Liesel Meminger's journey in a new environment after the loss of her brother highlights her remarkable adaptability. Faced with the challenge of integrating into a foster family with contrasting parental figures, Liesel transforms from a wordless child into a storyteller who reads to her neighbors in shelters, navigates the complexities of Nazi ideology to protect her loved ones, and learns the art of thievery for survival.
Change is a scary concept to most and almost all, for Liesel to demonstrate it with such ease and simplicity is a hard pill to swallow. Adapting is also one of the hardships that come along with change. Liesel had to do it, I have to do it, everyone has to do it at one point or another. Whether it be moving houses or as simple as rearranging your cups in the cupboard, change is a guaranteed part of life. I have moved quite a lot over the years, and it’s hard packing up your life into boxes and start over somewhere new. Liesel and I both have had to adapt to different environments over short periods of time. One of us handled it with ease, the other one, not so much.
If Liesel wasn’t constantly adapting to the situations around her the story would revolve around a young girl mourning the loss of her brother in a whole new environment. Which would change the plot line, completely changing the story. Adaptability shows the reader the dynamic individual personalities of the characters.
With the poverty that the Hubermanns were living in, Liesel didn’t live so lavishly. She learned the art of thievery and found herself working her way through the streets of Mulching with a gang of Arthur Berg and his loons. She adapts quickly to their ways and fends for herself. Certain situations require certain forms of action and Liesel Meminger can deliver no matter the circumstances.
Coming from a place of loss and emptiness, Lisel is left with trauma. She uses this to her advantage to learn how to read and quickly creates a tight bond with her foster father Hans. Liesel adapts fast to the situation and learns how to fit in. She adapted fast to the stranger in her basement, to the workings of Himmel Street soccer, and school monchary. She maneuvers her way around obstacles and makes her mark on Mulching.
After losing her brother in a train on her way to her new foster family, Liesel was traumatized to say the least. She had to adapt to a whole new family, not knowing anyone or anything. She was stripped away from everything she knew and put in this environment of having a thunderstorm of a mother and kind hearted father. Liesel had to adapt from knowing no words to reading to a whole street in a frightened shelter, she had to adapt to hating Hitler to pretending she did, to protect her family. “Don’t ever say that!” “You can say that in our house, but never say it on the street, at school, at the BDM, never!” Hans Hubermann, Page 116. She found her way into the family and into the hearts of everyone on Himmel Street.
Compassionate
Throughout this story, Liesel is known for wanting to help people and bring the best out in them. Liesel and I are the same in that sense. I often look for the good in people. In her own way, Liesel was spreading kindness in her area even at the stressful times of living in Hitler’s Germany. I aspire to reach that level of prosperity to give back to the ones around me.
There was already so much disbandment in Nazi Germany, which was under the rule of Hitler. Without Liesel's compassion there would have been disbandment in this story. Liesel understood and reflected on each of the characters. Without these connections and bonds the characters of The Book Thief would have no emotion thus creating a barrier between the reader and the characters. The emotion of compassion ties and makes the book more promising and worthwhile.
In the basement days of Max Vandenburg, he was permitted the four walls of the basement on 33 Himmel Street. He would get by with the little to none sunlight that would shine through the small windows, and of course the very detailed descriptions of the day from Liesel Meminger. Liesel Meminger was a very compassionate young girl who would do the most thoughtful gestures for Max on his toughest days. One of these gestures happened to be bringing snow down into the basement so Max could see it. She understood that this Jew was in danger and could only do so much without risking his life further, these small acts of kindness not only reflect on Liesel's compassionate character but her ability to spread joy everywhere.
