![]() The archetype theory gave me the most insight on the novel and throughout the text. It gave me a greater understanding of the characters personalities and true selves that they were meant to portray in the book. When I thought about the characters' purposes and why the author chose to include them in the story, it allowed me to analyze the text further. For example, if it was not for the loving caregiver, Hans Hubermann, Liesel would not have felt safe or comfortable living with her foster mother Rosa. Rosa was rude to her and only cared for the little money they received when fostering a child, but Hans welcomed, cared, and truly loved her. He even taught her how to read. Hans was an amazing father figure towards the little girl. When Hans found Liesel's first stolen book, he said ““Is this yours?” “Yes, Papa.” “Do you want to read it?” Again, “Yes, Papa.” A tired smile, metallic eyes, melting. “Well, we’d better read it, then.” (Zusak 43). He treated her as if she was his own daughter and did everything in his power to keep her safe. Hans showed many situations that occurred where he portrayed a hero, such as, him giving the Jewish man a piece of bread. He did not like Hitler and was one of the few who did during that time. He knew Hitler was a bad man doing cruel things around the world. It took courage to go against Hitler and help Jewish people. Hubermann was a true hero, especially when everyone was too scared to stand up. The other archetype that allowed me to dig deeper and find a greater meaning of the character, was the villain. Hitler and the Nazi party were horrible people who did everything they possible could to make others fear them. The villains of the novel did terrible things to the citizens and did worse things to the Jewish community. “The sound sickened her and she expected cracks to appear on her papa’s body. He was struck four times before he, too, hit the ground.” (Zusak 266). Hans was punished for helping the old man who was struggling. There were many examples, situations, and detail that allowed readers to see who the characters really were and their purpose throughout the book. Some questions I came across when reading but have not been answered include: What happened to Max? Did he get killed or did he survive the concentration camp? If he survived, did he find Liesel? Where did Liesel go after the bombing? She was still young, so who took care of her? Did her biological mom come get her once Liesel was put back into the foster care system? So many questions in my mind, wishing they were answered. Hopefully one day an author can make a part two. Maybe Liesel will be older, married and/or even have kids. I just have to wait and see. I loved the book and thought it was very intriguing and presented the historical facts/ events well. Definitely recommend reading it! Works Cited History.com Editors. Nazi Party. 9 Nov. 2009, www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/nazi-party.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLwtuM9XkaM Zusak, Marcus. " The Book Thief." Westernhs, westernhs.bcps.org/UsersFiles/Server_4204286/Image/Grade9GT-- TheBookThiefMarcusZusak.pdf.
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![]() The reality of World War ||. What people had to do to stay alive, not be known as a Jewish lover, and to keep their children safe. During that time, families had to deal with many terrifying and sad situations. Loved ones, usually the men of the family, had to leave and fight in the war. Some volunteered and some were forced to serve their country. In The Book Thief, it gives readers a historical understanding of what happened during that time and how individuals were affected. Hans, Liesel foster father, volunteered for war after he got caught giving a piece of bread to the Jewish man; he chose to go because he had to protect his family from the Nazi party. “Don’t go, Papa. Just don’t go. Let them come for you if you stay. But don’t go, please don’t go.” (Zusak 287). Liesel and Rosa were extremely upset and scared that he might lose his life on the battlefield. Also, Rudy's father got called to war because it was his punishment for not allowing his son to join the Hitler Youth advanced program. War affects an individual mentally, emotionally, and physically. People witness many things on the battlefield that they are not prepared for and frankly could never be prepared for. In the novel the author gives examples of situations that Hans saw, such as, when he came across a man suffering and as Hubermann tried to pull him off the field, the man passed away in the loving father’s arms. Michael, a character who returned from the war, witnessed his brother's death. “A SMALL WAR STORY His legs were blown off at the shins and he died with his brother watching in a cold, stench-filled hospital.” (Zusak 319). Michael was traumatized and was injured due to when he was shot in the ribs. He survived but when he was sent home, everything that happened affected him mentally. The soldier ended up committing suicide and during that time, it occurred frequently. This video is the last scene of the movie where the bomb alarms did not go off on time to warn the citizens. While everyone was sleeping, air raids came and killed most people, expect Liesel. Sadly, when World War || occurred, citizens experienced frequent air raids and bombing in their hometowns, where they had to go find a safe shelter if their home wasn't safe enough. People were not only dealing with war on the battlefield and air raids but the Jewish community had to find safe shelter and hide from the Nazi party. Some had to leave their families like Max Vandenburg did. The ones who got caught suffered the most; they would not get fed, had to march down the streets, worked in the camps, got cruel punishment if they did not listen to the Nazi party, and eventually got killed. “While most of the camps were spread throughout Europe, there were some still in existence in Germany itself. In those camps, many people were still made to work, and walk.” (Zusak 340). It is extremely depressing having known this happened in the past and what people had to go through, especially the Jewish community. Work Cited Bing, Microsoft, www.bing.com/videos/search?q=the+book+theif+the+ending+scene+video.
