Art inspired by "The Book Thief"
Description for Project: Create 2 pieces of art about the novel. Be sure to include the major themes and characters. These should be accompanied by written pieces explaining them.
Picture #1: Death and a Soul
In The Book Thief, Death is the narrator of the story. This is an important part of the story for many reasons. One reason it is important is because Death sees who is going to die and how they will die, and he witnesses the deaths of the Jews and the bombs in World War II. This helps the reader see the tragedy occurring while Liesel is in her own story. He also witnesses the bombs at the end of the story where most of the important characters die, except for Liesel. Death says that it was not his fault that everyone died, he is just responsible for carrying the dead’s souls away. He is a result of the causes of death such as Hitler, bombs, Nazis, and war. Throughout the story, he collects souls. These souls each have a certain color or shape. This is the person’s character. Death is also important to the story because he describes things and events he sees are “colors” to determine the feeling associated with what he’s seeing. For example, when Molching was bombed, everything was red to him. When Liesel’s brother died, everything was white. Another reason why Death is significant to the story is because he has read Liesel’s journal, The Book Thief, many times. This is how he knows what Liesel was feeling or thinking, as well as the events in her life. However, since Death is narrating the story, his wording, thoughts, and feelings are included as well. A final reason why Death is in the story is because he is a symbol for all of the death that occurred during World War II. There were thousands of innocent deaths in World War II. The fact that Death narrates the book helps the reader see this. Also, when Death mentions that he is a result, it helps the reader see that Hitler, the Nazis, and war were all responsible for the deaths, not death itself.
In The Book Thief, Death is the narrator of the story. This is an important part of the story for many reasons. One reason it is important is because Death sees who is going to die and how they will die, and he witnesses the deaths of the Jews and the bombs in World War II. This helps the reader see the tragedy occurring while Liesel is in her own story. He also witnesses the bombs at the end of the story where most of the important characters die, except for Liesel. Death says that it was not his fault that everyone died, he is just responsible for carrying the dead’s souls away. He is a result of the causes of death such as Hitler, bombs, Nazis, and war. Throughout the story, he collects souls. These souls each have a certain color or shape. This is the person’s character. Death is also important to the story because he describes things and events he sees are “colors” to determine the feeling associated with what he’s seeing. For example, when Molching was bombed, everything was red to him. When Liesel’s brother died, everything was white. Another reason why Death is significant to the story is because he has read Liesel’s journal, The Book Thief, many times. This is how he knows what Liesel was feeling or thinking, as well as the events in her life. However, since Death is narrating the story, his wording, thoughts, and feelings are included as well. A final reason why Death is in the story is because he is a symbol for all of the death that occurred during World War II. There were thousands of innocent deaths in World War II. The fact that Death narrates the book helps the reader see this. Also, when Death mentions that he is a result, it helps the reader see that Hitler, the Nazis, and war were all responsible for the deaths, not death itself.
Picture #2: Drawing of Liesel's Most important Books
These pictures show many of the books mentioned in The Book Thief. Each one of these books has an important event or meaning to Liesel.
These pictures show many of the books mentioned in The Book Thief. Each one of these books has an important event or meaning to Liesel.
The first is The Grave Digger’s Handbook sitting in the snow. This book is black with a gold title. This book has important meaning to Liesel because it represents the day that her brother died because she found the book where was buried. The book also represents the last time Liesel saw her real mother. Another reason why this book is important to Liesel is because it greatly helped her bond with Hans Hubermann, her foster father. When Hans found out that Liesel couldn’t read, they began reading it together. They wrote words they didn’t know on the basement wall and figured them out there. Because of this, Liesel becomes a great reader and writer. She also becomes very close to Hans.
The second drawing is of the burning of Jewish objects. On Hitler’s birthday, the Germans crowded around a fire and burned everything paper that was related to Jews – newspapers, books, etc. This was important to Liesel because after the fire, she found The Shoulder Shrug, still intact. There was one person who saw her steal it – Ilsa Hermann, the mayor’s wife. Later in the book, Ilsa would show Liesel her library because she saw Liesel steal the book. The Shoulder Shrug is also important because when they were walking home, Hans found out that Liesel had stolen it. He made her promise to not tell anyone that she’d stolen it from the fire – it was his and Liesel’s secret. If she had told someone, they could’ve gotten in trouble. Since Jews were so harshly prosecuted and viewed as a threat, the Gestapo could punish someone who had something related to Jews.
The third drawing is of an accordion and 2 books – Faust the Dog and The Lighthouse. The accordion represents that Hans gave the two books to Liesel. On Liesel’s birthday, Hans presented these books to her. Despite the fact that he loves to smoke, Hans traded his cigarettes in a market for these books. This shows how much he cares for Liesel.
