Part Two
Quotations
"Papa's eyes started corroding. It did not stop Hans Junior. He looked now for some reason at the girl. With her three books standing upright on the table, as if in conversation, Liesel was silently mouthing the words as she read from one of them. 'And what trash is this girl reading? She should be reading Mein Kampf.'"-Death & Hans Junior, Part Two(105)
This quote shows you just how much the Nazis hated anything they thought was against their beliefs and mindsets. It also shows how Nazi soldiers were desensitized or "being Führered" by how Hans Junior was so blatantly aggressive towards the books that young Leisel was reading.
"'I hate the Führer,' she said. 'I hate him.'
And Hans Hubermann?
What did he do?
What did he say?
Did he bend down and embrace his foster daughter, as he wanted to? Did he tell her that he was sorry for what was happening to her, to her mother, for what had happened to her brother?
Not exactly.
He clenched his eyes. Then opened them. He slapped Liesel Meminger squarely in the face.
'Don't ever say that!' His voice was quiet, but sharp."--Death and Papa, Part Two(115-116)
And Hans Hubermann?
What did he do?
What did he say?
Did he bend down and embrace his foster daughter, as he wanted to? Did he tell her that he was sorry for what was happening to her, to her mother, for what had happened to her brother?
Not exactly.
He clenched his eyes. Then opened them. He slapped Liesel Meminger squarely in the face.
'Don't ever say that!' His voice was quiet, but sharp."--Death and Papa, Part Two(115-116)
This quote shows just how much Papa cares about Leisel and her safety. At the time, Saying something such as you hate Hitler would probably get you taken away or even killed. Luckily, Papa knows the right thing to do. By hitting Leisel and saying to never say that again, it gets the point across that saying something like that in public is forbidden. This to me is very touching and shows a good example of 'tough love" in a family.
"A statue of the book thief stood in the courtyard.... It's very rare, don't you think,
for a statue to appear before its subject has become famous."--Death, Part Two(121)
for a statue to appear before its subject has become famous."--Death, Part Two(121)
This quote gives a bit of foreshadowing for events to come. Why would Death be talking about Leisel in this manner unless talking about her state of fame or familiarity? Saying that its rare for a statue to appear before a person becomes famous kind of makes me think that maybe a future statue of actual importance for Leisel might be erected in the future.
"You see, people may tell you that Nazi Germany was built on anti-Semitism, a somewhat overzealous leader, and a nation of hate-fed bigots, but it would all have come to nothing had the Germans not loved one particular activity:
To burn.
The Germans loved to burn things. Shops, synagogues, Reichstags, houses, personal items, slain people, and of course, books."--Death, Part Two(84)
To burn.
The Germans loved to burn things. Shops, synagogues, Reichstags, houses, personal items, slain people, and of course, books."--Death, Part Two(84)
This quote tells me just how destructive Nazi Germany and its people were all in the effort to be the best. As well as this, this factor of burning and destruction I think united Germany during its glory days, allowing it to prevail over others.
Images
This picture is an accurate representation of what I saw when about the book burning. Thousands of people, heil Hitlering, all looking gleefully at a blazing fireball of inferior material.
This picture makes me think about Rudy and Leisel and the others in School and all of the mischievous thoughts and ideas that are shared there.
Connections and Historical Context
Click here if you would like to learn more about Nazi book burning.
Click here if you would like to learn more about the Hitler Youth.
Questions
Why did Hans Junior leave and never return? Why might he have been so angry and mad at his father?
What do the eggs symbolize to Rosa Hubberman and what other significance could it play in Hans and Rosa's Relationship?
Why didn't Leisel try and grab the other Two Books at the bottom of the extinguished book burning fire?
What might have happened if The Hans were unable to find their flag and hang it?
My Thoughts and Response
I found this part to be more of an emotion chapter were the limits of Leisel's emotional stability are broken. All of these thoughts rushing through her head about her mother, her family life, the stealing of a book, all of these thoughts and feelings colliding into one big mess. I do feel sorry for that fact that she will probably never see her mother again and will have deal with those unanswered questions, digging into the deepest part of mind and and her very soul. I am pretty excited that Leisel got away with stealing the book Scot-free and didn't have to deal with any consequences.