Topic > War from the point of view of both the survivor and the victim in "The Book Thief"

The Book Thief is a film adaptation of the book of the same name, depicting the Second World War. Over the course of the film, "Death" tells the story of Liesel Meminger, a survivor of World War II. It begins with Paula Meminger traveling with her children to their new foster home. During the journey to Molching, Werner, Liesel's brother, dies. Shortly thereafter Liesel begins to adapt to her new parents: Hans and Rosa Hubermann. She also becomes friends with Rudy Steiner. Liesel spends four years with the Hubermanns before the town of Molching is bombed by the Allies. This causes most of the townspeople to die along with Liesel's loved ones. The Book Thief is an authentic portrait of life during World War II and the effects of war on civilians. It focuses on one of the most significant points, which is that all German civilians did not accept Nazi Germany and did not blindly follow the rules. It gives us enough information to truly understand the lives of both survivors and victims of war. In summary, the aim of this project is to understand the events of the war from the perspective of both the survivor and the victim, along with the effects it had on them. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay In 1939, Paula Meminger finds a couple who agree to adopt Liesel and her brother, Werner, to protect them. During the journey to Molching, where the foster family lives, Werner dies of pneumonia. This indicates the poverty of the family as many poor people died of diseases due to the inability to pay for healthcare services. Paula was most likely then sent to a concentration camp. The death of her brother and Liesel's separation from her mother mark the beginning of many such devastating events. We find that he expresses his unhappiness by often looking at the photo of his brother that he always keeps with him, as well as often writing letters to Paula. Around this time, Hitler had invaded Poland in September 1939, which proved to be an immediate cause of the war. While France and Britain gave an ultimatum to Germany, Germany attacked France. Eventually, Britain and France declared war on Germany. The period between September 1939 and April 1940 remained peaceful as there was very little fighting during this period. The film also gives us a glimpse of one of the turning points of the Holocaust: Kristallnacht, "The Night of Broken Glass." Police officers and the Hitler Youth looted Jewish businesses. On top of that, they beat and killed the Jews inside. The film then gives us a look at Max Vandenburg and his mother, who unfortunately he soon had to leave to protect himself. Adolf Hitler's 50th birthday on April 20 was celebrated as a national holiday throughout Nazi Germany and other parts of the world. On Hitler's birthday, the inhabitants of Molching celebrate by burning objects considered "anti-Germany". Some of these fires were specifically book burning, he burns some books, finds one that hasn't been burned, and steals it. Hans soon finds out about Liesel's stolen book, when she asks him if her mother is a communist. When Hans implies that Hitler may have harmed his mother, Liesel proceeds to say, "I hate the Führer!" Hans tells her in alarm that he cannot say these things because people who disrespected Hitler were considered anti-German and were sent to concentration camps. Max Vandenburg, a Jew, comes to live in hiding with the Hubermanns. Her parents tell her that it was extremely important that she not tell anyone about him. Max starts toforming a friendship with Liesel that ultimately lasts a very long time, while some children might live and pass themselves off as non-Jews, most Jews consider sending their children to German families who would accept hiding them until the war was over. These children posed as non-Jews and had to completely hide their Jewish nature. This required a lot of things, the most important of which was fake IDs. For Max it was a difficult task and therefore he lived hidden in the Hubermanns' basement. In those days, even finding the families of rescuers was quite difficult. Luckily for Max, Hans was in debt as Max's father had saved his life during the First World War. During this period, air raids began to occur more frequently than usual, forcing people to hide in air raid shelters. While in a communal bomb shelter, Liesel reads to the rest of the civilians there. This comforts them, calms them and distracts them from the impending horrors. Other cops then begin searching the basements to find Jews, in case the Hubermanns hide Max under a large Confederate flag in the basement. One day, the policemen arrest a Jew, for whom Hans defends. This, in turn, only proves to be a shame as they push him aside and take his name. To protect the Hubermanns, Max leaves. Soon Hans receives a letter informing him that he has been drafted into the army and must leave immediately. This proves increasingly distressing for Rosa and Liesel. During this period, many men were forced to spend some time in the army. During Hans' absence, Liesel witnesses the Jews walking towards the concentration camp while people watch them as if it were a parade. She then finds herself seeing Max among these people and screams for him, only to be thrown onto the sidewalk. These forced movements of Nazi Germany prisoners to or between concentration camps were generally known as death marches. One night, at the end of 1943, the city of Molching was bombed by the Allies and the air raids did not take place. This causes the death of dozens of civilians. Liesel's parents, as well as Rudy and his family, are killed in the explosion while Liesel herself survives as she was in the basement. He is heartbroken when he sees his parents' dead bodies. German cities and towns were specially bombed by the Allies to destroy munitions factories, weapons warehouses and eradicate enemy troops. Two years after the death of her loved ones, Liesel begins working in Rudy's father's tailor shop. Max enters the shop and asks for Liesel and they are both overwhelmed with joy when they are finally reunited. The beginning of 1945 began with the evacuation of concentration camps such as Auschwitz and resulted in even more death marches. Soon other camps such as Buchenwald, Bergen-Belsen and Sachsenhausen were liberated. May 8 marks the VE's “Victory in Europe” Day, while September 2 marks the VJ's “Victory over Japan” Day. On September 2, Imperial Japan surrendered after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This, in turn, ended the war. Remember: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Conclusion To summarize, the film provides us with information about the ongoing events during World War II. This includes the oppression of victims and the path they had to go to protect themselves and their families. While some victims survived, some were also sent to concentration camps. We also conclude that many Germans did not accept Nazi Germany and helped and.