Prologue and Part One
Quotations
"Personally, I like a chocolate-colored sky. Dark, dark chocolate. People say it suits me. I do. however, try to enjoy every color I see- the whole spectrum. A billion or so flavors, none of them quite the same, and a sky to slowly to suck on. It takes the edge off the stress. It helps me relax." --Death, Prologue (4)
This quote is quite interesting in how Death, the narrator, is being personified by means of showing human emotions. It allows for us connect to the narrator at a deeper level knowing that he shares emotions and feelings with us throughout the novel.
"Earlier, kids had been playing hopscotch there, on the street that looked like oil-stained pages. When i arrived, I could still hear the echoes. The feet tapping the road. The children-voices still laughing, and the smiles like salt, but decaying fast.'
Then, bombs.
This time, everything was too late. The sirens, the cuckoo shrieks in the radio. All too late.
Within minutes, mounds of concrete and earth were stacked and piled. The streets were ruptured veins. Blood streamed till it was dried on the road, and the bodies were stuck there, like driftwood after the flood." --Death, Prologue (12)
Then, bombs.
This time, everything was too late. The sirens, the cuckoo shrieks in the radio. All too late.
Within minutes, mounds of concrete and earth were stacked and piled. The streets were ruptured veins. Blood streamed till it was dried on the road, and the bodies were stuck there, like driftwood after the flood." --Death, Prologue (12)
This quote shows just how chaotic and ever changing the cities and towns were during WWII. They could change from places of tranquility and happiness to areas of death and destruction.
"When it came down to it, one of them called the shots. The other did what he was told. The question is, what if the other is a lot more than one?" --Death, Part One (23)
This quote shows more meaning to the story than some people my realize. When saying "one of them calls the shots" it's referring to Hitler leading the Third Reich. and the "other" represents everyone under the influence of Hitler's control, following is every order and listening to his every whim.
Images
This picture to me shows what houses and shops owned by the Jewish community looked like under Hitler's rule. Kind of like the Jewish man Mr. Kaufmann's shop in the novel, "The Kaufmann Shoe Shop was reduced to broken glass, and all the shows flung aboard a truck in their boxes" (61). This shows just how much the Germans hated everything Jewish from their products to the people themselves.
This is what I consider what Leisel looked like when she was in the BDM,
a Hitler Youth program for young girls.
Hitler believed that young girls had to undergo training to make them fit and strong enough to be good German mothers to ensure the survival of the 1000 year Reich.
Connections and Historical Context
Click here if you would like to learn more about the BDM
Click here if you would like to learn more about the Personification of Death in Human cultures
Click here if you would like to learn more about Removal and Humiliation of Jews in Nazi Germany
Click here if you would like to learn more about the Personification of Death in Human cultures
Click here if you would like to learn more about Removal and Humiliation of Jews in Nazi Germany
Questions
1. Why is Rosa Hubermann so hostile and aggressive toward everyone?
2. What is significant about Death playing the role as the narrator in the novel?
3. As we know, Leisel and Mr. Hubermann form a bond quite quickly and to most others they might seem like father and daughter. Why did their bond with each other form so quickly?
4. What might be a reason as to why Rudy shows a liking for Leisel so quickly?
2. What is significant about Death playing the role as the narrator in the novel?
3. As we know, Leisel and Mr. Hubermann form a bond quite quickly and to most others they might seem like father and daughter. Why did their bond with each other form so quickly?
4. What might be a reason as to why Rudy shows a liking for Leisel so quickly?
My Thoughts and Response
Overall I thought the prologue of the story was a great way to introduce some of the symbols and themes of the novel in a way that i felt was directly stated to the reader in a blunt and clever way. Part One of the novel was extremely interesting in ways such as how we see everything from the perspective of Death, allowing us to pier at the lives of others in the war and their tragic endings; also, it mentions tidbits of future events throughout the read that gives us a small glimpse into how the characters will change and develop throughout the novel. I think this read will be full of interesting knowledge of WWII, but also tell of a heartwarming and gut-wrenching story of a little girl, growing up to be a person of great aspiration. I also can't wait to see how the relationship between Rudy and Leisel will turn out.