Part Seven
Quotations
- "Can a person steal happiness? Or is it just another internal, infernal human trick?"
- "That basement was not a washroom. They were not sent there for a shower."
- "Two weeks to change the world, and fourteen days to ruin it."
Not only is Liesel is stealing material things like books and food, she is retracting the feeling of happiness from those thefts. She is not taking the happiness from Ilsa when she steals her books, yet the feeling Liesel gets equates with happiness. Happiness is a by-product of her thievery.
Zusak relates the realness of the concentration camps that aren't mentioned as much in this WWII-base book. We see Death once again having compassion on humans. He feels sorry for the Germans hiding in the basements, but at least they have a shot at life, whereas the Jews are literally walking towards their ultimate death.
Images
The German champagne in The Book Thief symbolizes the end of Liesel's happiness in Part Seven. The reason Liesel vowed to never drink champagne again wasn't because she didn't like it; she felt it would never taste as good as it did that summer day. She wants to remember this happy feeling by honoring it in this way.
This book in the story is different than the rest. It was not stolen, but more given to Liesel indirectly. We now know that Ilsa is aware of Liesel's thievery and Ilsa is a nice enough character to not only not get upset, but to help Liesel even further by giving her a hand-picked book that will assist Liesel in her quest to read and write.
Connections and Historical Context
- People painting their window blinds black actually happened during wars to minimize the shown light.
- Flak towers, as mentioned in The Book Thief, were used in history for air raid defense.
My Questions
1. Why does Rudy false-start on purpose in the fifth and final race when he had the power and skill to win it?
2. Why does Max leave the basement during the air raid and risk being discovered?
3. Was it ultimately worth it for Hans to offer bread to the old Jewish man?
4. Do you think Liesel blames Hans for causing Max to leave?
1. Why does Rudy false-start on purpose in the fifth and final race when he had the power and skill to win it?
2. Why does Max leave the basement during the air raid and risk being discovered?
3. Was it ultimately worth it for Hans to offer bread to the old Jewish man?
4. Do you think Liesel blames Hans for causing Max to leave?
My Thoughts and Response
Once again, the theme of the power of words takes place. It amazes me that Liesel, a 13-year old girl, was able to calm an entire basement full of anxious people just by reading The Whistler aloud. It seems as if Germany was just so caught up in the war and Hitler that they didn't have time for a good story, so when Liesel read the book to them they were intrigued. Even after it was safe for them to exit the basement, they wanted to stay and finish the chapter, showing that it wasn't simply to pass the time, and gave Liesel their full attention.
Part 7 really begins dig deep into the treatment of the Jews. Hans Hubermann is in fact human, giving him the instincts to be humane and help those in need. However, an act of kindness almost cost him and the Hubermann family their lives. It made me cringe reading about the whipping; it reminded me of a similar scene in The Hunger Games series. I just feel bad for so many characters. When Max is left behind while the Hubermanns head down the street for air raid safety, there is no loophole or way out--that's the way it had to be. It frustrates me that in that moment in time, no one could do anything about it. Personally, if I have an issue or problem, I want it to be fixed and well again. But sometimes you can't fix everything. It also would make me very bitter if Max left for nothing. Not to mention the mysterious request for Rudy at the end of Part 7. Granted, there are a few more parts to read but at the moment it's frustrating that there are so many problems! Then I have to realize that these problems are not fictional, this stuff happened frequently during WWII. It makes me sad that we live in a world that has/had to go through these horrible events; although, we do live in a dystopia.
Once again, the theme of the power of words takes place. It amazes me that Liesel, a 13-year old girl, was able to calm an entire basement full of anxious people just by reading The Whistler aloud. It seems as if Germany was just so caught up in the war and Hitler that they didn't have time for a good story, so when Liesel read the book to them they were intrigued. Even after it was safe for them to exit the basement, they wanted to stay and finish the chapter, showing that it wasn't simply to pass the time, and gave Liesel their full attention.
Part 7 really begins dig deep into the treatment of the Jews. Hans Hubermann is in fact human, giving him the instincts to be humane and help those in need. However, an act of kindness almost cost him and the Hubermann family their lives. It made me cringe reading about the whipping; it reminded me of a similar scene in The Hunger Games series. I just feel bad for so many characters. When Max is left behind while the Hubermanns head down the street for air raid safety, there is no loophole or way out--that's the way it had to be. It frustrates me that in that moment in time, no one could do anything about it. Personally, if I have an issue or problem, I want it to be fixed and well again. But sometimes you can't fix everything. It also would make me very bitter if Max left for nothing. Not to mention the mysterious request for Rudy at the end of Part 7. Granted, there are a few more parts to read but at the moment it's frustrating that there are so many problems! Then I have to realize that these problems are not fictional, this stuff happened frequently during WWII. It makes me sad that we live in a world that has/had to go through these horrible events; although, we do live in a dystopia.