Companion Book for The Book Thief

Influences of History In-Story

There is many inluences to the book, The Book Thief from the history. The time The Book Thief opened, it was 1939, when Hitler had been self-declared as the leader, or the Führer. From the beginning you can see things already happening in the prologue, such as the bombing raids. Anyways, this chapter could be seen as one of the most crucial chapters to the book, which will help you understand, seeing the book more clear, since obviously, the book is a historical fiction.

In 1935, Nuremberg Laws was enacted, leaving all Jewish blood having risk of their civil rights removed. So did the Communists, Socialists, or any people against the Nazi Party was sent to a concentration camp at Dacau, which is what happened to Liesel's real parents, labored as Communits and sent to the camp at Dacau, but unfortunately Liesel having to not know what actually did happen. Also, like Rudy and Liesel from the book, 60 percent of German children from age 10 and up mandatorily members of Hitlerjugend, or Hitler Youth. There is also few parts in the book that gives evidences and specifically describing about the Hitler Youth. In 1941 Germany invaded Russia, which the part that Hubermanns' son and Holtzapfels' sons Michael and Robert were sent to the Eastern Front to the war.

There is a part not long from the start of the book where happens book burning in the town which Liesel attends it, watching sorowfully as the books burn, with attempts to rescue one, but failing, indeed finding one after all the burning in the pile of ashes. This part is also important because it leads to the mayor's wife to spot Liesel while the action of thievery, which leads to Liesel "writing" this book, her autography. Anyways, this book burning event did happen in reality, for example the event hosted on May 10th of 1933 when massive pile of book about Jewish religion or any kind that opposed Nazi was burned in Berlin's Opera Square in Berlin.

There has been a part at the part eight in chapter fifty-eight where Hans Hubermann, Liesel's foster father takes an old piece of bread from his paint can and offers it to an old Jew he spotted when he saw Jewish people being marched down into the concentration camp of Dacau. This part was actually where Markus Zusak, the author of the book heard from her mother, which the story was: his mother was in her house when she heard a noise, so she went out to see what happend. She saw a row of Jewish people being marched down the street to the concentration camp at Macau, and she saw a teenage boy offering a piece of bread to an old Jew, which the soldier spotted him and whipped both the old Jew for taking the piece of bread and the teenage boy for giving him the bread at the first time. 

Finally, more than half of the book includes Max Vanderburg in it. Max was a Jew fleeing from the Nazis and he ended up hiding in the basement of Hubermanns family due to Hans' return for Erik Vanderburg's action, saving his life. Max influences many parts of the book, including him making 2 books for Liesel, and actually making the part he appears close to the climax of this book. In the time that he comes to hide in Hubermanns, the Nazis were looking for Jews to send them to concentration camps and rules for ones who hid Jews were also strict: Too sent to concentration camp for hiding the Jew, possible killed or loosing civil rights for this action, getting some kind of massive punishment. Anyways, he was sent to a concentration camp but he comes back alive, meeting Liesel for a short time later. This whole fact that Max was in Hubermanns put all 4 of them in great danger;Rosa, Hans, Liesel, and Max. Specially since Nazis were blaming Jews for all the problems that they were having problems in economic, political, etc. 

This book, in fact that it  is a historical fiction, it obviously means that history effects most of the book, but I thought actually putting this chapter as one of the chapters of this companion book of The Book Thief would make readers understand more since most readers don't usually stop to think about the influences of history to the book. Although it is a great factor to the book, they wouldn't, so this chapter will probably make readers to reconsider this fact, not only that, making the book more legit.