49. Liesel's life story contains elements of both, and by the end of the novel, Death appears to be no more capable of judging humanity than at the novel's outset. I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. Around and around, it stirs us, like stew… On Munich Street, she remembered the events of the previous week there. Yes, often, I am reminded of her, and in one of my vast array of pockets, I have kept her story to retell. In Max's story, Hitler grows a forest of propaganda-bearing trees, yet a young girl ("the word shaker") plants an indestructable tree that grows miles high from a seed of friendship. The directions seem fairly banal, and there is no apparent reason the other member of the pair shouldn’t comply. Yes, the brutality of words. Then a chapter. Thus, Death tells Liesel that it is "haunted" by humans, just as humans are haunted by Death. "Good night, book thief." In both instances, one member of the pair gives directions and the other member follows them without question. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our, The sun stirs the earth. A fresh cement page. Our, LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in, Compare and contrast themes from other texts to this theme…, The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of Words and Language appears in each chapter of. Their vanishing words… I watched the sky as it turned from silver to gray to the color of rain. Cuts had opened up and a series of wounds were rising to the surface of her skin. When it came down to it, one of them called the shots. Death's musings bring up the notion of collective responsibility for Hitler's crimes, and Death wonders how culpable these people are for the ongoing Holocaust. And the girl goes on reading, for that's why she's there, and it feels good to be good for something in the aftermath of the snows of Stalingrad. 47. Liesel's Emotional Journey Through the Book Thief, The Toil of Good and Evil: Multi-Faceted Kindness in The Book Thief, Stealing the Narrative: The Irony of Reading in The Book Thief, View Wikipedia Entries for The Book Thief…. Prologue: The Flag Quotes Yes, often, I am reminded of her, and in one of my vast array of pockets, I have kept her story to retell. Papa looked up. It chores me. The "giant blue eye" is potentially a watchful and just God, whose sight has been obscured while His Chosen People are being massacred by the Nazis. Quotes related to Words within The Book Thief. In a larger sense, though, the quote sets up one of the enduring questions of the book: why did so many people go along with the Holocaust and why didn’t more people act to stop it? After encountering Max being forced on the way to a concentration camp, Liesel becomes hopeless and disdainful of the written word, seeing Hitler's words as the source of her suffering. ― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief. In the end Zusak gives language itself (like Death) as much physicality and agency as any character. Describe the tone used by Death in the following passages: Again Death has a sense of sarcasm and irony. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. "Blood leaked from her nose and licked at her lips. The Book Thief Quotes Showing 1-30 of 1,266. Like many novels about oppressive regimes, much of the story's evil comes in the form of propaganda and the suppression of free language, like the book burnings of the Nazis. Millions of books are just a click away on BN.com and through our FREE NOOK reading apps. Whatever the reason, her hunger to read that book was as intense as any ten-year-old human could experience. The question is, what if the other is a lot more than one?”. There are also many reminders of language within the novel's action – Liesel and Hans write on the back of sandpaper, the newspaper becomes imprinted against Hans's skin, and Liesel, Hans, and Max paint words in the basement. The Hubermanns are part of the theme as well. I know what happens and so do you. “Mistakes? During that week, Max had cut out a collection of pages from Mein Kampf and painted over them in white… When they were all dry, the hard part began… he formulated the words in his head till he could recount them without error. Around and around, it stirs us, like stew, Part 1: The Kiss (A Childhood Decision Maker), Part 1: The Heavyweight Champion of the School-Yard, Part 4: The Accordionist (The Secret Life of Hans Hubermann), Part 4: A Short History of the Jewish Fist Fighter, Part 5: Three Acts of Stupidity by Rudy Steiner, Part 9: One Toolbox, One Bleeder, One Bear, Part 10: Ilsa Hermann's Little Black Book. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. GradeSaver, 30 November 2009 Web. Of all the things to save him. "Did they deserve any better, these people? Quote #9: Quote #3: "It was with great sadness that she realized that her brother would be six forever..." pg.473. After a month, the wall was recoated. All from words. In the face of remarkable tragedy, Death expresses optimism that beyond the horrors taking place on Earth, there exists a vivid and unquestionable hope. The Question and Answer section for The Book Thief is a great The words. The notion of desiring to be controlled is allegorical to the German people under Hitler's dictatorship, and this passage suggests the existence of a certain weakness and complacency that leads humans to obey to the worst commands merely for the sake of order. I guess humans like to watch a little destruction. A jaded metaphysical being so used to dying could only be fearful of -- and, at times, amazed by -- those who live. One such word shaker was a small, skinny girl. The disjointed narration, postmodern style (the starred, bold-faced interjections), and poetic phrasing emphasize the words used to tell the story, to the point that the reader is never