Major Issues in the Novel

There are a few issues that the narrator communicates throughout the whole book in The
Book Thief. These issues are important for the reader to be aware of in order to
understand the message the narrator is trying to convey throughout the book.
Jews in Nazi Germany
Jews in Nazi Germany were murdered by Adolf Hitlers Nazi Regime and its
collaborators in an event known as the Holocaust in which approximately 6 million
Jews were killed between 1941 and 1945. The Book Thief is based on this event and
centers around life in Nazi Germany as a Jew. Max Vandenburg is a Jew in the novel who
is forced to hide in the Hubermanns basement in order to stay alive. I personally feel
disgusted about the fact that so many Germans in the novel are shown to have no
sympathy whatsoever for Jews living in Germany. People like Max are constantly being
searched in Germany by Nazi Party members to get taken away and murdered for having
Jewish blood. All the German people seem to be under some sort of spell binded by
Hitler which forces them to discriminate against Jewish people. I also didnt like the fact
that the Jews were forced to walk through the streets of Munich on their way to
concentration camp in front of German people, to make them feel ashamed of themslves
for being Jewish. They also looked like they hadnt eaten or had anything to drink for a
while. It also really made me feel sorry for Liesel, Hans and Rudy who tried to give the
Jews pieces of bread but were whipped for trying to help enemies and were called Jew
lovers as a result by the people around them. If Hitler wasnt in power or he didnt have
words to lure the German public into doing what he says, Jews wouldnt have been killed
and/or considered a threat to the Germans. Overall, I feel most dissapointed about the fact
that Jews cant live normal lives in a country or a continent they once called home.
Equality: Economical Status
Equality is a huge issue that is dealt with in the novel. Rosa Hubermann is a squat woman
who delivers laundry to all the rich households in Molching and in return gets paid very
little. While the wealthier people of Molching like the mayor and his wife Ilsa Hermann,
live a life of total seclusion with no money problems. I dont agree with the fact that Rosa
Hubermann and other people in Molching with the same ecomomic status get paid so
little by the rich people who can afford a car, something that the poor people of Molching
would probably have never seen before, and yet all they want to do is keep their money to
themselves to continue with their small luxuries. Also, if the rich people of Molching
cant give more money to the people who work so hard to earn an amount so little, they
should at least give them more jobs so they can earn more money that way and they
would also help themselves by supplying themselves with more luxuries. The rich people
in Germany dont have to deal with everyday problems such as worrying if theres going
to be food on the table for them tomorrow or if theyre going to have any money left to
buy other necessities. As well as how much money people get, they are also treated
differently depending on their job and how useful they are too other people. For example,
Hans Hubermann is a good painter, who paints houses as well as shops and he is also an

excellent accordion player. If he didnt have these talents, the Nazi Party probably
wouldve taken him away for once helping a Jew shopkeeper paint over a defaced door,
for which the Nazis themselves were responsible for.