The fourth drawing is of Ilsa Hermann’s library and 3 of the books Liesel stole from it – The Duden Dictionary, The Whistler, and The Dream Carrier. When Liesel was invited to read in Ilsa’s library, she was very happy and read there many times. However, later in the book, Ilsa has to stop using the Hubermann’s washing services. She was their last customer. This makes Liesel very angry, so she screams terrible things at Ilsa. Though Ilsa is not angry with her, Liesel does not come back…At least, until she started stealing.
1. The first book she stole was The Whistler. The Whistler was important because Liesel read it to Max when he was in a coma. She also read it to Frau Holtzpafel, her neighbor, after reading it aloud during a bomb alarm
2. The second book Liesel stole from Ilsa Hermann’s library was The Dream Carrier. This book was important because when Max was in a coma from sickness, Liesel stole this book and began reading it to him. Only a few days later, Max wakes up.
3. The next important book that Liesel stole from the library was The Duden Dictionary. This book had been left on a windowsill. Obviously, Ilsa had put it there. Inside the book was a letter from Ilsa. Ilsa had written that she had known Liesel was stealing, but she was happy that Liesel did so because Liesel loves to read. Ilsa is also most likely lonely, and it makes her happy that someone is enjoying her books. The Duden Dictionary is also important because it helps Liesel read, write, and spell. These three books – The Dream Carrier, The Duden Dictionary, and The Whistler are only a few of the books that Liesel stole from Ilsa, but they are the most important to the story.
1. The first book she stole was The Whistler. The Whistler was important because Liesel read it to Max when he was in a coma. She also read it to Frau Holtzpafel, her neighbor, after reading it aloud during a bomb alarm
2. The second book Liesel stole from Ilsa Hermann’s library was The Dream Carrier. This book was important because when Max was in a coma from sickness, Liesel stole this book and began reading it to him. Only a few days later, Max wakes up.
3. The next important book that Liesel stole from the library was The Duden Dictionary. This book had been left on a windowsill. Obviously, Ilsa had put it there. Inside the book was a letter from Ilsa. Ilsa had written that she had known Liesel was stealing, but she was happy that Liesel did so because Liesel loves to read. Ilsa is also most likely lonely, and it makes her happy that someone is enjoying her books. The Duden Dictionary is also important because it helps Liesel read, write, and spell. These three books – The Dream Carrier, The Duden Dictionary, and The Whistler are only a few of the books that Liesel stole from Ilsa, but they are the most important to the story.
The last drawing is of The Standover Man and The Word Shaker. These two books are the most important to Liesel. Max had written and illustrated these books from torn and repainted pages of Mein Kampf – a book of propaganda against Jews. Max decided to make The Standover Man after Liesel gave him a hug when it was her birthday. This book describes Max’s life. It explains him losing his father, his fist fighting, going into hiding with his best friend, leaving on a train, coming to the Hubermann’s meeting Liesel, and how they became friends. Liesel loves this book, and it makes her become better friends with Max. Liesel reads it many times.
The second book, The Word Shaker, was inside Max’s notebook. This was given to her after Max had to leave. Liesel receives Max’s notebook, with a page titled “The Word Shaker.” The story after this page is about Hitler, his influence of words over the people of Germany, and the Nazi hate. In the story, people climb trees and shake words of hate down – which are fed to the Führer’s people. A skinny girl climbs into a tree that she planted by a teardrop created by friendship. This tree could not be cut down by anyone because the girl held the tree upright. Then, a new, exhausted axman came – with a hammer. He climbed the tree and the girl asked him “Is it really you?” He said, “It is.” The saw the rest of the forest – it continued growing, but so did the tree they were in. They climbed down from the tree, and it fell. Though it didn’t destroy everything, it cleared a path in the forest. The Word Shaker describes Liesel and Max’s persistent friendship, despite all of the hate created by Hitler and the Nazis. Liesel loves this book as much as The Standover Man.
The second book, The Word Shaker, was inside Max’s notebook. This was given to her after Max had to leave. Liesel receives Max’s notebook, with a page titled “The Word Shaker.” The story after this page is about Hitler, his influence of words over the people of Germany, and the Nazi hate. In the story, people climb trees and shake words of hate down – which are fed to the Führer’s people. A skinny girl climbs into a tree that she planted by a teardrop created by friendship. This tree could not be cut down by anyone because the girl held the tree upright. Then, a new, exhausted axman came – with a hammer. He climbed the tree and the girl asked him “Is it really you?” He said, “It is.” The saw the rest of the forest – it continued growing, but so did the tree they were in. They climbed down from the tree, and it fell. Though it didn’t destroy everything, it cleared a path in the forest. The Word Shaker describes Liesel and Max’s persistent friendship, despite all of the hate created by Hitler and the Nazis. Liesel loves this book as much as The Standover Man.