“Emotional Effects of War on Soldiers.” Psychologenie, 20 Aug. 2008, psychologenie.com/emotional-effects-of-war-on-soldiers. History.com Editors. “World War II.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 29 Oct. 2009, www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/world-war-ii-history. Zusak, Marcus. " The Book Thief." Westernhs, westernhs.bcps.org/UsersFiles/Server_4204286/Image/Grade9GT-- TheBookThiefMarcusZusak.pdf. Archetypal theory. What is it? Before I discuss the great archetypes presented throughout the novel, I want readers to grab a good understanding of the meaning. Archetypal theory is when you read material from an archetypal lens. The theory allows readers to decide the function of a specific thing in the writing piece, such as, symbols, characters, etc., who represent different and familiar archetypes. Psychological myths and culture create meaning in a narrative. ![]() The first archetype I found while reading the novel was a hero and caregiver. Hans Hubermann achieved these archetypes because his character’s actions and words revealed great examples. Throughout the book, Hubermann portrayed an amazing caregiver towards the foster child. At night, she would dream about her brother who passed away on the train ride over to the Hubermann house. Hans would go to her room and comfort her when she was upset and scared. Death, the narrator, described, "Possibly the only good to come out of these nightmares was that it brought Hans Hubermann, her new papa, into the room, to soothe her, to love her...He came in every night and sat with her...he held her. Trust was accumulated quickly.” (Zusak 27). He became a loving and protective father to Liesel; he truly loved and took care of the little girl as if it was his own daughter. Another archetype Hans portrayed was the Hero because he was brave and showed that he was courageous in many scenarios. For example, he allowed Max to stay at his house, even though he knew if the Nazi found out, they would be killed. Also, Hubermann went into the crowd where the Jews were and gave an old man bread. He felt a sense of sorrow for them and saw them suffering. Down below is a scene were Max was able to sleep in a comfortable bed and feel a little bit more safer at the Hubermann's house. Liesel’s foster dad was an example of two major archetypes, but another archetype shown throughout the book was the villain. I believe there were many villains, such as, Hilter and his Nazi party. The villains in the story adored all the power they had and loved feeding on the fear people had towards them. They treated others horribly, especially Jewish people and walked down the streets like bullies. For example, one of the characters in the story, Rudy, had a leader at the Hitler Youth. He was extremely rude to Rudy and lovered being in control of the kids. “When Rudy stood up, it served only to infuriate Deutscher even more. He brought him to the ground for a second time, following him down with a knee to the rib cage...Within a few seconds, the knife was applied to his hair.” (Zusak 204-205). They were cruel to the Jewish community, treating them as if they were not human. They would not feed them and make them march through the streets. The Jews were tired, hungry and very weak to the point where they would fall down. When Hans saw the old man fall to his knees multiple times, he offered him bread. The Nazi party did not accept that, "a soldier was soon at the scene of the crime...After another moment’s thought, he took the whip from his belt and began. The Jew was whipped six times...Then it was Papa’s turn.” (Zusak 266). That is the difference between a hero and villain in a novel. One is able to be brave and break laws while the others follow and do not question the authority figure. Work Cited Burt, Jeremiah. What Traits Would an Archetypal Character Have? 10 Jan. 2019, penandthepad.com/traits-would-archetypal-character-have-4946.html.
Sign In, dpcdsb.elearningontario.ca/d2l/le/content/16341648/fullscreen/125063739/View?d2lSessionVal=6ftcqQ4cZdASXmRM8jtcxguys. Zusak, Marcus. " The Book Thief." Westernhs, westernhs.bcps.org/UsersFiles/Server_4204286/Image/Grade9GT-- TheBookThiefMarcusZusak.pdf. ![]() “The Book Thief” by Mark Zusak, is a very intriguing novel and grabbed my attention throughout the book. At the beginning, the novel introduces many key characters, such as Liesel (the book thief), the Hubermann's, Max, Rudy, and the narrator Death. As I read the three chapters, I learned many qualities and characteristics of these individuals that portrayed their characters. A short summary: The book begins with Liesel and her birth mom travelling on a train to go to the Hubermann's house. Rosa and Hans Hubermann are the foster parents of the book thief as she lives with them and becomes like a real daughter to the married couple. Rosa makes Liesel help her with work since Rosa has to travel around town doing laundry for wealthy families. Hans is a father figure towards the little girl and truly loves her. Liesel goes to school and fits in with the rest of the students; she meets a new friend named Rudy, who has a crush on her. During the end of chapter three, readers meet Max. Max is a Jewish young man who is trying to run from Hitler and find a safe shelter. Since Hans knew Max’s father, he offers the 24 year old to stay in his basement and hide from the Nazi party. As I was reading, I generated some expectations and predictions that would occur later in the novel. I wondered if the Hubermann's would become more poor because of the war and everyone losing their jobs/ businesses. Rosa’s idea was to use Liesel to deliver the clothes because she thought no one would say no to a little girl. “On a Thursday, just after 3 p.m., Mama told Liesel to get ready to come with her and deliver some ironing.” (Zusak 47). Eventually, more and more people could not afford the cleaning. Another thought I began to wonder was what might happen to Max and the Hubermann's? They might get caught for keeping a Jewish person in their basement. Will they get arrested? Will they die? So many questions and thoughts went through my head as I was reading. There was not many boring parts in the novel. I thought the book was very interesting and I believed it had a fascinating story line to it. When it had one or two boring parts I would think about some questions I had, and kept reading, hoping by the end of the novel some of them would get answered. Slideshow of the characters presented in chapters 1-3. When reading novels that create stories about true events, it breaks my heart of the things people had to go through during World War II and individuals who suffered in the Jewish community. I could not imagine living during that time, authority figures controlling you and having so much power. People were not able to stand up and speak their opinion becasue if they did, they would get killed. If you weren’t killed serious consequences would be given to you for doing the right thing. For example, in the novel Hans saw an old man suffering and gave him bread. The Nazi party did not like that and whipped Hans and the Jewish man. Works Cited “Reader-Response Criticism.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Nov. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reader-response_criticism. Zusak, Marcus. " The Book Thief." Westernhs, westernhs.bcps.org/UsersFiles/Server_4204286/Image/Grade9GT-- TheBookThiefMarcusZusak.pdf. |