The Book Thief Rudy Analysis

In the novel the book thief by Markus Zusak, Liesel states, “as long as both she and Rudy lived she would never kiss that miserable, filthy Saukerl (Zusak, 55). Liesel Memiger, the protagonist in the novel, is the foster daughter of Hans and Rosa Huberman. When Liesel first arrives at Himmel Street, a boy with hair the color of lemons walks her to school for her first day, she does not like him at first, but little does she know he will become her best friend (Zusak, 25-34). This is ironic because Liesel never does kiss Rudy until after he is dead. Rudy Steiner is Liesel’s best friend he has hair the color of lemons `and is adventurous and courageous. He wants Liesel to kiss him throughout the whole book but she never does until he is dead. In the novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Death gives clear examples from Liesel and Rudy’s different points of view on their relationship and we can see how it changes throughout the story.

Rudy and Liesel’s relationship can be told from many different points of view that are all going to be different. Rudy has different feeling about his relationship than Liesel does. They have very different opinions on what their relationship is. From the first day Rudy met Liesel he liked her. One day walking her home from school they decided to have a race, if she lost she

would have to kiss him. Rudy tells Liesel, “one day you’ll be dying to kiss me.” (Zusak, 53-55) She does not understand why Rudy would want to kiss her. Rudy loves Liesel from the beginning of the book the first day he saw her. Rudy loved to go stealing books with Liesel. The Reader can tell that he really enjoyed spending time with Liesel, and getting themselves into all kinds of mischief. He rescued Liesel’s book for her even though he totally did not need to. Liesel’s book falls into the freezing cold water. When he resurfaces from the water, he says, “How about a kiss, How about a kiss” (Zusak, 241). This shows how their relationship changes Rudy and Liesel’s relationship went from strangers to friends to best friends.
Liesel thinks of their relationship just as friends and she does not understand why Rudy always wants to kiss her. When Liesel first moved to Himmel Street, she and Rudy became the best of friends. Rudy would walk with her to school every day. She and Rudy race one day from the end of the street the prize being a kiss but neither won the race they called it a draw. (Zusak 53-55) Liesel does not know how she feels towards Rudy; she loves him in a best friend sort of way. At the end of the book when Rudy dies Liesel realizes her love for the boy with hair the color of lemons. The narrator states, “The only thing worse than a boy who hates you is a boy who loves you.” (Zusak 52)
Rudy and Liesel’s relationship grows and develops as the story continues. Rudy and Liesel start as strangers but then they become best friends. They slowly start to love each other, at the end when Rudy dies Liesel admits her love of Rudy, and kisses him (Zusak, 536). Liesel misses Rudy and her parents but she knows she must go on. Through the end of her life, she will always have a certain fondness for the boy with the lemon colored hair. She realizes her love of Rudy and she does not want him to leave her. She lives the rest of her life missing Rudy. When Rudy dies Liesel’s heart is crushed their relationship evolved from disliking each other to loving each other.
In the novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Death gives clear examples from Rudy and Liesel’s different points of view on their relationship and we can see how it changes throughout the story.

Liesel thinks of them as best friends until the day he dies and then she realizes how much she really loves him. Rudy has always loved Liesel from the day they met. Rudy saves Liesel’s book from the river and comes up asking for a kiss. He walks her to school for her first day and then they race home one day and tie. Their relationship evolves from strangers to friends to best friends. In the beginning of the story they do not realizes what good of friends they will

become.