Liesel. The next time Liesel visits Ilsa, she apologizes about the vicious words she spat out to her. In return, Ilsa Hermann gives her a journal to write on. Liesel then wrote The Book Thief.
When Himmel Street got bombed, Liesel didn’t have anybody left. Rudy, Mama, Papa, and everyone else from the street were killed. Since Liesel had nobody left, she was taken to the Police, who were also wondering where to take Liesel. Then, the mayor and Ilsa Hermann arrive. They talk to the police officers and offer to take Liesel into their home.

II. The Annotation
“She had stolen a book. Someone had seen her. The book thief reacted. Appropriately. Every minute, every hour, there was worry, or more to the point, paranoia. Criminal activity will do that to a person, especially a child. They envision a prolific assortment of caughtoutedness. “

III.

The Significance

The significance of The Book Thief is to be thankful of what you have, and to not take things for granted. People these days have so much, and they don’t even know it. In this story, The Book Thief, Liesel Meminger’s life is written and shows the hardship that she faces. This story also shows how she copes with her difficult life, and how she still enjoys it.

The majority of this story takes place in the town of Molching, Germany, between 1939 and 1943. Narrated by Death, The Book Thief is the story of Liesel Meminger, who was only nine years old when she was given up by her mom to live with the Hubermanns, Hans and Rosa, in the town of Molching in the year of 1939. On their way to Molching, Liesel’s younger brother dies. This causes Liesel to have nightmares about him for months. Hans gains Liesel’s trust when he comforts her when she wakes up from her nightmares. In school, Liesel is teased because she did not know how to read. Hans Hubermann is a man that helps Liesel learn to read, beginning with The Grave Digger’s Handbook, a book that Liesel stole from the cemetery where her younger brother was buried. Liesel then meets and befriends Rudy Steiner, her neighbor, who becomes her best friend. At a book burning during Hitler’s birthday, Liesel is seen stealing The Shoulder Shrug by the mayor’s wife, Ilsa Hubermann. Ilsa later invites Liesel to read in her

library.
When a Jew named Max Vandenburg arrives at their house, Hans agrees to hide him in his basement because of a promise he made to a man who saved his life a long time ago. Liesel then sees how much in common he has with Max and befriends him. She went to the basement often to visit Max. When Max gets sick, Liesel gives him 13 gifts. Max also wrote two stories about his and Liesel’s friendship. Unfortunately when Hans gives a Jew some bread while they’re marching to a concentration camp, Max had to leave. That night, Hans waited to be captured by soldiers. Fortunately, when the soldiers arrive, they didn’t come for Hans. They came to Rudy’s house to draft him to a school for future Nazi leaders. However, Rudy’s father refuses to let Rudy join. This resulted in Hans and Rudy’s father to be drafted in the military. When their work bus crashes, Hans breaks his leg. Because of this, he was sent home to recover. Liesel sees Max next when he is marching to a concentration camp at Dachau. When she spots Max, she finally tells her best friend, Rudy Steiner, that her family was hiding a Jew. That was the first time she’s told anyone.
When Ilsa gives her a blank journal, Liesel writes the story of her life in the Hubermann’s basement.

Unfortunately, there was an air raid that killed Hans, Rosa, Rudy, and everyone else in the block. When she was rescued from the rubble, she find’s Rudy’s dead body and finally gives him the kiss he’s always wanted. When she is taken away, she leaves her finished book, “The Book Thief”. Death rescues the book and waits to give it to Liesel when she is no longer alive. The Mayor and Ilsa Hermann then take Liesel in to live with them after she has no one left. When the concentration camps were liberated, Liesel was helping Rudy’s father. She was then surprised by a visit from Max. They hugged and cried together. When Liesel grows up, she moves to Australia, where Death finally takes her. When she dies, Death shows her the book she wrote many years ago in her 33 Himmel Street

basement.

After reading Liesel Meminger’s story, I have looked at things differently in life and have become thankful for the little things. Even though her life was difficult, Liesel lived it to the fullest with the people she loved. She was a strong person, even when she had many reasons to give up and I admire her for that. This story was actually very enjoyable for me to read.