The Word Shaker

I think we should talk about Max's story and the symbols involved.

Liesel and Max

The friendship that develops between Liesel and Max is touching, heart-wrenching, and extremely powerful. Perhaps the reason that these two characters gravitate towards each other is because of their incredible similarities. Lets discuss how Liesel and Max's experiences are really not all that different.
Julia

Michael Holtzapfel exemplifies the strains of guilt during war time. Michael watched his brother slowly die from being injured in battle, yet Michael is able to return home. Michael's injuries leave him with missing fingers and a bandaged hand that won't stop bleeding. I think the incessant bleeding of his hand represents how draining it is to continue living when so many others have died. Michael's hand bleeds when he recants the story of his brother's death and also when he decides to leave his mother behind in order for a chance at survival. He is disturbed that he could want to live still even after all of the sacrifice and suffering. It is typical to feel this guilt; Papa feels it when his actions force Max to leave, after he survives WWI, and the accident in the LSE. Alex Steiner feels it when he survives and Rudy dies because he wasn't sent to the Nazi school. Michael ends up taking his own life because he cannot stand the guilt and pain anymore. He hates himself for wanting to live when the world was such an awful place to be. It is interesting that this passage is immediately after Liesel thinks about the pain of watching people suffer vs the pain of actual suffering. I think this juxtaposition serves to make us wonder if Michael's actions were justified or cowardly.
Ali B

The Reoccurance of Liesel's Brother

I found it interesting that Liesel's brother only appears to her when she is at Frau Hermann's house. I think that maybe Ilsa represents what could become of Liesel if she would have stayed in a mourning state after the death of her brother. Ilsa never got over the death of her son, and if Liesel never got over her brother she too would remain cold and sad. Furthermore, the state of Liesel's brother parallels the state of other characters. When Liesel is yelling at Ilsa, Werner is pushed down the steps and his knee is bleeding, as are the symbolic wounds on Frau Hermann's face. After Liesel recieves the letter from Frau Hermann saying that Liesel's stealing has not gone unnoticed but that Ilsa is not angry, Werner's knee is healing, just like the relationship between the two characters. Finally, when Liesel returns the plate as a sign of peace, Werner's knee is completely healed. After this, Liesel only sees him in visions of him peacefully playing in her room. She is not bothered by nightmares of his death ever again. This shows that Liesel has finally learned to cope with his loss, just as Frau Hermann has better adjusted herself and learned to deal with the loss of her son.
Ali B

The Crossroads

On page 285, Liesel makes a weighty decision.
"At that very moment, Liesel was presented with a decision. Could she truly carry out what she was thinking? Could she really take revenge on a person like this? Could she despise someone this much?
      ...After all, the guilt was already there. It was moist. The seed was already bursting into a dark-leafed flower. She weighed up whether she could really go through with this. At a crossroad, she stopped.
     'I know a place.'"

Identity

Identity plays a large role in this novel. To stay alive, the Jews had to stay hidden. In addition, they suffered from starvation and physical abuse. How does Max's identity change during the Holocaust?

The Power of Words

The power of words are a common theme throughout this novel. I think that we should discuss various instances in which the power of words and their effects have been displayed by Death's narration.
-Julia

A Fear for the Children

Something really interesting that I came across while reading, is the portrayal of the parental role during this specific time period. This was most clearly conveyed to me in two key moments of the novel. One, was the "Jesse Owens Incident," and the other was when Hans slapped Liesel across the face. In both moments, both fathers are forced to explain to their innocent children, the harsh reality of the Nazi life, and with no coincidence, in a harsh manner. And in both instances, neither father necessarily agrees with the ideals of the party they are asking their children to follow. Both Alex Steiner and Hans Hubermann represent the fear of the parent as they watch their innocent and fearless children tread into the dangerous waters of Hitler's Reich.
-Julia

Death and Liesel...BFF.

Out of all the people in the world, why is Death so interested in Liesel? 

xoxo Julia

The Handbook

So to get this started, lets talk about "The Grave Digger's Handbook." I think that it is extremely symbolic for Liesel Meminger's journey of mourning her past life. Before Liesel begins her late night lessons with Papa, she is consumed with nightmares that serve as a haunting of her brother's death and the uncertainty of her mother's whereabouts. But as the reading and writing lessons with Papa begin, so does Liesel's healing. Yes, she is still waking up in the late hours of the night, but at least now with something to ease the pain. With each page of, "The Grave Digger's Handbook," that Liesel manages to conquer, she moves farther and farther away from her past life. The handbook teaches Liesel how to dig a grave not for a person, but for her past. But I think that burying it is something no book can help her with.
-Julia

FIrst Post Ever

This is our first post on our blog. HELLO, WORLD.