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The Book Thief: Humanity's Capacity for Good and Evil

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A Comprehensive Guide to Analysing ‘The Book Thief’: Summary, Context, Themes & Characters

Has ‘The Book Thief’ got you stealing ideas and quotes from your friends’ essays? Fret not! We have a summary of The Book Thief with its key themes, characters and more to help you with your analysis.

We’ve also included a TEE table and a sample paragraph that you can download so you have a better understanding of how to analyse an excerpt from the text.

Let’s get started on crafting an analysis of The Book Thief!

The Book Thief Summary Key Characters in The Book Thief Context Symbols in The Book Thief Themes Explored in The Book Thief Analysis of The Book Thief

Summary of The Book Thief

The Book Thief is a historical fiction written by Australian author, Markus Zusak and set during the height of WWII from 1939-1945 . Narrated by Death, the novel follows the story of nine year old Liesel Meminger.

We are introduced to our protagonist on a train when her brother suddenly dies . Liesel and her mother bury the body where Liesel steals a book from the gravediggers. 

Liesel and her mother continue travelling to Molching where she will be raised by foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann . Liesel had never learned how to read and when she is sent to school, she is made fun of.

Hans realises and teaches her how to read from The Grave Digger’s Handbook , the book she stole from her brother’s burial.

As Liesel grows closer to Hans and Rosa, she also begins to help Rosa collect the laundry from various neighbours — one of them being the mayor’s home. One day, the mayor’s wife, Ilsa Hermann invites Liesel into the study where she admires the bookshelves. Noticing her keen interest in the books, Ilsa allows Liesel to read there. 

Access The Book Thief Downloadable Sample Paragraph and Examples of Analysis

Liesel Growing Up

However, the Nazis become increasingly prominent in Molching with Jewish stores destroyed and the children being required to join the Band of German Girls and Hitler Youth. During this time, Liesel matures and begins to realise the horrors of Nazi Germany and the Hubermanns also hide Max Vanderburg, a Jew. 

Image sourced from Wikimedia Commons

While initially scared of Max, Liesel soon forms a close friendship with him . She tells him about her day and brings him presents.

Max, too, enjoys telling stories and frequently tells Liesel the stories he knows. For her birthday, he writes a book for Liesel which details his life , which includes her and the Hubermanns too. 

As the war continues, food rationing and money becomes scarce. Thus Rosa loses her laundry jobs, including Ilsa’s.

One night, Liesel sneaks in through a window and takes a book from Ilsa Hermann’s library, becoming a book thief. After stealing several books from them, Liesel finds a Dictionary and Thesaurus left by the window where Ilsa tells Liesel she is aware of her stealing books, and encourages her to come in through the front door. 

The Air Raids Begin

Eventually, the air raids begin and Nazi soldiers inspect the Hermann’s basement but conclude it is not deep enough for a bomb shelter. Instead, they have to take shelter at a neighbour’s house and leave Max in their basement by himself.

During one of the air raids, Liesel reads from a book and everyone gathers around her and begins to calm down. It is here that Liesel develops an appreciation and understanding for the power of words and stories. 

As the war continues, Liesel begins to see Jewish prisoners being paraded through their town on the way to the concentration camps. Max is no longer safe in the basement of their home and has to flee again. A few days later, Hans and Rudy’s father are drafted into the German army.

One day, Ilsa gives Liesel a blank notebook so she may write her own story. While she is writing in her basement, her neighbourhood is bombed and Hans, Rosa and Rudy are killed .

Liesel finds Rudy’s body and gives him the kiss he always wished for and when she is rescued, Liesel leaves behind her book called ‘The Book Thief ’. Death keeps the book.

The novel ends with Liesel living with Ilsa and the mayor and when the war ends, she meets Max again . Liesel lives to old age, and when Death comes to collect her soul, he returns the book which she wrote. 

Key Characters in The Book Thief

Death Death is the narrator of the book and we see many events through his viewpoint as well. Death is an inevitable part of life and he seems to witness many of the saddest yet heartwarming moments of humanity, but also the cruelty and ugliness in us. Rather than portraying Death as a figure to be feared and dreaded, Zusak also humanises Death portraying him as a character with empathy. 

Liesel Meminger Liesel is 9 years old when we first meet her and we follow her as she grows up in the midst of WWII. We watch her gradually mature and realise the realities of the world she is growing up within. While Liesel is unable to read when we first meet her, she has always seemed to have a desire to read and develops an appreciation and awareness of the power of words for both kindness and cruelty. 

