Discussion 1: Character

One thing that makes this novel especially unique is that it's narrated by Death. Death really is personified: the descriptions it uses about itself are very similar to that of a person. For example, Death describes itself carrying souls away in its arms, and at one point, says it likes the statement Max makes about punching Death in the face. These human-like characteristics have resulted in me picturing Death as a black shadowy gas with the figure of a person, sort of like someone's shadow or shillouette. However, this is only when Death is actually mentioned. The character is in a way inconsistant. Sometimes as I'm reading I forget it's Death narrating at all, and instead think of it as your average third-person narrator. When Death is mentioned, or makes a referrence to itself, I get a sudden wham of realization. Oh yeah, Death's narrating. Still, the idea is very interesting and it's fun seeing the sort of sarcasm and bluntness Death brings to the story.

Discussion Post #1

Liesel, the main character in The Book Thief, is quiet and shy at first, but with time she gains confidence and determination. When Liesel first arrives at the Huberman's home, she refuses to take a bath for weeks, perhaps because she is unable to adjust to the new environment. It is also difficult for her to adjust to her brother being dead. Liesel imagined him sleeping in his bed as she laid awake at night. Though Liesel is illiterate in the beginning of the story, she insists that Hans reads her the one book she has. Her determination promotes her to the grade her age group is normally in. Liesel is smart, and she learns how to read with persistence. She also is logical enough to not argue with Rosa's commands, but simply reply "Yes, mama." Liesel is impulsive, as shown by her grabbing the gravedigger's book, insisting on being goalie for Rudy's penalty kick, and trying to do the reading test when she was exempt from it. Liesel is very sensitive, especially when the kids in her class laugh at her. Her new-found aggressive nature causes her to beat up a kid severely. Liesel is competive, another reason why she wanted to prove herself by doing the test. Liesel is tolerant, probably from being around Hans so much. Liesel doesn't seem to judge Rudy or Rosa, accepting them for their unique personalities.

Post #1 - Character

Leisel Meminger is the main character in The Book Thief. She seems to be a brave girl when she wants to be, but very quiet and weak other times. After Leisel's brother dies, she has nightmares every night about her being left alone with the Hubermanns, which shows her weak side. Although this continues to happen, she also stands up for herself against kids at her school who tell her that she is stupid. The two closest people to Leisel are Rudy Steiner, her best friend, and Hans Hubermann, her foster father. Hans is one of the biggest influences on Leisel when she settles in and helps to teach her how to read and write. When Leisel first goes to school, they realize she does not know how to read and write and is therefore sent back to kindergarten. Hans stays up with her every night after she is woken up by her nightmare and they what they call "midnight class," where they read and find out which words Leisel does not know. Eventually, Leisel is back with her class, although she still is not the best at reading or writing. Leisel's character has already changed a lot since she first came to stay with the Hubermanns, but I'm sure we will see her change much more throughout the story.

Discussion Topic #1 - Character

Rudy Steiner is Liesel's best friend since she moved in with her foster family. He's interesting because he doesn't seem to follow the rules of being a child. The book talks about how he makes a point not to be afraid of girls in order to break the mold. This is demonstrated when he tells Liesel that eventually, they will kiss. Even when Liesel says 'no', he's not phased. I thought he was interesting because of the "Jesse Owens Incident" in which he painted himself black with charcoal and ran around a track, in order to be like his favorite athlete. His father got mad at him for trying to stand out. The ease with which Rudy approaches different races and religions makes him one of the rare children of the Nazi party. His father tells him that he has "safe blue eyes" and for that, he should be grateful. Rudy is not grateful, however, to fit in. He shows, by his friendship with a ten-year-old girl in kindergarten, that he's not afraid to stand out. I think this is both an admirable, and dangerous quality in Nazi Germany.

~Eliza

Hans Hubermann

Hans hubermann, Liesel's new foster dad, is a very interesting character. He is a quiet man, unlike his loud and opinionated wife. Him and Liesel share a special bond, starting from the moment she arrives. Hans coaxes her into the house and later is the one who rushes to her bedside when she has her terrible nightmares about the death of her younger brother. Hans seems to be Liesel's escape from the past (her brother dying and mother leaving her) and the present (bieng separated form her family.) He comforts liesel and acts like her real father, since hers is gone with hitler's army. He lets Liesel help him roll his cigarettes and spends as much time as he can with her. He also plays his accordian to ease Liesel's distraught mind. Hans Hubermann is a caring, loving, quiet man who i think will have a significant impact on Liesel's life. So far, this thoughtful man is my favorite character.

1st Discussion Post

In this book, the main character's name is Liesel Meminger. She is a very shy, scarred little girl (not scared, scarred) who acts very calmly around her new foster family. She doesn't speak much, but she communicates in other ways, particularly with her new foster father Hans Hubermann. She relates to him quite well, even early on in the book. I don't really relate to Liesel much because she is very quiet while I am not. Also, she has had very different experiences from me, so I don't know if I could understand how she feels. To fix her mistakes, Liesel needs to be a little more extroverted, but I don't know how easily that will come. Liesel is mainly influenced by Rosa Hubermann and Hans Hubermann, her foster parents. Rosa influences her behavior, while Hans influences her recovery after seeing her dead brother. It seems that Hans influences Liesel more than Rosa does, however. 

Week One!

Welcome to Week 1 of our Discussion. This discussion will last from Monday, February 23rd to Sunday, March 1.

This week's discussion is on Character. Please POST a 10 sentence comment on character. Don't forget to comment on 5 other posts on this blog. You have all week to complete this assignment, but don't wait until the last minute!!!