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Most important Quotes in The Book Thief

One quote that I really liked was "I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her about those things that she didn't already know? I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race—that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant"( Zusak 550).  

This is at the very ending of the book but I feel it sums up the story well. Death is telling the story and that's one thing I kind of like. I like that it's narrated by someone who isn't necessarily human but an outlook. We have talked a lot about how death is human and how he doesn't understand what is happening and how humanity can be this way. I think this quote is great because it shows how proud of Lisel he is. After this quote death goes on to say "None of those things, however, came out of my mouth. All I was able to do was turn to Liesel Meminger and tell her the only truth I truly know. I said it to the book thief and I say it now to you". It ends with death saying I am haunted by humans." ( Zusak 550). I think this quote makes sense because of everything death went through with the jews and with all the sorrow ness and loneliness that people went through. 


The Second quote I chose was "But Hans Junior wasn’t finished. He stepped closer and said, “You’re either for the Führer or against him—and I can see that you’re against him. You always have been.” Liesel watched Hans Junior in the face, fixated on the thinness of his lips and the rocky line of his bottom teeth. “It’s pathetic—how a man can stand by and do nothing as a whole nation cleans out the garbage and makes itself great.” Trudy and Mama sat silently, scaredly, as did Liesel... They were all waiting for the next words. They came from the son. Just two of them. “You coward.” He upturned them into Papa’s face, and he promptly left the kitchen and the house. Ignoring futility, Papa walked to the doorway and called out to his son. “Coward? I’m the coward?!” He then rushed to the gate and ran pleadingly after him." ( Zusak 105). 

I thought this quote was important because it shows Han's background. It sort of explains what Hans went through with his son. Everyone wanted Hans to be a part of the Nazis and he didn't. He stood up for what he believed. I think the fact that Han's brother called him a coward really stood out to me because if Hans Junior knew everything that Hans had gone through he probably wouldn't have said that. Hans took care of Two jews. One of them was Lisel was a jew before he took her in and then the other was Max. Hans also was able to say bad things about Hitler in the privacy of his home. We don't know what other people did but they probably did that too. He was also able to help Lisel read the books that she had stolen and He was able to go in public knowing that he could have been part of the Nazis but went against. That's a strength that others might not have been able to deal with, especially with all the pressure Han's seemed to be under by the Nazis. 

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