Student Question
How do Hans and Rosa, Liesel's foster parents in The Book Thief, express their feelings towards her and each other?
Quick answer:
Hans Hubermann expresses his feelings for Liesel through gentle actions, like comforting her nightmares with music and teaching her to read, embodying a protective, fatherly love. Rosa, on the other hand, shows her love through practical actions rather than words, caring deeply but expressing it in a gruff manner. Their relationship with each other is affectionate but understated, with Rosa's hidden tenderness revealed in her quiet moments with Hans's accordion.
A very interesting question, and the relationships between Liesel and her foster parents are some of the most important and most interesting in the book.
Hans Hubermann is a gentle, considerate man who is very different from Liesel herself. What draws her to him is his quiet kindness. He does many things which gain her love; he sits with her when she has nightmares, plays her the accordion to comfort her, and teaches her to read.
“Papa sat with me tonight. He brought the accordion down and sat close to where Max used to sit. I often look at his fingers and face when he plays. The accordion breathes. There are lines on his cheeks. They look drawn on, and for some reason, when I see them, I want to cry. It is not for any sadness or pride. I just like the way they move and change. Sometimes I...
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think my papa is an accordion. When he looks at me and smiles and breathes, I hear the notes.” (p. 527)
As for Hans, his affection for Liesel is that of a father, protective, tender, and uncomplicated. He accepts her into his home and his heart when she is broken and grieving and slowly helps her to love again.
Her relationship with Rosa is somewhat more complicated, because they are so similar in many ways. Both are intelligent women with the capacity to love deeply, and each, in her own way, finds it difficult to show that love. Liesel finds it easier to show her affection for Hans, for instance, than for Rudy or Rosa, and Rosa find it easier to show her love with quiet action than with words. The way she takes care of Max helps Liesel to see the love she has, stored up inside. And the night where she witnesses Rosa holding the accordion to her chest is when Liesel really begins to see Rosa's true nature.
"She knew that for the next few days, Mama would be walking around with the imprint of an accordion on her body. There was also an acknowledgment that there was great beauty in what she was currently witnessing, and she chose not to disturb it." (p. 420)
"I liked it when you came to school and told me Max had woken up. Did you know I saw you with Papa's accordion?" She tightened her grip on the hardening hand. "I came and watched and you were beautiful." (p. 537)
The scene with the accordion also gives us a glimpse into Rosa's relationship with Hans. Berate him as she might, she loves him. And despite how much Rosa might insult him, Hans has a great respect and love for her.
And Rosa loves Liesel, more than she ever shows or says. As Death puts it:
"But she did love Liesel Meminger. Her way of showing it happened to be strange. It involved bashing her with a wooden spoon and words, at various intervals." (p. 25)
The three characters form a close and complicated bond with each other. Liesel has nothing when the book begins; by the time of their deaths, Rosa and Hans have become everything to her.