The Book Thief: Book Seven

Part A: Chapter Summary

It was September 19th when the town of Molching heard the air raid sirens for the second time. Several families from Himmel Street including the Hubermans hurried to seek shelter in the Fielders basement. Rosa Huberman held liesel in her arms and Hans Huberman stayed close. As the basement quickly filled with people there were crying children and loud adults expressing their fear. Liesel looked down at her books and started to read The Whistler out loud. She immediately felt safer. Soon the whole room was silent and everyone was listening to her as she provided comfort. When the air raid was over Himmel street was not damaged at all. Over the next two weeks life almost returned to normal and Max began his newest sketch of liesel reading to the people in the basement. Liesel begins reading The whistler to Frau Holtzapel in exchange for her coffee rations andshe would stop spitting on the Hubermans door. A couple weeks later liesel and the other neighborhood kids were outside playing soccer when they heard the sound of shuffling feet coming down the road. It was so loud that even Tommy Muller heard it. As they looked on they realized it was some sort of parade. Liesel and Rudy ran across the street to meet Hans. As the crowd got closer they realized that they were Jews walking to the Dachau concentration camp. The sight was horrific. The Jews were starving and they could barely walk. Hans told liesel to go inside but she refused. She was tempted to show her sorrow and yell out that she had one of them in her basement. Half way through the march an elderly man collapsed in the middle of the street. Immediately Hans dug his hand into his cart and delivered a piece of bread to him. The Jew smiled and thanked Hans only to be whipped six times by a soldier. Next it was Hans turn and he fell to the ground. Liesel and Rudy helped him back to the house. That night Max left knowing that the Nazis would be at there door but they never came. Hans waited to be taken away. Weeks past and Hans lived with regret as liesel prayed for him. Then one night liesel saw two Nazis coming down Himmel Street. All three of the Hubermans waited for dreadful knock at their door. But they watched as they continued to 35 Himmel Street. Liesel ran outside only to discover that they wanted her best friend Rudy Steiner.

Part B: Chapter Analysis

Literary Devices:

  • Foreshadowing: “The first raid, as it turned out, was no raid at all.” Foreshadowing is shown in this quote, because how would the people of Molching know, that this was not a raid, if they had not later on seen a real raid.

Character Development:

  • Throughout this section of ‘The Book Thief’ Rudy has started to show a mature side to his normally sarcastic and playful self. During the first real raid, he knows that he should not be joking around and teasing Liesel.
  • Liesel has also grown in this section by finding a job out of reading and realizing that the strength she has in literature is helpful to others and is something others enjoy and will pay for.

Imagery:

  • “in the breezy autumn air … they watched the Jews come down the road like a catalog of colors… the noise of their feet throbbed on top of the road. Their eyes were enormous in their throbbing skulls. And the dirt. The dirt was molded to them. Their legs staggered as they were pushed by soldiers’ hands”

Conflict:

  • While the people of Himmel Street (except for Max) are hidden in the Fiedlers’ basement, fearful and worrisome, not knowing what to do with themselves, many of them argue and get mad at each other until Liesel starts to read “The Whistler.”

Part C: Key Quotations

  • “A voice played the notes inside her. This, it said, is your accordion.” Liesel has finally realized what she loves and what power she has to bring a bit of joy to people in a time of misery and fear.
  • “No, they were not men and women; they were Jews.” This shows the horror of how Jews were treated during this time, it did not matter their age or gender, all they were was something that did not deserve to be alive – a Jew.
  • Papa reached into his paint cart and pulled something out… Hans Hubermann held his hand out and presented a piece of bread, like magic. When it changed hands, the Jew slid down. He fell to his knees and held papa’s shins. He buried his face between them and thanked him.” Hans is the one German adult we have met throughout this book so far that has so much, compassion and sorrow for the Jews, it may only be due to a Jew once saving his life but i feel it is inspiring and all other Germans should learn something from him.

Part D: Thinking Questions

  1. Do you think that Rudy will be drafted off to war? If so will he take it seriously or brush it off?
  1. Hans Huberman is a very sympathetic person. If you were in his situation during the march what would you do?
  1. Why do you think that the Nazis never came after Hans when he helped a Jew?