Student Question

What is ugly and beautiful about the characters in "The Book Thief"?

Quick answer:

The characters in "The Book Thief" exhibit both ugly and beautiful traits. Liesel's meanness towards Rudy contrasts with her vulnerability and sincerity. Rosa's abrasive nature hides her deep love and protective instincts. Hans shows cowardice but is a loving father figure. Rudy's pride leads to trouble, yet his loyalty and humor shine through. Max's past as a street fighter contrasts with his humility and kindness. Mrs. Hermann's sternness is softened by her grief and vulnerability.

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Liesel is a hard one, because she is the main character, and very likable, so it is difficult to pick out what is ugly about her.  She tends to be mean to Rudy, not letting him kiss her, and she does think rather mean thoughts about quite a few people, including the mayor's wife, who was very kind to her.  She is a fighter, and willing to fight when she feels it is necessary.  Liesel is beautiful in her vulnerability--she has lost her mother, she loves her adopted parents, she is a good friend, she is sincere, caring, and frightened by nightmares.  All of these things make her unique and beautiful.

Rosa's "ugliness" is more apparent--she has a dirty mouth, and does not easily express love.  She is a bit abrasive and insulting, both to Liesel and Hans.  She is beautiful in that she truly does love both of them,...

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strives to protect and feed them, and is willing to take in a stowaway Jew in a time of war.

Hans often treats his wife with ugliness (in response to her mean treatment of him), and his evasion and wishy-washiness in regards to joining the party or not could be seen as cowardly, which is ugly.  However, he is a beautiful character because he is such a good father figure for Liesel.  He is loving, patient, enduring (he gets up every night to help her with her nightmares), teaches her to read, takes her places, and spends time with her.  He strives to do what is right in the face of war, is hurt by his son's allegiance to the Nazis, and takes in Max.  All of these things make him beautiful.

Rudy's ugliness comes in the form of pride--pride gets him into fights and trouble more than it should.  He is beautiful because he is a good friend to Liesel, he is sincere, he is funny and quirky, and has great fortitude and strength of character.  He would do anything to help someone he cares about.

Max's ugliness comes from what he was before he escaped--a street fighter fighting for money, a man who felt like a coward for not defending his family or saving them from harm.  However, he is beautiful in his humility, in his care and concern for the Hubberman family, in his kindness to Liesel, and in the fact that he finds her after the war.

Mrs. Hermann is ugly in her crass treatment of Rosa and her family.  She is stern, mean, and cold to most everyone who knows her.  However, she is beautiful in her suffering; she loses sons in the war, and her pain is a force that unites all of them in hard times. Her desire to have Liesel read to her shows a softer side, one that has seen the face of war, and is vulnerable to pain.

I hope that those thoughts help; it's an interesting book filled with dynamic characters.  Good luck!

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