allowed to sink unconsciously into the plot. She had desire. Sitting up here." For most of the journey, he made his way through the book, trying never to look up. Struggling with distance learning? They thought they could hear voices and words behind them, on the word shaker's tree.". After Arthur Berg leaves Molching, Viktor Chemmel takes his place as leader of a small gang of teenage thieves. After encountering Max being forced on the way to a concentration camp, Liesel becomes hopeless and disdainful of the written word, seeing Hitler's words as the source of her suffering. On his way home, he picked up a discarded newspaper… and slipped it beneath his shirt. As narrator, Death employs the technique of foreshadowing throughout the novel to reveal, among other things, the fates -- i.e., survival or death -- of individual characters. As for the girl, there was a sudden desire to read it that she didn't even attempt to understand. While they are all citizens of a nation in the process of killing millions of innocent people, some, like Rosa and Hans, quietly defy the Nazis by hiding a Jew, while others are defenseless children who cannot possibly be held responsible for crimes planned before they were even born. Mein Kampf. LitCharts Teacher Editions. The woman weeps. The other did what he was told. Justin T. Cass. In the book "The Book Thief" which was set during the Holocaust, there were many deaths as this was a tragic time in history. Of those ten, six were stolen, one showed up at the kitchen table, two were made for her by a hidden Jew, and one was delivered by a soft, yellow-dressed afternoon. She tore a page from the book and ripped it in half. It is one of the small legion I carry, each one extraordinary in its own right. Max whitewashes pages of Hitler's propaganda book Mein Kampf and draws an entirely new story upon them: a brief retelling of his life, his family's persecution by the Nazis, and his friendship with Liesel. 48. From Liesel's words.". 46. That's why she could climb higher than anyone else. Even the clouds were trying to get away. Yes, the Führer decided that he would rule the world with words. The Book Thief essays are academic essays for citation. That night, Liesel Meminger truly became the book thief. The injury of words. Did they all deserve to die? I’ve made many mistakes in my life, but not joining the Nazi Party isn’t one of them. The above quotes refers to the "chill" between father and son, Hans and Hans Jr., Hans and the Party. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." The Book Thief study guide contains a biography of Markus Zusak, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. They navigated the branches and began to walk. The day of the announcement, Papa was lucky enough to have some work. She must take the language of the Führer and turn it to good. As we're both aware, she'd stolen books previously, but in late October 1941, it became official. Ilsa Hermann gives her a blank book and encourages her to write; Liesel writes the story of her life, containing both tragedy and beauty, at a fevered pace. Marcus Zusak's employment of foreshadowing places emphasis on the events and "machinations" in Nazi Germany that lead the characters to their ends. Liesel later comes to regret her tirade, as she realizes the power of words to inflict harm on others. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. This quote comes close to the beginning of Part One, right after Liesel’s brother dies on the train. But I guess that means you need life in your life.” – The Book Thief . But what could I tell her about those things that she didn't already know? Mein Kampf. A voice played the notes inside her. When the quote asks what would happen if “a lot more than one” simply followed orders, it refers to the many Germans who just did as they were told and didn’t question their instructions. Sometimes I imagined how everything looked above those clouds, knowing without question that the sun was blond, and the endless atmosphere was a giant blue eye. Now she became spiteful. SparkNotes is brought to you by Barnes & Noble. Death is not only the narrator of this book, but death is also the theme. Liesel asked him… "'Hitler takes Poland,'" he answered, and Hans Hubermann slumped into a chair. "You and your husband. Ilsa Hermann gives her a blank book and encourages her to write; Liesel writes the story of her life, containing both tragedy and beauty, at a fevered pace. Find yourself a mirror while I continue.". Soon, there was nothing but scraps of words littered between her legs and all around her. Just prior to this passage, Death describes how Rudy Steiner dies at the end of the book. Or Hans? “The only thing worse than a boy who hates you: a boy that loves you.”. Death thus takes a skeptical view of war and humanity itself, believing humanity to be capable of tremendous and irrational evils. She was renowned as the best word shaker of her region because she knew how powerless a person could be WITHOUT words. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. On some level, perhaps she wanted to make sure her brother was buried right. Without words, the Führer was nothing… What good were the words? “I want words at my funeral. Chazelle, Damien ed. Yet Death's job is made more difficult by the sheer number of people who die by the hands of others in World War II -- Death seems to agonize most over the gas chambers, literal killing machines at Nazi death camps. Unlike Arthur, Viktor is a cruel boy who steals for fun and demands obedience from the others. The children?". Carrying souls from the gas chamber in Auschwitz, Death imagines the composition of the sky beyond the rain clouds that cover the death camp. My struggle – The title, over and over again, as the train prattled on, from one German town to the next.