Max is in hiding because he is jewish liesel s father was a member of the communist party, who had a falling out when the nazi regime took control. The book thief is a beautiful work of historical fiction, recounting the story of german girl liesel meminger amidst the calamity of the holocaust. In the movie, though, max is reading a newspaper and dismally says that germany is winning the war. He says that liesel is the girl with a mountain to climb. Liesel gets angry and throws a book at ilsa when she is told she wont be delivering the laundry anymore. Ilsa also encouraged a young liesel to start writing, even provided her with a blank book. At this age, liesel was unfortunately separated from her family, her father and brother died and her mother was most likely brought to a concentration camp.
Abandonment and guilt are two of the books central themes. The book theif is told in the perspective of death, as if death itself was a character and its telling the story. This is my fan fiction that tells a story through the letters that liesel and max write to each other while being apart. The standover man is a more heavily illustrated story that max gives to liesel as liesel is still just starting to read. There are some moving moments in the book, a good use of irony and an unusual narrative. A summary of themes in markus zusaks the book thief. In the book thief how is the relationship between liesel and. In the book thief compare and contrast the lives of liesel and max. Write notes about two possible topics for your essay from those suggested below. Oct 25, 2011 i read the book thief and am wondering what are some good compare and contrast points when looking at max and liesel. In the next couple slides we will answer the questions how does maxs life give liesel purpose. One way they are similar is because they both enjoy some of the same activities, like soccer and stealing. Write notes about two possible topics for your essay from those suggested below power of language one option.
They both have nightmares about their pasts, and they both see hans hubermann and his. Dec 15, 2014 the book thief by mark zusak showcases a friendship of two people named rudy and liesel along with how their friendship had matured over the course of time and how it will continue to evolve. Both find refuge in the huberman home where they can articulate their fears and dreams to each other. Rudy sees maxs name written on one of liesels books and discovers the secret of max while he is still in the basement. Without ilsas library liesel would not have been labeled the book thief. After hans is seen giving some bread to a jew, they are both whipped by a nazi officer. Liesel is illiterate when she steals her first book, but hans hubermann uses her. His father saved hanss life during world war i, and later hans tries to save maxs life, which puts the hubermanns lives in great jeopardy. The novel ends when she is an old woman and death comes to collect her soul.
In the movie the hand painted mein kampf gets thrown into the river. Although in this story the friendship is more of rudy in love with liesel, but liesel was also filled with a brotherly love. Liesel is marked out because her father was a communist and max is marked out because he is a jew. In the book the book thief, hans shows the most courage though out the story. We will compare and contrast liesel and max, and we will explain the significence of the story the standover man you could argue. Writing and reading was liesel s comfort and ilsa provided her with it in multiple ways. After tragedy strikes her family, liesel is adopted by kindhearted workingclass painter hans hubermann geoffrey rush and his strict but loving wife rose emily watson. She is about fifteen toward the end of the novel when the bombs destroy her home and kill her loved ones. Feb 26, 2015 after finishing the book with tears in my eyes, i decided to rent the book thief movie from my local library to compare the two mediums. Max vandenburg character analysis in the book thief. The characters liesel meminger and rudy stiener are very similar in many ways. The differences between the book thief book and the book. Bonding over nightmares, both the feeling of guilt, both found comfort in hans home etc.
Cite at least three characters who are affected by chance and note both the short and longterm results. Max is in hiding because he is jewish liesels father was a member of the communist party, who had a falling out when the nazi regime took control. After hans is seen giving some bread to a jew, they are both whipped by a. The novel is narrated by death, characterized not as the usual grim reaper, but a sympathetic guardian of the souls of the deceased. Another way they are similar is they are close to the same age, liesel being only 8 months younger than rudy. Nov 22, 20 the book thief, based on the novel by markus zusak, follows the story of adolescent book thief liesel meminger sophie nelisse during the time of nazi germany. The ending is good and somehow very plausible however, i have to say i found the storyline altogether slow and meandering, the plot thin and for me there was never any sense of drama, tension. Rudy finds out about max after he has left the basement. They both lived in the time period where the nazi regime ruled germany. The book that was thrown into the river in the novel, was a book liesel had stolen to read to max.
When liesel sees max marching to dachau she recites passages from the word shaker, the book he leaves for her when he flees. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. In the movie of the book thief, she walks silently away. Initially max and liesel are apprehensive around each other, but they discover that they have something important in common.
