Characters & Plots
The Book Thief is a story told by Death himself and how he becomes interested in a young girl named Liesel Meminger, who is adopted by a women named Rosa Huberman and her husband Hans Huberman. Liesel is a tough girl when she arrives, her and Rosa don't get along at first but her and Hans fall in love with the power of a book. "The Grave Diggers Handbook" is the first book that The Book Thief (Liesel) ever stole and the first book she ever learned how to read. Liesel didn't know how to read so when she couldn't sleep at night her and Hans would stay up and learn how to read. In time Liesel became comfortable in her new home with her snappy mother Rosa who always had a smart remark and her partner in crime Rudy, the boy that she does all her thieving with. Then comes Max Vandenburg, a Jew hiding from the Nazi. Him and Liesel build a bond that can never be broken by any Nazi.
Important Themes & Symbols
The Book thief is all about the way people use their words and the way people treat each other. Liesel uses reading and the new words she learns to guide her and open up her mind to what is happening in her surroundings. While doing that she matures and grows and has a more open mind about what she does and how she goes about doing it. Hans and Rosa open up their hearts to a Jew knowing that it could get them in serious trouble and in doing that kind act Liesel is kind and lets max into her heart and realizes that their is more to a person than what their labeled as. Liesel learns about the power that words have on people and how you can choose to listen or decide your own words.
Source: ( www.gradesaver.com/the-book-thief/study-guide/themes)
Source: ( www.gradesaver.com/the-book-thief/study-guide/themes)