The Book Thief

Liesel is a scrawny nine-year-old orphan at the beginning of the story. Having lost both her brother and mother, she is frightened and anxious about her future. Fortunately, she reorients herself with the guidance of her foster parents. Her passion for words begins even before she can read. Initially, she steals books without being able to explain why. That instinctual urge eventually develops into the ability to wield words effectively to inspire others.

Liesel’s attempts to survive, read, and write personalize the experience of the Second World War for the reader. We are only allowed a glimpse of her life during the height of the war, but this is enough to capture the highs and lows of the human experience during a particularly depressing phase of history. 

Rudy is Liesel’s jaunty best friend and confidante. Together, they play soccer, steal various items, and support each other emotionally. Rudy loves Liesel and keeps begging her for a kiss. She denies his request until it is too late, only kissing him after he dies.

The boy embodies the notion of living in the moment. Despite the upheaval surrounding him, Rudy finds a way to excavate joy from the rubble of disaster. He also functions in the story as a tragic figure, demonstrating the severity of the loss sustained by survivors of war. After he dies in the bombing of Molching, Liesel is inconsolable. She finally understands the philosophy of life that Rudy practiced all along. If she had lived in the moment, she might have demonstrated her affection for him before it was too late. 

Hans is Liesel’s kind-hearted foster father. His most distinctive features are his silver-colored eyes. When the girl first arrives and suffers from recurring nightmares, Hans is the one who calms and reassures her. He is less swayed by propaganda than his neighbors and remains on good terms with the Jewish residents of Molching even after it is unwise to do so. Hans also demonstrates his loyalty by saving the son of his Jewish friend, Erik. Two decades after Erik saved his life, Hans is ready to repay the favor by saving Erik’s son, Max.

From the standpoint of the narrative, Hans functions as the voice of reason during a time of madness. He contradicts the popular notion that all Germans were supportive of Hitler during the war years. His compassion is meant to illustrate the fact that humanity still existed among a subset of the German population during a time when it was dangerous to show kindness to an enemy.

Rosa is Liesel’s squarely built, abrasive foster mother. She disciplines the girl by beating her with a wooden spoon and spends her days in bitter invective against her husband, the neighbors, her customers, and the world in general. Given this description, it would be easy to conclude that Rosa is the embodiment of the wicked stepmother.

In reality, she demonstrates one of the core themes of the book, in that she is a walking contradiction. Her prickly exterior covers a good heart. Rosa genuinely loves Liesel, and the second half of the book demonstrates her softer side, both toward her foster daughter and toward the Jew hiding in her basement. She does all she can to protect Max from harm. Surprisingly, she also grieves her separation from Hans by holding onto his accordion like a security blanket. Rosa embodies the paradox of human nature which so baffles Death.