Hans Hubermann Hans is Liesel’s foster father and was a former soldier during WWI. He is warm-hearted and plays the accordion, which Liesel associates with safety and comfort. He teaches her how to read and is a highly empathetic man, sheltering Max during the War and attempting to help one of the Jewish prisoners in a parade that passes through Molching. 

Rosa Hubermann Rosa is Liesel’s foster mother and appears to be a strict and impatient lady at first. However, she is a loving wife and mother — while not as affectionate as Hans, it is clear that she cares about Liesel through the way she nags.  

Max Vanderburg Max is a Jewish man who hides from the Nazis in the Hubermann’s basement. During his time here, he befriends Liesel, bonding over similar struggles they have both experienced but also a shared love for words and stories. Max writes a book about his life and includes Liesel and the Hubermanns in it, presenting it to her as a present. 

Ilsa Hermann Ilsa is the Mayor’s wife and one of Rosa’s laundry customers. Liesel meets her while collecting and delivering the laundry, and one day Ilsa invites her into the study which is filled with books. Noticing Liesel’s amazement, Ilsa allows her to read in the library with her and helps to cultivate her love of reading. Later on, Ilsa presents Liesel with a book for her to write her own story in. 

The Book Thief is set in Molching, a small town near Munich during Nazi Germany . The majority of the book’s events take place between 1939-1945, during WWII.

By this time, Hitler has well established the Nuremberg Laws, which removed the rights of many Jewish people . In 1939, the Nazi regime was becoming increasingly hostile and concentration camps were set up in Germany. 

During the years of the war, many German men lost their lives on the Eastern Front. For those who were allowed to stay at home, like older men, women and young children, air raids, food supply and finance were often precarious during the war.

Many fictional books written about the events of WWII are often told in the point of view of Holocaust victims, retelling the horrors that occurred in Nazi Germany. Markus Zusak chooses to explore the German perspective and their experience of this period in history to demonstrate what life was like for those who disagreed with the Nazis but found themselves having to comply in order to keep themselves and their family safe. 

Image sourced from Flickr

If your school is studying The Book Thief in relation to the context of Nazi Germany in WWII, it is important that you know the events of the war really well (don’t be afraid of flipping through your notes of history!).

As a rule of thumb, it is best to introduce the historical context within your thesis statement and ensure that each paragraph contains at least one ‘Explanation’ that clearly links back to the events of WWII or how it has impacted the lives of the character. 

Symbols in The Book Thief

Books Books represent knowledge, power, and the potency of words . Liesel’s journey begins with the stolen “The Grave Digger’s Handbook,” symbolizing her entry into the world of literature. Throughout the story, books offer solace, education, and connections. They embody the potential for both positive and negative influence, showcasing the impact of words on individuals and society. In a time of turmoil, books become tools of resistance, signifying defiance against ignorance and oppression. They provide hope and escapism, offering a sense of normalcy and humanity amidst chaos. Hans teaching Liesel to read and write secretly in their basement epitomises this resistance and the significance of knowledge in challenging authority.

Death Death serves as the narrator, offering a unique perspective that combines insight with detachment. Its presence throughout the story underscores the inevitability of mortality and the universal experience of loss during wartime. Despite its role as the harbinger of the end, Death’s observations often convey empathy, emphasising the resilience and beauty found within individuals even amid tragedy. Death symbolises transition, guiding souls from life to afterlife. Its narration allows the exploration of themes surrounding mortality, loss, and the fragility of life, providing a deeper understanding of the human condition.

Themes Explored in The Book Thief

Mortality  .

Narrated by Death and set during WWII, the theme of mortality is pertinent throughout the whole novel. All the characters in the book have encountered death closely, including Liesel herself where her younger brother dies at the beginning of the book.

Death is not a stranger and the characters are vividly aware of their own mortality, as well as the increasing number of lives that have been lost during the war. 

Power of Reading and Writing

Throughout the novel, the power of stories is evident through the recurring motifs of books and writing as symbols of personal agency and expression. Various characters throughout the book read, write or share stories with each other, allowing them to connect with each other or to control their own narratives even when all hope seems lost. 

The power of words is portrayed in a paradoxical manner throughout the book. Liesel, and many of the people around her, use words to bring comfort and build relationships with each other.

A particularly powerful moment is during one of the air raids when Liesel reads a book out loud and everyone gathers around her to listen during this terrifying moment. However, this is contrasted by Hitler who used words to incite violence during WWII.

