PART TEN AND EPILOGUE
Quotations
- "If nothing else, it alleviated the pain of simply watching. That's a horrible thought, she would write in her Himmel Street basement, but she knew it to be true. The pain of watching them. What about their pain? The pain of stumbling shoes and torment and closing gates of the camp?"—Death, Part 10 (502)
It hurt Liesel to watch the Jews parade and looking for Max helped the pain, but is it right to use their pain to make her feel better? Liesel feels some of the pain that the Jews feel because she is so sympathetic for them. If she didn't know Max, I feel like she wouldn't be so sympathetic for the other Jewish people.
- "His soul sat up. It met me. Those kinds of souls always do—the best ones."—Death, Part 10 (531-532)
Hans Hubermann was special. He was one of those rare people you get to meet once in a lifetime. Even Death acknowledged his importance by saying that his soul was one of the best souls. I believe that this is evident to anyone who reads this story though and it didn't actually have to be said outright.
- * * * A LAST NOTE FROM YOUR NARRATOR * * *
I am haunted by humans.
—Death, Epilogue (550)
Humans would normally say that they are haunted by death, but Death sees it the opposite. No matter where he goes humans are there and he can never seem to understand them. In the same way, humans are afraid of death because they cannot understand it. It is perfectly normal for people to be scared of things they do not understand.
It hurt Liesel to watch the Jews parade and looking for Max helped the pain, but is it right to use their pain to make her feel better? Liesel feels some of the pain that the Jews feel because she is so sympathetic for them. If she didn't know Max, I feel like she wouldn't be so sympathetic for the other Jewish people.
- "His soul sat up. It met me. Those kinds of souls always do—the best ones."—Death, Part 10 (531-532)
Hans Hubermann was special. He was one of those rare people you get to meet once in a lifetime. Even Death acknowledged his importance by saying that his soul was one of the best souls. I believe that this is evident to anyone who reads this story though and it didn't actually have to be said outright.
- * * * A LAST NOTE FROM YOUR NARRATOR * * *
I am haunted by humans.
—Death, Epilogue (550)
Humans would normally say that they are haunted by death, but Death sees it the opposite. No matter where he goes humans are there and he can never seem to understand them. In the same way, humans are afraid of death because they cannot understand it. It is perfectly normal for people to be scared of things they do not understand.
Images
Connections and Historical Context
"To blaspheme like the Germans—Jesus, Mary, and Joseph."—Death, Part 10 (499)
|
The saying "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph" is prominent in the novel. Click below to learn who they are.
|
"When the war was over and Hitler had delivered himself to my arms..."--Death, Epilogue (548)
|
Adolf Hitler killed himself on April 30, 1945
|
Questions
- If Rudy had know Liesel wanted him to kiss her, would he have done it?
- Why was Liesel no longer afraid of hiding her association with Max?
- It never mentions who Leisel's husband is, but she is reunited with Max. Do you think they get together?
- Do you think Leisel ever tried to rewrite her book after she lost it?
My Thoughts and Response
Liesel finally is reunited with Max. It's just for a
short time, but at least she gets to know that he's alive, even if he is
being sent to a concentration camp. After the war, though, Liesel and Max reunite again. Death says that she does get married but
it doesn't say to whom. I hope she gets married to Max. I wish Rudy could have
survived to be with her.
They've been through so much together. You can tell how much Max and Liesel adore each other and I feel as though they would be perfect together.
I didn't really like the ending and how Death made everyone's deaths seem to be not a big deal. I feel like they all died too quickly. I understand that it was a bomb and everyone died quick, but it ended too fast. I loathe that in reality, good people die. Hans, Rosa, Rudy... none of them deserved what happened to them. I feel terrible for Liesel in this part because she truly has gone through way too much. First her mother gives her up for adoption, then her brother dies right in front of her, then Max has to leave, then her foster parents that's she loves and her best friend die in a bomb. She has endured so much, but as Death says, she ends up having children and getting married, we see that once again she has found a way to live through it. I truly love Liesel more than anyone else in this book.
I didn't really like the ending and how Death made everyone's deaths seem to be not a big deal. I feel like they all died too quickly. I understand that it was a bomb and everyone died quick, but it ended too fast. I loathe that in reality, good people die. Hans, Rosa, Rudy... none of them deserved what happened to them. I feel terrible for Liesel in this part because she truly has gone through way too much. First her mother gives her up for adoption, then her brother dies right in front of her, then Max has to leave, then her foster parents that's she loves and her best friend die in a bomb. She has endured so much, but as Death says, she ends up having children and getting married, we see that once again she has found a way to live through it. I truly love Liesel more than anyone else in this book.