Erica’s Comments (group member since Oct 24, 2016)

Erica’s comments from the The Commendable Coterie group.

Luke wrote: "Julianna C wrote: "Emma wrote: "Max's book "The Standover Man" is powerful in many ways. The book starts off as the man being corrupt, than transitions the "man" into Liesel, which is more of a saf..."

Luke, I agree with you that Death can been seen as a "standover man" because he can be seen as a protector, superior, or companion. A quote I found that perfectly demonstrates this is the following, "Please believe me when I tell you I picked up every soul that day as if it were newly born. I even kissed a few weary, poisoned cheeks... I watched their love visions and freed them from their fear" (350). Here Death is seen as superior to humans because he is taking their souls away, as well as a protector because he is "freeing" them. Also, Death kissing the few souls that were weak shows that he can be seen as a companion as well.

Max's book "Word Shaker" represents the rise of Nazism in Germany as well Liesel and Max's friendship. It is obvious in the beginning Max is referring to Hitler when he states that a small strange man would "make himself a small, strange mustache" and "he would one day rule the world" (445). This man believed that he could gain a large following with just the power of words, and symbols. This represents the swastika and Hitler preaching Jewish hatred. The book states the man in fact he abused this power, using it for evil. Later in the book, Liesel who is symbolized as a "word shaker" because "she knew how powerless a person could be without words" meets Max who is described as the "man despised by her homeland" (Germany) and their friendship blossoms into a tree that even the Führer can't even knock down.

I think an important theme in the novel is how powerful words can be. Max's book "The Word Shaker" explains this perfectly when it states that Hitler would someday have the power to rule the world, not because of his ability to fire a gun but because of his words. "His first plan of attack was to plant the words in as many areas of his homeland as possible" (446). The words were filled with hatred yet the people "were hypnotized" and soon the Führer had influenced and controlled the majority of his homeland just because of how he spoke and words he used to rally the people behind him. The book also implies how ignorant people can be.

Max's book "Word Shaker" represents the rise of Nazism in Germany as well Liesel and Max's friendship. It is obvious in the beginning Max is referring to Hitler when he states that a small strange man would "make himself a small, strange mustache" and "he would one day rule the world" (445). This man believed that he could gain a large following with just the power of words, and symbols. This represents the swastika and Hitler preaching Jewish hatred. The book states the man in fact he abused this power, using it for evil. Later in the book, Liesel who is symbolized as a "word shaker" because "she knew how powerless a person could be without words" meets Max who is described as the "man despised by her homeland" (Germany) and their friendship blossoms into a tree that even the Führer can't even knock down.

Liesel wasn't the only character that believed in the accordion as a symbol. After Hans went to war, Liesel snuck into her parents' room discovered "Rosa Hubermann was sitting on the edge of the bed with her husband's accordion tied to her chest" (428-29). This shows that once her husband left, Rosa's only comfort was the fact that she still had Hans most prized procession with her, so she would often hold it in her arms while Hans was away.

A symbol I noticed right in the beginning of the book was the accordion. The first few weeks Liesel moved in with the Hubermanns, she experienced terrible nightmares every night about witnessing her brother's death. Hans was there to support her through these times and "he would return with his accordion and play for her. Liesel would sit up and hum, her cold toes clenched with excitement" (37). Therefore the accordion became a symbol of comfort, and if there were air raids or nightmares, Liesel would become distracted with Hans playing the instrument.

In response to Emma question, If I was death, I would not be able to live with myself knowing that my job is to carry away the souls of thousands of people a day all over the world. The part I find most disturbing though is how I would have to watch people mourn over their loved ones and there's nothing I could do to comfort them. Death states "I witness the ones who are left behind, crumbling among the jigsaw puzzle of realization, despair, and surprise. They have punctured hearts. They have beaten lungs" (page 5). He then explains that because of this, his one "saving grace is distraction" (page 4). As mentioned previously, Death's major distraction is focusing on colors.

I think one of the most important lines would be the last sentence of the book on page 550. "I am haunted by humans." Death said this after he had finally completed sharing the story of the "Book Thief." Zusak personifies Death to make him sympathetic and carrying the deceased away is a job that he doesn't want to do because he does have a heart and is fascinated by some beautiful humans such as Liesel. This sentence develops that more clearly, and I think Zusak included this so that the reader would perceive Death in a different way, not just evil. Maybe Death isn't the evil one but we are, because people take the lives of other people everyday with no remorse.

Two sentences that really stood out to me was that on page 470, "The sky was white but deteriorating fast...Blood was bleeding through and in patches, the clouds were dirty, like footprints in melting snow." Death exclaimed this as he lifted Robert Holtzapfel's lifeless body into the sky. I loved the simile as well as the symbolism behind the white sky. I think the symbol for white is the "coldness" of Death but what do you guys think?

Another contrast I found was between soft-spoken Hans Hubbermann and his outspoken son Hans Junior. Hans Senior was not apart of the Nazi party and was known as a Jewish sympathizer, receiving the name "Jew Painter" for re-painting Jewish houses after Nazis wrote religious slurs across them. However his son, Hans Junior was a proud Nazi solider and lived his life attempting to make the "Führer" proud. Hans Junior was even against his own father shown with the statement, "You're either for the Führer or against him- and I can see that you're against him... It's pathetic how a man can stand by and do nothing as a whole marion cleans out the garbage and makes itself great." These character foils develop the theme of the different reactions to Nazi Party, whether it is support or opposition (pages 104-05).

The first contrast I noticed within the book was the contrast with Liesel and the rest of her peers on page 39. She was treated as a outcast in the beginning of her school experience because she couldn't read or write, as well as the school having a "heavy catholic influence" and Liesel was Lutheran.