Fixing the Unfixable

Post 5: How is some of the harm the characters experience repaired in your novel?

The harm that Liesel and the other main characters of “The Book Thief” experienced is far from repaired. “The Book Thief” pretty much ends with the town where all of the main characters lived, being bombed. This results in most of the characters dying other than Liesel and Max. The two are reunited eventually but the harm that they’ve both experiences in unfixable. Liesel’s foster father, Hans Huberman was looking forward to a normal life with Liesel but that would never happen. The book leaves you with a sad ending, repairing almost nothing.

The End?

Post 6: Is the ending of your novel satisfying? Why or why not?

The ending of “The Book Thief” was quite a surprise to me and far from satisfying. I understood that they were all going to die from the start because of Death’s comments. However, I did not like how the ending felt and it could have been made better. The ending felt very rushed to me compared to the rest of the book (originally “The Book Thief” was meant to be around one hundred pages so I think the author realized the length of the book and wanted to end it quickly). I also found the relationship of Liesel and Rudy and how it ended extremely frustrating. They obviously loved each other but because of the situartions and their age, they never really showed it. It is easy to predict something would have happened between the two if their relationship had not be cut short. I wish the ending could have been better, (or at least some others survived) but it clearly shows the reality of this world and how cruel it can be.

If you had to switch places with one of the characters in The Book Thief, who would you pick?

By: Ruth

Ending of My Novel

Post #6: Is the ending of your novel satisfying? Why or why not?

There are a few different factors that make the ending of The Book Thief both satisfying and unsatisfying. Liesel is taken in by the mayor and his wife after the bombing giving Liesel and unlimited source of books. When Alex Steiner returns from war, Liesel finds a friend in him as they both cope with the loss of family. However, the biggest factor that makes the ending satisfying is knowing that Max returns and that Liesel gets to grow old and have a family of her own. Only a short chapter tells of Max’s return from Dachau but it helps give readers hope for Max and Liesel. The unsatisfying part of the story’s ending is all the deaths of Liesel’s family and friends on Himmel Street. When Hans returned from war and was given an office job for the military, hope returned for Liesel. Liesel continued to spend all the time she could with Rudy, books and her family, all the things she loved. Unfortunately, her happy ending was taken away with the bombing of Himmel Street. Hans, Rosa, Rudy and many more died in the bombing while Liesel survived in the basement of her home. In conclusion, the ending was both satisfying and unsatisfying not just for readers but also for the characters who survived in The Book Thief.

Repaired Harm

Post #5: How is some of the harm the characters experience repaired in your novel?

Overall, the damage experienced has not been repaired. Liesel’s whole world comes crashing down on her. While Liesel is in the basement, writing her story, Himmel Street is bombed killing everyone but her. Liesel was just beginning to have a normal life with her family and Rudy but it was all taken away from her. Max had already left the house but had been captured and taken to Dachau. Max thought he was getting away and helping the Hubermann’s but he was found and captured. Hans was finally accepted by the Nazi Party but with terrible circumstances, Hans was drafted into the army. Upon Hans’ return to Molching after months of military duty, he was really looking forward to getting back to a normal life but things did not end the way he wanted. That same night Liesel was in the basement and Himmel Street was bombed, Hans perished in the bombing. Rudy also perished in the bombing. All Rudy was looking forward to was his father’s return from war but because of the bombing his life was taken away, his chance to reunite with his father was taken away and Rudy was never able to get the kiss from Liesel that he always longed for. In the end, none of the harm is repaired. Max returns and is reunited with Liesel but they have already lost too much.

Post #7 Prefontaine, America’s Greatest Running Legend Vs the Book Thief

    You make think this is some random kid writing a post relating a holocaust book and a book about a runner and you may think they have nothing in common but that is where you are wrong. This book is based upon the short life of Steve Prefontaine. Steve grew up in the little town of Coos Bay, Oregon, United States and he was German blood. During all of Steve’s childhood he was teased, bullied and beaten because of where he came from. Steve was born quite a bit after the second world war but he was still subjected to the harsh racism of Germans. Pre was what he was known by had his own belief in things. Steve quotes “Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when i run. I like to make people stop and say ‘i’ve never seen run like that before.’ It’s more than just a race, it’s style. It’s doing something better than anyone else. It’s being creative.” The similarities between the Book Thief and Pre are that both issues of injustice are racism. Book Thief it is racism towards Jews and in Pre it is racism towards Germans. Also during the book Steve travels to Helsinki, Finland to race against the worlds fastest and he is not allowed to race for he is an amateur athlete and the Amateur Athletics Union (AAU) forbids amateur athletes to race against pros therefore he does not race and is treated unfairly by the AAU. The other similarity is that in the Book Thief several of the main characters die and in Pre, STeve dies in a car crash before he goes to the Montreal Olympics. Both stories have unsatisfying ending and they make you want to cry.

Post #6

In my opinion, the ending of The Book Thief, would’ve benefited from specific detail and descriptions, and some of the characters’ outcomes were harsh, but it was still slightly satisfying. Overall, the ending, particularly after the bombing, seemed vague and abrupt. The author did not provide much detail about Liesel’s adult life or why she made certain decisions, he just kind of rushed through those facts, and I think the ending would’ve been more interesting if he had elaborated on her adulthood. As well, the fact that a large amount of the characters were killed from the bombing was upsetting since you had become so attached to them, but death was to be expected when the plot revolves around Nazi Germany. Also, it would’ve been more satisfying if the relationship between Rudy and Liesel had grown into more of a romance, but instead the only real incident of that was Liesel kissing Rudy after he had already died. I would’ve preferred if the author had included a section where they finally kiss (while both alive), but instead the romance basically withered. However, there was a small silver lining because Max ended up surviving the war, so at least one of Liesel’s loved ones survived. As well, it was kind and reassuring that the mayor and Rudy’s father were there to support Liesel after the bombing.

Do you think the ending of The Book Thief was satisfying?

By: Sydney

Was death an effective narrator for The Book Thief?

By: Sydney

Do you think The Book Thief will make a good movie?

By: Sydney