The Book Thief Blog Post #4: Liesel and Papa’s Relationship

The Book Thief Blog Post #4: Liesel and Papa’s Relationship

            Ever since Papa coaxed Liesel out of the car that brought her to Himmel Street, it’s been evident that Liesel and Papa have a special connection. They’re not technically father and daughter, but they certainly act that way. You can tell Papa loves Liesel, and the feeling is mutual. But now that Papa is being drafted to war, everything is about to change. I think that all relationships change over time, because people change, and they don’t always change at the same rates.

            Whenever Liesel was having a nightmare, Papa would always rush to her side to comfort her. Now that Liesel is old enough, he comforts her, though not directly. When Liesel has a nightmare now, she reads, and without Papa, she wouldn’t know how to read. Papa also helped Liesel get accustomed to life in Munich. Rosa would not have been very beneficial, since she would just curse Liesel out, but Papa helped her ease into life in the Hubermann household, and get used to the behavior that goes on in there.

            Now that Papa is being drafted, I think things will veer into a whole new direction. Without Papa, I think Rosa and Liesel might butt heads a bit. This means that without Papa to insult, Rosa will have to insult Liesel all the time, and without Papa’s soothing behavior to calm Liesel down, I’m afraid she might not take the criticism as well. The house will also be much quieter, without Papa’s joyful accordion. Either Rosa and Liesel won’t get along, or they’ll have nothing to say to one another. Sometimes in a relationship involving three people, when you lose one, it completely changes the dynamic of the relationship.

            I think that all relationships change over time, because people themselves change, and we’re not all wired to some clock that tells us exactly when we’re going to change. In a relationship, there are bound to be some ups and downs, some dramatic, and some less. When one person in a relationship changes quickly, and another changes more slowly, it can mess up the relationship, making it so that people don’t have as much in common. It’s often said that best friends cannot be best friends if they never fight. Things in a relationship can get resolved, or not, but things will always change. 

The Book Thief Blog Post #3

The Book Thief Blog Post

            I am currently reading The Book Thief, and the last thing that happened was that Rudy and Liesel left their group of friends that they stole with. The group’s leader left, and was replaced with a boy that was really rude to both Liesel and Rudy. The last thing Rudy did was spit on the boy’s shoes, after the boy had beaten him up. However, while Rudy was getting beat up, Liesel told the boy to stop, that he was hurting Rudy. I think this shows how much Rudy and Liesel’s friendship has grown since that first soccer game on their street.

            After Liesel defended Rudy, he denied that he was getting hurt. Of course since Liesel and Rudy are still pretty young, Liesel will defend her friend, and won’t care what people will think of him, or her. Since Rudy is also young, he’s going to try to act much older than he is and pretend he’s not getting hurt. I think it’s so cute to see how a girl and boy’s perspective on an issue differ. Not just that, but you can tell that Rudy and Liesel are really good friends. For Liesel to defend Rudy meant for her to stand up to the “big kids”, which shows she really cares about him.

            I think that Liesel is very lucky to have Rudy by her side. He’ll stick with her through thick and thin, and he’s really helped Liesel transition into life in Munich. It was hard for Liesel to make such a quick switch to Munich, and I think she really benefited from Rudy being there to tease her, which in a way I think made her relax and ease into her new life.

The Book Thief Blog Post

The Book Thief Blog Post

            I just started reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I noticed fairly early on in the book that Rosa Hubermann curses at, beats, and disrespects Liesel quite often. However, the narrator has mentioned a few times that despite all this, Rosa loves Liesel. I decided to analyze their relationship this week and dig deeper to perhaps find the true meaning of this complex behavior.

            Rosa Hubermann genuinely loves Liesel, or at least that’s what the narrator tells the reader. I can believe this, because there are certain times when Rosa seems as if she is about to comfort Liesel. At one particular incident, Rosa acted as if she would put her hand on Liesel’s shoulder, however she proceeded to beat her instead. I wonder if this is a way Rosa Hubermann shows her love to people. I know of many who seem to have a tough exterior, but are truly compassionate on the inside. You know they truly care for you, but show it in a way that may differ from the way others may show love. For example, I had a teacher in third grade that always criticized my work. They’d always point out the bad and neglect the good, however on my report cards and at parent teacher conferences, they told my mom I was a great student. Sometimes people who really believe in you need to push you, or treat you roughly, to ensure that you succeed in life. Since the third grade, I’ve always strived to do my best in all classes and accept both compliments and criticism with open arms. I believe this is what Rosa Hubermann is trying to do with Liesel. She certainly is a strong and determined girl, and I believe Rosa’s noticed that. Maybe Rosa is just trying to toughen her up for the hard, yet rewarding life Liesel will hopefully lead in the future.

            After I thought of the reasons Rosa would want to be tough with Liesel, and how it connected to the pair of them, I decided to try and find reasons Rosa Hubermann might be unhappy with her life, and want Liesel to live a happier and more enriched life than the one she did. For example, Rosa tells Liesel all the bad things about her foster father even when he is doing good. I think this is a subtle way of Rosa trying to tell Liesel to marry someone who loves you for who you are, but also someone who you know will be there for you in times of need, and who will be able to provide for you and your family in crisis. Rosa also talked about how her family told her not to marry an artist. I think this is just reinforcing the idea that Liesel should marry someone who is well able to provide and support her through good and bad times.

