The Book Thief - Courage Theme
How the Hubermanns Demonstrated Courage throughout the Novel
Eleanor Roosevelt once said “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along. '” <Brainyquote.com> Throughout the novel the Hubermanns demonstrate tremendous courage. Like what Eleanor Roosevelt says, the Hubermanns really did look fear right in the face. One example of this is, they allowed a Jew to hide in their home, going directly against the law and belief of Nazi Germany despite the harsh consequences that could be waiting for them (Zusak 173). The family all cared for the Jews, and put their lives on the line to protect and care for them to the best of their ability. Liesel, the foster daughter of the Hubermanns, showed tremendous courage numerous times. Despite her age, she always pulled through to the end. Through all this, the Hubermanns demonstrated courage multiple times throughout the novel.
Imagine if you were put in a place where the fate of a man’s life was placed in the palm of your hand. The Hubermanns were lucky enough to make this unfortunate decision and it was placed on their doorstep in the middle of the night. They weren’t warned about this happening and had no intention of taking anyone in beforehand, but the warm hearts of the Hubermanns allowed Max to intrude into their lives. The only problem with this, Max was a Jew. All Jews were shamed, despised, and spit on during the reign of the Third Reich and Max was no exception. But the courage of the Hubermanns and their care and acceptance for everyone broke through this fear and opened up their hearts for this man. Of course they took in account of the fact that if anyone found the Jewish man hiding in their basement, there would be severe consequences for the family. During that time, if a Nazi discovered a family who was hiding a Jew in their
Eleanor Roosevelt once said “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along. '” <Brainyquote.com> Throughout the novel the Hubermanns demonstrate tremendous courage. Like what Eleanor Roosevelt says, the Hubermanns really did look fear right in the face. One example of this is, they allowed a Jew to hide in their home, going directly against the law and belief of Nazi Germany despite the harsh consequences that could be waiting for them (Zusak 173). The family all cared for the Jews, and put their lives on the line to protect and care for them to the best of their ability. Liesel, the foster daughter of the Hubermanns, showed tremendous courage numerous times. Despite her age, she always pulled through to the end. Through all this, the Hubermanns demonstrated courage multiple times throughout the novel.
Imagine if you were put in a place where the fate of a man’s life was placed in the palm of your hand. The Hubermanns were lucky enough to make this unfortunate decision and it was placed on their doorstep in the middle of the night. They weren’t warned about this happening and had no intention of taking anyone in beforehand, but the warm hearts of the Hubermanns allowed Max to intrude into their lives. The only problem with this, Max was a Jew. All Jews were shamed, despised, and spit on during the reign of the Third Reich and Max was no exception. But the courage of the Hubermanns and their care and acceptance for everyone broke through this fear and opened up their hearts for this man. Of course they took in account of the fact that if anyone found the Jewish man hiding in their basement, there would be severe consequences for the family. During that time, if a Nazi discovered a family who was hiding a Jew in their
Cited: * Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. USA: Knopf, 2006 * http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/eleanorroo141470.html