She is 9 years old at the beginning of the story, when after the death of her brother she is taken in by the hubermann family. In the film, it was the blank book max had given liesel. The book thief compare and contrast essay middle school blog. There is no irony in the book thief, which gets its name for liesels penchant for borrowing books, first from the unknown gravedigger and later the burgermeisters wife. The book thief by markus zusak discussion questions. In the movie max dreams of becoming a boxer and fighting hitler. Markus zusaks novel, the book thief, is full of literary techniques that lend. His father saved hanss life during world war i, and later hans tries to save max s life, which puts the hubermanns lives in great jeopardy. Liesel not only cares about specific people in her life such as hans, rudy, and max, she cares about justice in general, and feels frustrated and angry at the. Aug 12, 2015 the book that was thrown into the river in the novel, was a book liesel had stolen to read to max. Markus zusaks the book thief, set in germany during world war ii, follows young liesel meminger as she struggles with the loss of her mother and brother and must go to live with foster parents, hans and rosa hubermann. The growing relationships between hubermann and liesel and, later, liesel and max vandenburg are central to the plot. What is the impact of max in liesel s life and what is the importance of max as a character. Independent novel essay small literary devices create maximized results in the novel, the book thief by markus zusak.
She is a little, but very strong girl, who has to suffer too much in her life. Liesel character since the beginning of time, people have used bravery to continue fighting in order to overcome the hardest things in life. Max opens his eyes twice but both times falls back into his coma. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. Compare and contrast liesel and max by courtney boyd on prezi. Compare and contrast the two stories max writes for liesel. Meanwhile, the concentration camps linger unseen in the background of the book as the most extreme example of cruelty. Get an answer for in the book thief how is the relationship between liesel and rudy like family, lovers, strangers, and enemies. The book thief is narrated by death yup, you heard that right who tells us the story of liesel meminger. Discuss how liesels relationship with rosa changes by the end of the novel.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. We will compare and contrast liesel and max, and we will explain the significence of the story the standover man. He reveals his courageousness when hiding max in his basement which is a big risk. Given the political context of the time, with hatred and violence against jews being rampant, max clearly finds liesels kindness to be extraordinary. Max and liesel have both lost their families, and both have come to live with hans and rosa. The big discussion topic was whether or not liesel and max got married in the end. Describe hans hubermanns reac on when he discovers the book. Liesel meminger as a girl with a mountain to climb liesel meminger is the main character of the book the book thief. Compare and contrast the two stories max writes for liesel, the standover man and the. The book thief cliffsnotes study guides book summaries. Max gives liesel a story called the standover man for her birthday. The book thief by markus zusak black gold cooperative. He is a jew in hiding and she is a german girl struggling with the loss of her family, who were communists. Differences between the book thief book vs movie page 2.
Read the following lesson to learn about the true max. Having lost her father because of his communist sympathies, and soon thereafter her brother and mother, she understands the pain of loss, and these experiences inform her actions and attitudes towards the other characters. Jun 08, 2011 i am focusing in this video on liesel and max and their friendship in the book. I am focusing in this video on liesel and max and their friendship in the book. Rudy sees max s name written on one of liesel s books and discovers the secret of max while he is still in the basement. When i read the book, i got the impression that max loved liesel because she was the only bright spot in a life filled with agony. The novel the book thief develops the relationship between liesel meminger and her neighbours more than the film the book thief therefore minimizing the theme. Differences between the book thief book vs movie page 1. Liesel in particular is kind to max, and the two develop a strong bond.
Examine how characters in the novel for example, liesel, max, ilsa hermann, hitler, rosa andor hans use words to destroy and to save. Get free homework help on markus zusaks the book thief. How does max vandenburgs life give liesel purpose in the book thief. In the book thief compare and contrast the lives of liesel. She stepped forward and said, very quietly, hes looking for me.
What book does leisel read over and over at frau hermans house. Max has to stay in hiding, whereas, liesel moves freely. Liesel sits and talks to max, but he keeps sleeping for days. Ilsa knew that liesel was stealing her books, yet she never confronted or told on her. In the book, the whistler gets thrown into the river when rudy finds out about max. This guy is a fighter in just about all the ways someone can be a fighter. Get an answer for in the book thief, compare and contrast the lives of liesel and max. Its kind of strange, and follows a girls entire story, and although she is not a jew and never truly suffers, she still watches the suffering and befriends a jew in hiding, as well as suffers in the end when a bomb kills everyone she loves. I read the book thief and am wondering what are some good compare and contrast points when looking at max and liesel. The book thief is the story of liesel meminger, a girl living in nazi germany whose foster parents provide refuge for a young jew, max vandenberg, by hiding him in their basement. Sure, she was a little girl, but little girls grow up, and liesel grew up into a woman who would be able to understand him better than most. Taking place in wwii, with characters liesel and max from the book thief by markus zusak.
