Character Development In Markus Zusak's The Book Thief

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, is about a young girl named Liesel Meminger, who lives in Nazi Germany during the Holocaust. The reader will learn about how she is without an immediate family, so she enters into foster care to live with Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Throughout the book, Rudy Steiner becomes a close friend to Liesel as she undergoes a very confusing and difficult life on 33 Himmel street, in the small town of Molchling, Germany. Critics have praised this book by saying that it “Deserves a place on the same shelf with The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank” (USA Today). Others showed their love toward the book in saying “Brilliant…It’s the kind of book that can be life-changing” (The New York Times). Or “Absorbing and Searing” (The Washington Post). Zusak employs character development, tension, and heartwarming relationships to produce a captivating read. …show more content…
This quality is evident in “…Rudy hadn’t missed a penalty in eighteen shots…” (Zusak 47). This is the first impression of Rudy Steiner the reader will encounter, so being that it exhibits his athletic skill shows the reader that it is a significant part of his character. “‘Just you and me this time,’ Rudy suggested. ‘No chemmels, no schmeikls. Just you and me.’” (Zusak 284). This quote proves that Rudy has grown to be one of Liesel’s closest friends and his willingness to do anything with her, just to be with her and to make the both of them happy, shows that he really cares about