The Book Thief
Author: Markus Zusak
Prologue- a mountain range of rubble
• narrator introduces:
◦Himself (DEATH)
◦Colors
◦Book thief (a girl)
• Narrative structure
◦Exposition
• "Death and Chocolate"
◦Fact: "You are going to die" (3).
◦He likes the color dark chocolate
◦Most people only notice the days colors at the beginning and end of the day but the
narrator does this all day
◦His distraction is color
‣ It's a distraction from seeing the survivors with punctured hearts and beaten lungs
◦One survivor- an expert at being left behind
◦Narrator saw the book thief three times
• "Beside the Railway Line"
◦White-whole globe was dressed in snow
◦Someone had died
◦There were two guards, a mother, her daughter, and a male corpse and the narrator
• "The Eclipse"
◦Black- poles of the narrators versatility
◦Killed a 24 year old pilot in a plane crash
◦Catches an eclipse when a human dies
• "The Flag" - last time he saw the book thief
◦Red- burned, bombs, sirens, blood, sky
◦"A mountain range of rubble was written, designed, erected around her. She was clutching
at a book" (13).
‣ She wanted to continue writing or to read her story one last time
‣ Death followed her
‣ She dropped the book and death took it
• Literary Devices
◦Personification- narrator as death
◦Symbolism- colors
‣ White as snow
‣ Black as poles of deaths versatility
‣ Red as burning, bombs, sirens, blood and red skies
Part One - the grave digger's handbook
• "Arrival on Himmel Street"
◦Featuring:
‣ Himmel street, the art of saumensching, an ironfisted woman, a kiss attempt, Jesse
Owens, sandpaper, the smell of friendship, a heavyweight champion, and the mother of
all watschens
◦Narrative structure:
‣ Exposition
◦Setting- A train going to Himmel Street, Moldhing, January 1939,
◦Characters:
‣ Liesel Meminger (book thief)- skinny, pale
‣ Werner (liesels brother)
‣ Their mother- skinny, pale
‣ Two guards
‣ Two gravediggers
‣ Priest
‣ The Hubermanns (Liesels foster parents), Hans and Rosa
‣ Frau Heinrich
◦Colors:
‣ White!!!
‣ Gray- "The day was gray, the color of Europe"(27).
◦Pattern: 2 guards, 2 gravediggers
◦Theme, major events, summary:
‣ At the burial of her brother, she saw a black rectangular book with silver writing on it
and grabbed it, The Grave Digger's Handbook
• Book had two meanings
◦Last time she saw her brother
◦Last time she saw her mother
‣ They continued to the next train to Munich, where the mother would give her daughter
to a foster home.
‣ Liesel then went with the Hubermanns and was welcomed to her new home, "Dien
neues Hiem", "your new home"
• Liesel refused to get out of the car.
◦Literary devices:
‣ Symbolism- Himmel means heaven
‣ Irony- Himmel street was not heavenly
◦The chapter ends with "The book thief had struck for the first time- the beginning of an
illustrious career" (29).
• "Growing up a Saumensch"
◦Setting: Himmel Street, 1939
◦She owned 14 books
‣ 2 books were stolen
• One from snow
• The other from fire
◦She mainly used ten books
‣ 6 were stolen
‣ One showed up at the kitchen table
‣ Two were made by a hidden Jew
‣ One was delivered
◦Characters:
‣ Book Thief- "you could still see the bite marks of snow on her hands and the frosty
blood on her fingers. Everything about her was undernourished. Wirelike shins. Coat
hanger arms. She did not produce it easily, but when it came, she had a starving
smile" (31).
• Dark brown eyes
• Anxious
‣ Max Vandenburg
‣ Rosa Hubermann- constant fury, 5'1", brown gray hair, she washed and ironed for
income , terrible cook, loved liesel in a strange way, bashed her with wooden spoons,
able to aggravate anyone she met
‣ Hans Hubermann- loved to smoke, rolling cigarettes, painter, played the piano
accordion, almost died at one point, valuable
‣ Weingartners
‣ Herr Vogel
‣ Herr and Frau Pfaffwlhürver
‣ Helena Schmidt - rich widow
‣ Ernst Vogel
‣ Frau Holtzapfel- neighbor, wiry woman, spitted
◦Communist◦Summary
‣ Liesel tried and tried to figure out the meaning of this word, communist
‣ She often felt alone and unloved because she was abandoned as a child
‣ It took her some time to get used to her foster parents.
