Part Ten
Quotations
"Michael Holtzapfel knew what he was doing. He killed himself for wanting to live."
- --Death, Part Ten (503)
Michael was a man that was put through a lot and has seen and felt things that no one should feel. While his brother is dead and his mother is giving up on life, he is still has the nature instinct of wanting to live. He doesn't want this anymore, so he kills himself to rid him of those feelings.
"Papa was a man with silver eyes, not dead ones. Papa was an accordion! But his bellows were all empty. Nothing went in and nothing came out."
--Death, Part Ten (537)
--Death, Part Ten (537)
As we all know, Hans played the accordion to not only comfort Liesel, but he also played to liven up a the mood for everyone. In saying that Papa was an accordion and that his bellows are empty is saying that there is no more life coming out of Papa that Liesel will never have the comfort that Papa brought ever again.
"Rudy Steiner slept. Mama and Papa slept. Frau Holtzapfel, Frau Diller. Tommy Müller. All sleeping. All dying."
- -Death, Part Ten (498)
- This quote shows me that Death has some amount of feelings to give us the truth of what's going down, but he has painted it in a tranquil and calm manner. I perceive this quote as all of the characters dying gently in their sleep, but in reality they are all getting brutally murdered.
Images
This image reminds me of the black book that Liesel wrote her life story in. She included every single detail we read in The Book Thief, but it's weird to realize that Death took this book and gave his perspective of Liesel's life to the reader.
This picture helps me imagine what Himmel Street would have looked like after the Allies bombed it Everyone was asleep in their beds, except for one girl that was writing in a basement. The bombs came and everyone died except for this girl.
Connections and Historical Context
It talks about the bombing of Hamburg, which did actually happen in 1943.
Death also talks about Hitler delivering himself to Death, or in other words Hitler killed himself.
Questions
How might of Liesel's life been different if Himmel Street didn't get bombed?
Do you think Liesel would have lived if she wasn't writing her book?
Was Liesel always close to Death and is this why Death has such a deep affection for Liesel's story?
Do you think the story ended the right way? Could there have been a different ending?
My Thoughts and Response
Part 10 and Epilogue were the best parts of the book that I read. When reading Part 10 and the bombing of Himmel Street, it was so emotional and heart breaking to read about everyone dying and their souls being taken by Death in a heartbreaking manner. I was also worried when we find out that Max got caught and is sent to the labor camp Dachau. I was not expecting this even with the previous Jew parades being mentioned.
After all of this heartbreak and dread, we finally hear the outcome of it all. I was happy to here that Liesel still had a place of comfort at Ilsa Hermann's house, and that she didn't lose everything. I was also glad to hear that Liesel and Max finally found each other again and live and long and happy life together as friends. The total turn around of events in these parts made feel as if this was expertly written and made me want to read more, even though there wasn't anymore to read. This book was one of the best books I've ever read and It has made me want to read books more.
After all of this heartbreak and dread, we finally hear the outcome of it all. I was happy to here that Liesel still had a place of comfort at Ilsa Hermann's house, and that she didn't lose everything. I was also glad to hear that Liesel and Max finally found each other again and live and long and happy life together as friends. The total turn around of events in these parts made feel as if this was expertly written and made me want to read more, even though there wasn't anymore to read. This book was one of the best books I've ever read and It has made me want to read books more.