The power of words is further reinforced during the novel through book burnings and how various characters throughout the novel encourage Liesel to read, and write her own story. 

Paradox of Humanity

The Book Thief explores the paradox of humanity, examining our inherent kindness alongside our immense capacity for cruelty. Throughout the novel, there are small acts of kindness among the residents of Molching.

From Hans patiently teaching Liesel how to read, the Hubermanns hiding Max, Liesel bringing snow into the basement so she can build a snowman with Max or Ilsa gifting her a dictionary instead of getting angry for stealing books — there are small acts of kindness that occur throughout the novel in contrast to the vast cruelty that is occurring in Nazi Germany. 

Writing about the Themes

The text contains many contrasting themes and elements for you to explore, from the power of words, mortality and the paradoxes of human nature. When writing in relation to a theme, make sure that your thesis and point sentences relate to the theme clearly, this will make it easier for you to choose your quotes and will help to guide your analysis.

You could include your personal observations for essays that are centred on a theme too, as long as you remember to back these up through the TEE format. This will give your essay a unique perspective and your English teacher will be sure to appreciate it too!

Need to know how to write a feature article for English on ‘The Book Thief’? Look no further than our amazing article!

How to Analyse The Book Thief in 3 Steps

Step 1: choose your example.

When picking an example ensure that you are able to identify a technique in the text.

For this example, I have chosen to analyse the following quote which states: 

“I guess humans like to watch a little destruction. Sand castles, houses of cards, that’s where they begin. Their skills are their capacity to escalate.”

Step 2: Identify your technique(s)

Ensure that the technique you choose for your quote supports your analysis or helps you to build your argument.

In the above quote we can find tricolon, listing and Death’s colloquial yet darkly humorous tone. Set against the context of WWII, foreshadowing may also be used depending on how you choose to analyse the quote!  

Step 3: Write the analysis

When writing the analysis, focus on the effect of the technique and how it supports your argument. 

For this quote, let’s analyse it in relation to humanity’s paradox — our great capacity for kindness and cruelty. 

Death’s ironic tone in the quote “I guess humans like to watch a little destruction. Sand castles, houses of cards, that’s where they begin. Their great skill is their capacity to escalate” highlights capacity’s paradoxical nature and our capacity for both cruelty and kindness through the use of tricolon. Furthermore, Death foreshadows the inevitable violence that will occur during WWII, demonstrating how harmless acts like destroying “sandcastles” can “escalate” into extreme cruelty if humanity does not remain vigilant about their behaviour. 

Need some help analysing other texts?

Check out other texts we’ve created guides for below:

• All the Light We Cannot See
• Lord of the Flies
• King Richard III
• In Cold Blood
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• Pride and Prejudice
• Rainbow’s End
• Jasper Jones
• Things Fall Apart
• Mrs Dalloway

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Tiffany Fong is currently completing a double degree in Media and Communications with Law at Macquarie University. She currently contributes to the university zine, Grapeshot where she enjoys writing feature articles, commentary on current affairs or whatever weird interest that has taken over her mind during that month. During her spare time, Tiffany enjoys reading, writing, taking care of her plants or cuddling with her two dogs. 

• Topics: ✏️ English , ✍️ Learn

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The Book Thief

By markus zusak.

• The Book Thief Summary

Narrated by Death , The Book Thief is the story of Liesel Meminger , a nine-year-old German girl who given up by her mother to live with Hans and Rosa Hubermann in the small town of Molching in 1939, shortly before World War II. On their way to Molching, Liesel's younger brother Werner dies, and she is traumatized, experiencing nightmares about him for months. Hans is a gentle man who brings her comfort and helps her learn to read, starting with a book Liesel took from the cemetery where her brother was buried. Liesel befriends a neighborhood boy, Rudy Steiner , who falls in love with her. At a book burning, Liesel realizes that her father was persecuted for being a Communist, and that her mother was likely killed by the Nazis for the same crime. She is seen stealing a book from the burning by the mayor's wife Ilsa Hermann , who later invites Liesel to read in her library.

Keeping a promise he made to the man who saved his life, Hans agrees to hide a Jew named Max Vandenberg in his basement. Liesel and Max become close friends, and Max writes Liesel two stories about their friendship, both of which are reproduced in the novel. When Hans publicly gives bread to an old Jew being sent to a concentration camp, Max must leave, and Hans is drafted into the military at a time when air raids over major German cities were escalating in terms of frequency and fatality. Liesel next sees Max being marched towards the concentration camp at Dachau. Liesel loses hope and begins to disdain the written word, having learnt that Hitler's propaganda is to blame for the war and the Holocaust and the death of her biological family, but Ilsa encourages her to write. Liesel writes the story of her life in the Hubermanns' basement, where she miraculously survives an air raid that kills Hans, Rosa, Rudy, and everyone else on her block. Liesel survives the war, as does Max. She goes on to live a long life and dies at an old age.