When Max Vandenburg fell sick, Liesel was there to care for him through it all. Throughout the story, the two characters had connected through their heartfelt pasts, they shared the dilemmas of nightmares and their love for literature. The entirety of the Hubermann household was concerned for Max’s health, but Liesel was the most. “Please, Max, just don’t die.” Page 316. Liesel brought him gifts for when he would wake up to make up for the days he had missed. “I’m sorry” she said, “it’s not much. But when you wake up I’ll tell you all about it. I’ll tell you it was the grayest afternoon you can imagine, and this car without it's lights on ran straight over the ball. Then the man got out and yelled at us. And then he asked for directions. The nerve of him…”. This goes to show how compassionate Liesel was for a man she had just met, a Jewish man. From every other perspective if Max was a Jew he deserved to die. But Liesel understood Max and all of the sorrow he had encountered.
Family;
Liesel cares for her foster family deeply, she goes out of her way to help them. For instance when she delivered the washing to her mama’s clients. This act of kindness established a connection of trust between the two. Liesel was compassionate towards her mama in times of stress, it was a well known fact that the Hubermanns weren’t the wealthiest family on Himmel Street. Taking this into account, when families would fire Rosa, Liesel could not bring herself to break the news to her hard working mama, so she would blame it upon herself for not delivering the washing on time or being impolite. Liesel was willing to give a helping hand wherever and whenever.
Dedication
Connection;
Both Liesel and I are very dedicated and work oriented individuals. We both strive to achieve the desired no matter the circumstances and situation. Liesel stays up all night to learn how to read, similarly I work tirelessly to complete assignments on time with to the best of my ability.
Significance;
The book itself encompasses a young learning girl who has seen a lot for her age. It shows how she has grown throughout the years. Without her dedication, the theme of the book would have completely taken a different turn. It contributes to the theme of the story because Liesel dedicates herself to reading, which teaches her the power of words. If not for reading, her character would be lost in the balance of Nazi Germany. Her character wouldn’t have purpose in the story. The plot is heavily based upon Liesel's dedication towards reading for it had created strong connections between characters. When Liesel and Hans read into the early hours of the day, there was everlasting trust and bond.
Peers/Ones Around Her;
With her family, friends and the ones around her, Liesel is comforted in the hardest of times. She provides this comfort back with her words. She uses her words to fill up the silence and calm the chaos created by the war. On the occurrence of one of the bombings, Himmel Street had to take shelter in Mr. Fiedler's basement on 44 Himmel Street. The basement was swarmed with frightened children and adults, Liesel opened one of her books and began to read. Soon everyone's eyes were on Liesel as she handed out the words of “The Whistler”. Liesel herself was very afraid, but instead she chose to put it aside to ease others. She’s dedicated to providing her family a sense of security and safety in the time period of Hitler’s Germany.
Personality;
In the beginning of the story Liesel Meminger had a hatred for words, she was without them. As the story progresses, so does Liesel's hunger for words. After her first day at school, where her teachers discovered she couldn’t read or write, Liesel was cast down with the younger kids who were only just learning the alphabet. This drove her to dedicate her time and effort towards reading her first stolen book “The Grave Diggers Handbook” with her foster father Hans. They spend nights together after Liesel's daily nightmare, learning how to read. In addition to proven efforts Hans was a painter, he had Liesel create a dictionary on the wall; where she would paint the letter A and words that started with it. For instances “S” for “Saumensch”.
Liesel Meminger is a very informed young girl, she knows not to speak about the Jew hidden in her basement, for the consequences her foster parents could face in Nazi Germany. Rosa and Hans Hubermann had taken in the son of the man, Erik Vandenburg who had saved Hans life during World War I. Erik happened to be a Jew, making Max a Jew by default. “Liesel, if you tell anyone about the man up there, we will all be in big trouble.” Page 203. “They’ll drag that man up there away and maybe Mama and me, too - and we will never, ever come back.” Page 204. Liesel kept her word to her foster father, she stayed dedicated and loyal afraid of what wrath could be leashed upon her ever so loving family. This shows dedication because Liesel could have easily told anyone, Rudy, her teacher, the next door neighbour, about Max but instead she choose to protect her family in the toughest and scariest of times.
