Max Vandenburg was a Jew in hiding in the 1940's. He was staying place to place (or more, storage unit to basements) without a family, without any hope really. It was a stuggle to Max wondering when he was to be discovered and who would be the next person to walk through the door.
Liesel Meminger was an orphaned German, whose father was a communist, a mother who gave her to another family (the Hubermann's) to try to give her children a better life during the war, and a brother who died on the train to Molching. Leisel was alone.
Max and Liesel had many things in common. They had both lost their families during the war, and dreamt about them nightly. They were both survivors. If they were to pack up everything they had it would had certanly all fit in to a single bookbag. They both had faught to strangthen relationships. Liesel and Max's relationship was defined by many things, books being one of them. Without Mien Kemp, Max would have never made it to Molching alive, and Leisel would have never had the courage to talk to him. Another book that defined they're relationship was 'The Standover Man'. A book that Max had wrote for Leisel twelfth birthday, ripped, painted, and brought alive from the pages of Mien Kemp, Leisel realised what her and Max's relationship had changed, for the both of them. They both came to the little house on Himmel Street to save their lives.
In contrast, they were very different. Max was literally fighting for his life everday. And everyday he put everyone elses' lives in danger too, different from Liesel, she came to the Hubermanns looking for a better life in hard times.
"**** A SMALL EXCERPT FROM THE WHISTLER****She lay there, frightened, in a pool of blood, a strange tune singing from inside her ear. She recalled the knife, in and out, and a smile. As always, the whistler had smiled as he ran away, into a dark and murderous night..." (Zusak, 213)
A big defining moment between Max and Liesel.
"With trepidation, the sheets and cans moved and the light was passed out, exchanging hands. Lookign at the flame, Hans shook his head and followed it with some words. 'Es ist ja Wahnsinn, net? This is crazy, no?' Before the hand from within could reposition the sheets he caught it. 'Bring yourself, too. Please, Max.'
Slowly then, the drop sheets were dragged aside and the emancipated body and face of Max Vandenburg appreared. In the moist light, he stood with a magic discomfort. He shivered.
Hans touched his arm, to bring him closer.
'Jesus, Mary and Joseph. You cannot stay down here. You'll freeze to death.' He turned. 'Liesel, fill up the tub. Not to hot. Make it just like it is when it starts to cool down.'
Liesel ran up.
'Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.'
She heard it again when she reached the hallway."
(Zusak, 214)
Works Cited
Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. Print.
7/10:
ReplyDeleteNice job Marla! I like how you wrote about their similarities and their differences.
Comments for Revision:
parallel sentence structure and proper usage of who's/whose: "Liesel Meminger was an orphaned German, who's father was a communist, a mother who gave her to another family (the Hubermann's) to try to give her children a better life during the war, and a brother who died on the train to Molching."
Make sure to spellcheck before posting.
fragment: "A book that Max had wrote for Leisel twelfth birthday"