Describe at least ONE character or individual you enjoyed reading about in the text(s). Explain why the character(s) or individual(s) helped you understand an idea in the text(s).

History and especially World War Two is a testament to the duality of human nature. Jeffery Kluger in an article for Time Magazine reflects on this aspect of human nature. “The madness {lies} in the fact that the savage and the splendid can exist in one creature, one person and often in one instant.” I enjoyed reading about Liesel Meminger in the novel The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Liesel is nine years old and lives in Nazi Germany. In the early chapters of the book we learn that her younger brother has dies, her father is missing ad her communist …show more content…

From her first arrival at Himmel Street, Liesels relationship with Hans is shown, ‘Hans Hubermann had just completed rolling a cigarette, having licked the paper and joined it up. He looked over at Liesel and winked. She would have no trouble calling him Papa.’ Hans is the antithesis of Liesels foster mother, a compassionate being with a calm tone of voice. After Liesels embarrassing bed wetting incident, Hans’ role as a passionate Father is shown. Hans and Liesel share a common interest of reading and writing and as Hans teaches Liesel to read and write, he teaches himself to advance his reading skills. Liesels incident of loss with her brother in countered when Hans hangs her sheets and says ‘let the midnight class start’. Hans teaches the reader than a sharing of common interests in key in a child’s development and allowed his relationship with Liesel as her Papa to really progress because they shared a mutual interest in the arts of reading and writing.

Further, Liesel helps the reader to understand the ideas that we can counter loss and hatred with the power of words through her actions related to books and reading. In life, we as readers find that stories are means of escape – imagination is one place we can control in even the darkest of times. Liesel shares a mutual relationship of loss with Isla Hermann, the mayor’s wife. Isla lost her son in a fatal incident