The Book Thief Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Book Thief is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

What books did Liesel receive from her father for Christmas?

Faust the Dog written by Mattheus Ottleberg The Lighthouse written by Ingrid Rippinstein

which aspect of the world most fascinates the narrator of "The Book Thief"?

It is both the survivors, the ones who are left when the dead leave, as well as the colours of the world. The first is directly stated as follows; "Still, it’s possible that you might be asking, why does he even need a vacation? What does he need...

Characterize Rosa Hubermann. What kind of a character is she?

Rosa Hubermann

Hans' wife and Liesel's foster mother. A squat woman who makes some money doing laundry for wealthy neighbors, Rosa has a fiery attitude and frequently employs profanity, especially towards those whom she loves. Death describes Rosa...

Study Guide for The Book Thief

The Book Thief study guide contains a biography of Markus Zusak, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Book Thief
• Character List

Essays for The Book Thief

The Book Thief essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

• Liesel's Emotional Journey Through the Book Thief
• Zusak's Death Breaks the Mould
• Guilt in The Book Thief
• The Toil of Good and Evil: Multi-Faceted Kindness in The Book Thief
• Stealing the Narrative: The Irony of Reading in The Book Thief

Lesson Plan for The Book Thief

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to The Book Thief
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• The Book Thief Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for The Book Thief

• Introduction

Themes and Analysis

The book thief, by markus zusak.

‘The Book Thief’ is a historical novel based on the events of the Holocaust and Second World War and the suffering and death experienced by people.

Article written by Ugo Juliet

Former Lecturer. Author of multiple books. Degree from University Of Nigeria, Nsukka.

When analyzing The Book Thief , there are several themes one needs to look at. The majority are themes of the power of words, kindness, and cruelty of humans, reading and writing, the duality of the Nazi era, mortality, and love.

The Book Thief Themes

The power of words.

In The Book Thief , we see that words and, in extension, stories are among the most powerful ways people connect. So many examples show how the words connect people up throughout the story. Through learning the alphabet and how to use it to make words, Liesel and Hans Hubermann began developing their deep bond. Liesel’s descriptions of the weather to Max later in the novel also help establish a bond between them. 

In the book, the greatest gift Max gives Liesel is words in the form of the ‘The Word Shaker,’ the story he writes for her. In the story he wrote, he suggests that words are the most powerful force there is. He said that Adolf Hitler uses just words and not guns or money or some other instrument to take over the world.

The story shows how Liesel has used words to create a refuge for herself amid Nazism and later uses words to calm her neighbors during the air raids by reading from her book. Again, the power of words is seen in the book she left behind, giving her a connection to Death as we saw at the end of the story.

The Kindness and Cruelty of Humans

We see the various degrees of human cruelty and kindness in the novel, from the slight to the most extreme examples.

One of the small acts of kindness we see in the novel includes hiding and caring for Max by the Hubermanns even at great risk to themselves, Rudy giving the teddy bear to the dying pilot, Ilsa Hermann inviting Liesel into her library. Liesel is specially kind to Max, and the two share a strong bond. Because of the political context of the time, with hatred and violence against Jews being rampant, Max finds Liesel’s kindness to be extraordinary. On the contrary, we also see acts of cruelty, like the treatment of Rudy by Viktor Chemmel and Franz Deutscher. Again, the concentration camps linger unseen in the book’s background as the most extreme example of cruelty.

There was a scene that showed both kindness and cruelty at once. There, Hans Hubermann tries to help a weak Jew suffering hunger and deprivation, being marched through town on the way to Dachau. Hans reaches out to him and gives him a piece of bread, a small act of great kindness. Immediately though, one of the Nazi soldiers mercilessly whips Hans and the Jewish man, a great act of cruelty heightened by the fact that it comes in response to Hans’s kindness.

We can not analyze the themes in The Book Thief without talking of mortality as Death is the book’s narrator. The book shows us that mortality is very present in the lives of each character as Death introduces the book to the reader. All through the novel, the deaths of the main characters reaffirm the presence of mortality. Since The Book Thief story takes place during World War II, Death and genocide are almost omnipresent.