Death visits himmel street, but he doesnt take maxs struggling soul, and he doesnt see liesel. Compare and contrast the two stories max writes for liesel, the standover man and the word shaker. If it had been the whistler, the hubermanns secret would have been kept long after max safely escaped the basement. With death, himself, as the narrator, you know it is going to be an amazing journey. Now, i must preface this by saying i always find the book better than the movie, but i dont think ive ever been so let down by a booktofilm adaptation in my life. In the book thief, compare and contrast the lives of liesel and max.
Zusaks novel is about a young girl, named liesel meminger, who after losing her brother was given away by her mother to a couple from mochling, germany, named hans and rosa hubermann. Its january 1939, and ten year old liesel is traveling by train with her mother and her little brother werner. Once a reluctant soldier during world war i, he is a house painter and accordionist. Now, i must preface this by saying i always find the book better than the movie, but i dont think ive ever been so let down by a book tofilm adaptation in my life. Terms in this set 18 what school subject do liesel and max practice regularly.
The book thief why is rudy and liesels friendship a good. Compare and contrast for the book, night, and the book thief as a language arts assignment. The role of chance plays a significant part in several characters lives in the novel. After finishing the book with tears in my eyes, i decided to rent the book thief movie from my local library to compare the two mediums. Liesel meminger is the main character of the book the book thief.
Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of the book thief and what it means. The book thief in the book thief compare and contrast the lives of liesel and max. The the book thief quotes below are all either spoken by max vandenburg or refer to max vandenburg. Max vandenburg in the book thief is introduced to readers as the struggler, but as the story unfolds, he is revealed as anything but. The book thief compare and contrast the two stories max writes for liesel, the standover man and the word shaker. Death, liesel meminger, hans hubermann, rosa hubermann, max vandenburg, rudy steiner, alex steiner. The narrator refers to liesel as the book thief because she steals a. Why does max only want liesel to have the latter when shes ready. Finally rosa makes liesel go out and play soccer to take a break. Comparecontrast liesel meminger and max vandenburg. Liesel does not understand why this is a bad thing. Compare and contrast the lives of liesel and max vandenburg. When reading the book, i only felt as if max and liesel were good friends.
I have been waiting for maxs return to liesels life for a long time. Examine how characters in the novel for example, liesel, max, ilsa hermann, hitler, rosa and. She is in the centre and all of these things revolve around her. Start studying the book thief part 5 answers learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. At the beginning of the story, liesel was nine years old almost ten. Death says that liesel was a girl with a mountain to climb. The book thief has struck for the first time the beginning of an illustrious career. In markus zusaks book, the book thief, liesel has to face many obstacles in order to see that she just. The death narrates this story, describes main characters and gives us his own opinion about humans. Liesel she wants a book because she was earning it, she needs the book to survive reading to max, power of words rudy after being defeated multiple times at hitler youth, he needs to win, rudy wants food and needs it to survive. In the book of the book thief, liesel meminger learns through various ways that the nazi party is inimical. The book thief by mark zusak showcases a friendship of two people named rudy and liesel along with how their friendship had matured over the course of time and how it will continue to evolve. Her youth inhibits her understanding of the politics and antisemitism that surrounds her, though she understands that.
Both stories reference maxs persecution and his friendship with liesel. Compare and contrast the characters liesel meminger and rudy stiener are very similar in many ways. Both are political refugees evading nazi persecution. What is the name of the book max creates for liesel. At first his age is a bit surprising, because he almost seems like an old man. First, liesel and rudy become best friends, insane or not, rudy was always destined to be liesels best friend. Hardworking, intelligent even with her inability to read at the beginning of the story, brave, bold character summary. In the book thief how is the relationship between liesel. Death visits himmel street, but he doesnt take max s struggling soul, and he doesnt see liesel. What words would max vandenburgs use to illustrate nazi germany. At the start of her story, liesel is without words and cannot read.
In the book thief, compare and contrast the lives of. In the book thief, words have the power to both destroy and save lives. At that time period, offering mercy to the jews was an act that no one should do. Max vandenburg is the jewish man who hides in the hubermanns basement.
The protagonist of the book, liesel is also its moral center. Max vandenburg character analysis in the book thief litcharts. According to hitler, only one of them was considered a person. First, in many ways i felt that the book is about liesels different kind of loves for hans, for rosa, for rudy and max, and for books and living in general. Notably that of liesel and papa, liesel and rudy, liesel and max. Book thief discussion questions galesburg public library. The book thief why is rudy and liesels friendship a. In markus zusaks book, the book thief, liesel has to face many obstacles in order to see that she just needs to be brave and keep fighting through the emotional pain. And everyday he put everyone elses lives in danger too, different from liesel, she came to the hubermanns looking for a better life in hard times. In the next couple slides we will answer the questions how does max s life give liesel purpose. Liesel is nine years old, almost ten, at the start of the novel.
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