‣ This section was characterizing them and how they acted.
• "The Woman with the Iron Fist"
◦Setting: Hubermann Home, 1939
◦Summary:
‣ She had nightmares of seeing her brother's face staring at the floor.
• Hans comforted her.
◦Not leaving- an act of trust and love, often deciphered by children
‣ Liesel was Lutheran, and couldn't read or write
‣ For her 10th birthday, she was given a used dolo with a missing leg and blonde hair
‣ She was enrolled in BDM- Band of German Girls
‣ Neighbors spit on their door, and liesel was expected to clean in every night
‣ Germans were fond of pigs
• "The Kiss" (A Childhood's Decision Maker)
◦Setting: Molching
◦Characters:
‣ Steiner's (6 children)
• Rudy Steiner- the boy next door obsessed with Jesse Owens (black American
athlete), Liesels best friend
◦Crazy, bony legs, blue eyes, permanently hungry, flirty
‣ Frau Diller- "the staunch Aryan corner-shop owner" (46)
• She had one golden rule
• Sharp edged woman, evil look
‣ Tommy Müller- ear infections
‣ Pfiffikus- vulgar, delicate frame, white hair, mouth, old
◦Summary:
‣ Himmel street was full of relatively poor people.
‣ This sections talks of Liesel living and meeting people on Himmel Street.
‣ Rudy and Liesel played a game, Liesel won.
◦The road of yellow stars
• "The Jesse Owens Incident"
◦Setting: 1936 Olympic Games
◦Characters :
‣ Jesse Owens
• Olympic runner, 4 time gold medalist
‣ Hitler
• Refused to shake his hand
‣ Rudy
‣ Alex Steiner
• Member of nazi party, didn't hate Jews though, did everything for his family, tailor
◦Summary:
‣ Rudy smeared charcoal on his face. He recreated jesses story.
‣ His family thought he was gone and his father was upset with him.
‣ He could be taken away if he was found as black.
‣ His father explained what being Jewish meant.
• "The Other Side of Sandpaper"
◦Setting: Himmel Street, Munich Street
◦Themes:
‣ Defining moments
◦Summary:
‣ Members of NSDAP (Nazi Party) came marching down Munich street.
‣ Later that night, when liesel went to bed, she dreamed that she saw these men in suits
walking down the street. It then switched to her brother. She wet her bed. This was her
defining moment.
‣ Her father found the book and they decided that they were going to start reading it
that night.
‣ He realized she couldn't read at all, so he started teaching her the alphabet.
◦Facts:
‣ "In 1933, 90% of Germans showed unflinching support of Adolf Hitler" (63).
‣ Hans was part of the 10% who didn't.
• "The Smell of Friendship"
◦Setting:
‣ Hubermann house on Himmel street.
◦Characters:
‣ Liesel
‣ Papa
‣ Mama
‣ Rudy
◦Summary:
‣ Midnight class began after each nightmare.
‣ Mama questioned how much she was actually learning because papa could barely read.
‣ When she learned a new word, she would paint it on the basement wall.
‣ She became closer to papa.
◦Themes:
‣ The accordion was a story.
• "Heavyweight Champion of the School-Yard"
◦Setting:
‣ 1939, Himmel street
◦Characters:
‣ Liesel
‣ Papa
‣ Kids from her class
‣ Teacher (nun), Sister Maria
◦Summary:
‣ She played soccer with the neighborhood kids, delivered the ironing and learned more
words.
‣ The town heard the news of WWII through radios and newspapers.
‣ Liesel was moved back to her rightful grade because she was a disruption in her other
class. They were taking a progress test.
‣ She tried to speak in front of the class reading, but she struggled and instead started to
regurgitate The Grave Digger's Handbook.
‣ The kids made fun of her. Ludwig Schmeikl was one of the worst of them.
‣ Rudy comforted her on the way home, as a friend.
◦Date: September 1939,
‣ World War Two began
‣ Liesel became the heavyweight champion of the school yard
◦Watschen- a good hiding
◦Imagined