            As I look back upon my thinking, I can see little windows of true compassion Rosa has for Liesel by the way she shows it, even though it may be different than the “normal” way to show love. I think Rosa really does care for Liesel, even though Liesel may not realize it. I think her Rosa’s bond may grow even stronger than her and Papa’s bond in times ahead. This is just a prediction, and chances are slim, since Liesel and Papa do get along quite well, but things change very quickly and I have a feeling things are about to change very soon.

Pretty Little Liars #11 Blog Post

       

                                                      Pretty Little Liars #11 Blog Post

            I’m currently reading Pretty Little Liars #10, and I’ve just ended at chapter 22, where Emily is with Isaac at the ice cream shop and see’s a hooded figure outside. I personally disliked the ending to this chapter and would’ve chosen to re-write it in a way that Emily gets to tell Isaac about Violet, or start to, and end the chapter there. I’d write it this way because I think all this back and forth over, Will Emily tell Isaac about Violet? Won’t she? Why does she keep waiting? Is just getting old.

            A lot of chapters in the Pretty Little Liars books tend to end with one of the girls seeing someone or something suspicious but not getting a good look at it. Yes, this adds to the suspense, however it becomes repetitive after a while. I think this isn’t a good way to end a chapter in my opinion, because between the same girls chapter (Emily for example) you have all the other girls stories, and by the time you get back to the character, you often seem to forget what happened at the end of their last chapter. To keep to story running smoothly, I’d stick with a message of some sort from A to the girls, or with a thrilling chapter climax as the finale of each chapter to keep the reader on the edge of their seat.

            Emily keeps trying to “get out” of telling Isaac about Violet, her baby. At first, Isaac’s mom interrupted their conversation, and afterwards, she saw the hooded figure and the chapter abruptly came to an end there. Yes, she keeps being interrupted, which is only adding to her nervousness, and not helping her, but I think she should get it over with before the Mr. Marin’s campaign party, since Isaac might change his mind about asking her to go. I would’ve told Isaac about the baby at the very latest, right after he invited Emily to Mr. Marin’s campaign party, so as to let him go back on his invitation. By not telling Isaac, Emily is getting more and more nervous, which is hurting her, hurting Isaac by not telling him about his child, and possibly hurting the child. If she told Isaac, perhaps he could have helped try to find Violet and ensure Gayle wouldn’t harm or take her away from the Bakers.

            Furthermore, I believe Emily is making a foolish decision by post-poning her confrontation about the baby to Isaac, for she’s hurting herself, Isaac, and possibly Violet, and I think Sarah Shepard is making foolish decisions by abruptly ending her chapters with predictable finales.

Pretty Little Liars #10- Ruthless

Fiona Grant 804

Pretty Little Liars #10- Ruthless

            I am currently reading Pretty Little Liars #10- Ruthless, the tenth book in the Pretty Little Liars series. I have just stopped at the end of chapter 22, where Hanna, Aria, and Spencer are searching for Emily, as she left the cast party with Kelsey. As I was reading, I noticed something: Emily somehow always gets enticed by the antagonist, and Aria, Spencer and Hannah are always the ones who need to search for her.

            A few books ago, Emily had left Foxy with Toby, Jenna Cavannaugh’s brother, and Aria, Spencer and Hannah were convinced Toby was A. Despite the fact he wasn’t, the three girls desperately searched for their friend, just as they are preparing to do now. I think Emily is the stereotypical naïve, good girl next door, kind of character, and it’s always up to the characters who have stronger personalities, such as “kooky” Aria, “perfectionist” Spencer, and “glamorous” Hannah to rescue her. In a way, I think this makes the story both better and worse. It’s good to have characters like these, who kind of stir the pot in an oblivious sort of way to make the plot move forward and make the story interesting. Although I also think Pretty Little Liars really isn’t your typical kind of story, and doesn’t have your run-of-the-mill characters in it, so why should Emily be the typical naïve girl next-door kind of character?

            I think Sarah Shepard included Emily, and her personality into these books to give the readers someone to relate to. Obviously readers won’t relate to every aspect of Emily, but she gave Emily a pretty general persona, so readers can at least relate to one part of at least one character.

It’s easy to love and hate Emily at the same time. Her ever-lasting crush on Ali and anyone who remotely resembles her in any way can be cute, but this is the one thing about her that I simply can’t stand. I think her puppy dog attitude is what makes her special, but she also needs to realize that things aren’t going to be perfect forever. The remark Spencer made at Otto at the cast party was a perfect explanation of Emily’s weaknesses, and if she just let down her puppy dog barrier for once, maybe she could acknowledge them as well. However, Emily’s occasional bursts of fearlessness are what makes readers (me, at least) love her. Sometimes, Emily will just let her guard down and do what Emily wants to do, not what her friends or family will want her to do. She’ll deal with the consequences later, but for now she’s just going to be who she wants.

Overall, I think Emily is a really complex character. At first glance, she may seem like a simple character like I described her as in the beginning of this post, but zoom in and she’s very complicated, and without her, Pretty Little Liars wouldn’t be the one we know today.