Death is presented in a less distant and threatening manner as he narrates and explains the reasons behind each character’s destruction. Again, Death expatiates how he feels that he must take each character’s life, so there is a sense of care instead of fear. At a point Death states, ‘even Death has a heart.’

Reading and Writing

We see language, writing, and reading presented as symbols of expression and freedom all through the novel. Reading and writing provide identity and personal liberation to those characters who have them and provide a framework for Liesel’s coming of age. At the start of the story, shortly after her brother’s funeral, Liesel finds a book in the snow, but she cannot read. Learning under her foster father Hans, she slowly learns to read and write. By the time the novel comes to an end, her character arc has been shaped by her progress in reading, writing and learning a language. 

Writing and reading skills also serve as social markers since wealthy citizens are literate, owning books and even their libraries. On the other hand, the poor and illiterate do not own books or libraries. Rosa Huberman’s harsh and, at times, scathing remarks towards her family and others are an example of the despairing lives of the poorer classes. In contrast, Liesel’s repeated rescues of books from Nazi bonfires show her reclaiming freedom and also refusal to accept being controlled by the all-pervasive state.

The Dualities of Nazi-era Germany

We notice that the characters often have two sides or faces starting from the time Rudy paints himself black in imitation of Jesse Owens.

Superficially, Rudy looks like an ideal Aryan, such that the Nazis try to recruit him into a special training center. However, deep inside him, he is similar to an African-American, which directly contradicts Nazi ideology. Max also does something similar when he travels from Stuttgart to Molching when he pretends to be a non-Jewish or gentile German, calmly reading MKPF, while on the inside, he is a terrified Jew who finds the book despicable. This clearly shows the theme of duality in the book.

The Hubermanns are part of the theme and started living double lives immediately after they started hiding Max.

To their neighbors and friends, they pretend to be law-abiding citizens to their friends and neighbors; they harbor their dangerous secret inside. Hans teaches Liesel about this double face after he slaps her for saying she hates Hitler in public. He told her that she can hate inside the house but once they are outside, she must behave in a certain way. In fact, duality is a theme of life in general for Liesel and Rudy as they both spend a lot of time engaged in typical teenage activities like playing soccer in the street. However, these moments are broken up with events like the parade of Jews through town or the bombings that threaten and ultimately destroy Himmel Street. 

In spite of the fact that war, Death, and loss caused a lot of damage to Liesel and the others, love is seen as an agent of change and freedom. This is because love is the only way of forming a family where real freedom exists. Liesel got the best of her traumas by learning to love and be loved by her foster family and her friends. At the start of the novel, Liesel is traumatized by the Death of her brother and her separation from her only family and the larger issues of war-torn Germany and the destruction wrought by the Nazi party. 

Liesel’s relationship with her foster father Hans helps create healing and growth reflected in the relational dynamic between the Hubermann family and Max. The Hubermanns’ association with Max defies the Nazi regime in a society governed by policies that presume to judge who is really human. Furthermore, the love that Max and Liesel develop through their friendship creates a strong contrast to the fascist hate in the story’s backdrop.

Analysis of Key Moments in Animal Farm

• When Liesel’s brother died. This event marked the start of the story, which led her to foster parents. It also started Liesel’s stealing of books when she picks up The Grave Digger’s Handbook at the site of her brother’s burial.
• Arrival on Himmel. This event sets the stage for the rest of the book as it marks Liesel coming to live with Hans and Rosa Hubermann after the loss of her family.
• Early school failure. Liesel didn’t succeed in school when she tried earlier and she became determined to learn how to read.
• Book burning day. The event of burning books on Hitler’s birthday helped Hans discover that Liesel is stealing books. 
• Arrival of Max Vandenburg on Himmel Street. This event changes the Hubermann’s lives when Max arrives on their doorstep in 1940. Hiding him put their lives in immense danger.
• Max writing The Standover Man for Liesel. This event helped to bring Max and Liesel together and they not only read words but also share them.
• Giving bread to the Jew. The event of Han giving bread to a weak Jew is significant because it leads to Max’s departure and Hans being sent away to fight in the war.
• Rudy idolizing a black man despite his perfect Aryan features. Rudy used the Jesse Owens event to exemplify the views of the main characters of the book.
• The Nazi recruiting Rudy. The Nazis noticed Rudy’s physical and mental capacities and therefore recruited him to go to school to become the perfect German. His parents refuse, and Alex Steiner is sent to war.
• Bombing of Himmel Story. This is a major event in the book where Liesel’s street is bombed and she lost most of her friends and family.
• Death of Liesel. This marked the final major event in the book when death came to her soul. 

