thebadguy
The Book Thief
Love is an important theme in the book thief. Love presents itself in all kinds of different forms on Himmel Street. There is the love between parents and children. There is the love between two people who share similar circumstances. There is the love felt between friends. There is even an unexpected love developed between employer and employee. Love is used to hold people together and tear people apart. Love is what creates every bond.
The story is set in Nazi Germany and the bond of love is first established between Liesel and Hans Hubermann. After being turned over to the state by her biological mother she is adopted by the Hubermanns. She is afraid to go into the house. Hans gently escorts her into the house. She is filthy and refuses to bathe. As her new mother Rosa yells You filthy pig! Why wont you get undressed? (Zusak 32), it is Hans who demands that Liesel be left alone and teaches her how to roll a cigarette. The bond is further strengthened as Hans comes to her aid each night when the nightmares of her brothers death start. A trust is built. He came in every night and sat with her. The first couple of times, he simply stayed a stranger to kill the alonenessAfter three weeks, he held her The girl knew from the outset that Hans Hubermann would always appear midscream, and he would not leave (Zusak 36-37). Love between the two would be cemented when Hans barters his coveted cigarettes to purchase two old books for Liesel as a Christmas present. After being embarrassed in front of the class for not being able to read, she is determined to learn. Hans takes an interest in her quest. Together after each nightmare they sit in the basement and read from the two books. Liesel strengthens her reading skills and her love for Hans Hubermann.
The arrival of Max Vandenburg at 33 Himmel Street reminds Hans of the love shared between two old army buddies. It was 1940 when Max Vandenburg arrived at 33 Himmel Street (Zusak 185). He was the son of Erik, an army buddy of Hans who inadvertently saved his life. The sergeant calls on his men for a person who knows how to write very neatly and clear. Knowing how much Hans hates to be on the battle field, Erik volunteers Hans for the job. Later Hans is informed that everyone in his platoon was killed on that run. Upon being released from his duty he finds Eriks wife to discover they had a small son. Feeling really bad now, Hans explained to her, he saved my life He if theres anything you ever need. He slid a piece of paper with his name and address on it across the table (Zusak 179). Through this act, the bond between father and daughter is made stronger as Liesel is sworn to secrecy because hiding a Jewish person meant an instant painful death. Out of love he threatens Liesel. For starters, he said, I will take each and every one of your books and I will burn them. It was callous. Ill throw them in the stove or the fireplace Theyll drag that man up there away and maybe Mama and me too and we will never ever come back (Zusak 203-204). Knowing what Liesel treasures most is what he used against her because he loves her so much and doesnt want any of them to suffer the same fate as the Jews. He also loved Erik Vandenburg enough to keep a promise he made his wife in a dangerous time that could have got him killed.
A new friendship that turns into love is also formed between two people who have a lot in common. Liesel is a poor orphan and Max is a destitute Jew and both find love and shelter with the Hubermanns. As Max is telling his story of how he came to Himmel Street curiosity overcomes Liesel and she asks him questions like How long did you stay in that room? Do you know what happened to your family? (Zusak 217). Willingly he answers and a bond of love is made. So strong that Max would later share with her the horrors of his nightmares and she would do the same. So strong that Max would rip the pages from Mein Kampf and repaint them to create a book expressing how moved he is by Liesels kindness. So strong that when he gets ill from the cold in the basement and sleeps for eight days Liesel brings him a different scrap in the form of a present to coax him out of his sleep. And so strong that in 1943 she would risk her life to glance upon Maxs face one more time before he faced an uncertain future at Dachau (Zusak 511). And so strong that once the war was over Max would search for Liesel on Himmel Street.
The love between friends is shown between Liesel and Rudy. From the start Rudy fell in love with Liesel. To show this love he pelts her with a snowball comprised primarily of mud on their first meeting (Zusak 48). It was Rudy who put his arm around Liesel as she wept in a gutter on the way home after being humiliated at school (Zusak 80). It was Rudy who helped the book thief steal from the mayors library and steal apples from the orchard. It was Rudy who defended Liesels honor against the bully Viktor Chemmel and retrieved her soggy book from the freezing Amper River in December (Zusak 302-303). It was also Rudy who wanted for a kiss from his beloved Liesel from the first day he saw her only to receive it at his death. Rudy, please, wake up, Goddamn it wake up, I love you dont you know I love you, wake up, wake up She leaned down and looked at his lifeless face and Liesel kissed her best friend, Rudy Steiner, soft and true on his lips (Zusak 535-536). At the end she realizes she loves Rudy as much as he loved her.
An uncommon love develops between the mayors wife and Liesel that would aid Liesel in her most desperate moment. Liesel accompanies her mother on washing runs. Her mother always complained of these rich people and all their money and laziness (Zusak 41). Mamas greatest hatred was saved for the mayor and his wife. This one is the mayors house. That crook. His wife sits at home all day, too mean to light a fire its always freezing in there. Shes crazy (Zusak 42). How ironic that mayors wife catches her stealing a book from Hitlers bonfire in 1941 and invites Liesel in to read from her large collection of books in her library. As Liesel frequents the library the mayors wife opens up by telling her she doesnt feel worthy to live because her son was killed in WWI. With each visit they sit in silence as they both grieve for lost loved ones. As the war progresses all of Germany is hit hard financially and Mamas loses all her customers except for the mayors wife. Out of love for Liesel she retains the services of her mother as long as she can. When she finally does fire Liesels mom, she tries to give Liesel a book to make her feel better since Liesel loves reading. Liesel explodes yelling, You give me this Saumensch of a book and think itll make everything good when I go and tell my mama that weve just lost our last one? (Zusak 252). She continues angrier than ever hurling cruel words. Its about time you faced the fact that your son is dead. He got killed! He got strangled and cut up more than twenty years ago! Or did he freeze to death? Either way, hes dead! Hes dead and its pathetic that you sit here shivering in your own house to suffer for it (Zusak 262). The only contact they have after that is the book thief stealing books from the mayors library through a window left open on purpose. She wouldnt know how much the mayors wife loved her until she came looking for her after Himmel Street is bombed and Liesel is once again orphaned.
Love creates friendships and love is what makes those friendships last. It was love that made Liesels mom send her to the Hubermanns and it was love that made the Hubermanns keep Liesel. It was love that made Max come back and look for Liesel when the war was over and love that made Rudy help Liesel in becoming a book thief. It was love that made Liesel steal books and the love of one book that forever kept her brother close to her It was love when the mayors wife comes to Liesels rescue after her whole town was killed after a bombing. It was love that grounded all the works of Hans Hubermann and love that made Rosa Hubermann scream saumensch at Liesel all the time. If Liesel ever learned anything on Himmel Street it was how to love.
Work Cited
Zusak, Mark. The Book Thief. New York: Knopf, 2007. Print.
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