Style, Tone, and Figurative Language

The style and language of The Book Thief is simple because it was primarily meant for young adults. He used a lot of foreshadowing to give the reader a sense of what is coming up in the story.

In the book, the narrator of the story, Death, uses foreshadowing in many different events to keep the reader focused on how the characters meet their ends. In Death’s side notes, foreshadowing is constantly scattered throughout the book in boldface text. A good example is when Death alludes to the death of Rudy, who is Liesel’s best friend. …He didn’t deserve to die the way he did.” 

The tone of The Book Thief is serious most of the time and mocking or hopeful the rest of the times. When you have death talking about humans in the time of war, the tone will be serious and somber. Death spends a lot of time mocking, or making fun of, humans. For instance, when Death talks about humans and destruction in the quote above, he is making fun of how people like to see things get destroyed.

In the book, we see so many figurative languages used in The Book Thief . These are vivid and stimulating word choices that author’s use to add color and meaning to their work. In the book we have many of the likes of simile, metaphor, contrast, hyperbole, personification, etc. Even the narrator, death, is personified. Here are examples of other figurative languages used in the book. 

She would wake up swimming in her bed, screaming, and drowning in the flood of sheets.

This quote from The Book Thief shows metaphor as the figurative language when death was describing the nightmare Liesel was having.

She did have it easy compared to Max Vandenberg. Certainly, her brother practically died in her arms. Her mother abandoned her. But anything was better than being a Jew.

Here, the figurative language is contrast as death is trying to tell the readers that any hardship is better than being a jew.

Within seconds, snow was carved into her skin.

The figurative language used is hyperbole. Sure, snow was all over her body but it was extreme exaggeration to say it carved into her skin.

Analysis of Symbols

The Book Thief uses symbols extensively because it is not just a story about a little girl. It is an important historical novel that delved into the suffering of people who lived in Germany during World War II. The story has a lot of lessons especially in mortality, kindness and love and the symbols embody all these.

Giving bread anywhere is a sign of care and comfort. Once you give bread to somebody, you have shown absolute compassion for that person. You have also comforted the person and probably solved his hunger issues. It is a symbol of empathy in the story and it was clearly demonstrated by Max when he offered bread to the weak Jew as they were marching to the gas chamber.

The accordion in the novel was inherited by Hans Hubermann from Max’s father during World War I and it became part of Han’s identity. He played regularly to those around him to give them comfort. He plays it during trying times to give comfort and care to those who hear it. Example is when Liesel realises that her mother is not coming back again and when she first came to their house.

Books were a source of comfort to Liesel and later Max. It is another major symbol in The Book Thief and it was the source of Liesel’s transformation from a weak girl to an empowered young woman. She developed a great relationship over books when she learned how to read and write and thus got the power she needed from the books. This power helped her to develop a strong character, mature emotionally and became kinder and more understanding to those around her.

What is the main theme of The Book Thief ?

The Book Thief has many themes and they include love and kindness as expressed by Liesel and her foster family; literacy and power, as seen when Liesel learns to read and explore the world of words, cruelty and suffering as experienced by the Jews in the hands of the Nazis.

What is an example of a theme?

In most literature work, we have themes that the author uses to pass his message across. Some of the common themes that run through them are love, mortality, war, peace, revenge, grace, betrayal, fatherhood, patriotism, life, isolation, cruelty, motherhood, forgiveness, treachery, wartime loss, rich versus poor, and appearance versus reality.

Is survival a theme in The Book Thief ?

There are many themes in The Book Thief like love, mortality, kindness, etc. One of the themes you will find in the book is the theme of survival. Most of the major characters in the book namely Liesel, Max, Rudy, the Hubermanns, passed through many awful ordeals but they still survived. 

How do you identify a theme?

A theme is the idea the writer wishes to convey about an event, subject, or person. It is from the theme that you learn about the author’s view of the world. To identify the theme, you have to be sure that you have first identified the plot of the story, the way the story characterization, and the primary conflict in the story.

What are the steps in analyzing a theme?

Generally, here are the ways in which you can begin to analyze the theme of any literature you read. First, you look for recurring images in the story or poem, then ask questions about the author’s message. Through your answers, you’ll be able to identify the different tools the author uses to express the theme

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About Ugo Juliet

Juliet Ugo is an experienced content writer and a literature expert with a passion for the written word with over a decade of experience. She is particularly interested in analyzing books, and her insightful interpretations of various genres have made her a well-known authority in the field.

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