This is explored through the important ideas in the novel

Hope

Growth

Loss

Shown when Liesel loses her brother , Werner on the train to her new Foster family in Munich, Germany.

Rudy replaces her brother in everyway that a brother would. The idea of hope in the novel shows that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and

Rudy is that for Liesel as she comes out of a rough patch!

“Wish for somethin

g pleasant

to happen”

Pocket Dictionary

Rudy asks Liesel this when they were making a bet. The name “Saumensch” is German and is

used to castigate, berate or just plain humiliate a female. It can also be taken as calling

someone a little pig. Therefore Rudy is calling Liesel a little pig, which is something a sibling

would do. The tone in which this could be interpreted in is a sarcastic and mocking tone against

her.

He teases her as a brother would, mocks as a brother would.

He competed against her as a brother would,

raced as a brother would.

This phrase is constantly being used between siblings. Rudy said this to Liesel in offer for a running race, just as

a brother would. The competitive attitude is found in siblings everywhere no matter what as well as the

competitive strike in Rudy’s comment brings Liesel to the same idea that there is life after you lose

somebody, and your friends are there to help you take your mind of the horrible things and move on.

He loved her as a brother would, cared as a

brother would.

Even though they are horrible to one another, Liesel is thanking Rudy for helping her. Love and care has

obviously been showed to Liesel in the first place to make her thank him. It proves that after joking around

with each other they care about one another, that is how Rudy filled the space of Liesel’s dead brother,

Werner. It just goes to show that there is life after death, and when you have hope, good things will come,

like Rudy, where he loved her as a brother would, cared as a bother would. The space that was once

occupied can be filled in once again; in this case it just so helped form the relationship between her and

Rudy.

“the act process, or manner of growing;

development or

gradual increase. ”

www.dictionary.com

Through stealing books and food, getting in trouble, swimming and playing football they grew as friends. Rudy and Liesel illustrate how friendships can in

time become something great.The idea of Growth in the novel illustrates that you have to learn and develop in

order to be able to so this.

They were one!

In that passage it identified that when they were together there was no stopping them. It also implies the power

that they held as they grew to become greater friends. When they were together they were stronger and

believed in each other, Also friendship is based on trust, and when you trust someone enough to go stealing

with them because you know that they won’t blab to someone, you know that you have formed a good

relationship. Even though I wouldn’t go around stealing things just to test out a friendship. Liesel and Rudy

became a team over time.

That was being done as Liesel got ready to steal a book and food from the Mayor and the Mayors wife. Rudy did

this without being asked to or anything, they both just reached a point where they did things instinctively

toward each other. They picked up the pieces when one fell apart and that is all part of growth and

development in relationships. They grew to trust each other emphatically, you know you don’t gain trust like

this in a flash, it takes time and effort. They also grew to the point were they would be comfortable touching

each others hands and not feel silly or embarrassed about it.

They were a team!

In order for Liesel to do this she relied on her gut instinct, she knew that Rudy was going to do something that he

would regret so she forced him to leave. They grew to the stage where they could do things as friends and

they both knew it was only a friendly move. They were best friends. Rudy and Liesel show how relationships

eventually can grow to be something great and useful.

They were best friends!

“the state of being deprived of or of being

without something that one has had ”

www.dictionary.com

When Rudy died, Liesel realises that its too late to tell him how she feels. The idea of loss in the novel is one that every character goes through and that

demonstrates how it is in real life, everyone goes through loss and they have to learn to deal with it.

Those last three words “I love you,” were the most important words as she pleaded for him to wake up. And that

is because she never told him that while he was alive, only as she lost him. Why do you think that she never

told him when he was alive? Maybe because you never know what you have till you lose them, in other

words maybe she just discovered that she loved him as he died. Liesel’s knows that she will never have the

same opportunity again so she tells him face to face.

She loved him!

Whenever Rudy got the right opportunity he would ask for a kiss and Liesel always declined, but now she’s found

that right opportunity in her mind to kiss him. But again the same question arises why? Why did she wait for

him to die to kiss him? Maybe she was trying to fill the dead boy’s wishes with the last chance she had

before she lost him forever.

She kissed him!

I think Liesel felt more for Rudy that what she led on. It is evident in this passage that Liesel could not let go of

her partner in crime, best friend, brother, or boy with the hair the colour of lemons. She obviously did not

know how she would get over his death without him as he helped her with her brother.

She lost him!

• HOPE - He teases her as a brother would, mocks as a brother would.

-He competed against her as a brother would, raced as a brother would.

-He loved her as a brother would, cared as a brother would.

• GROWTH -They were team!

-They were one! -They were best friends!

• LOSS - She loved him!

-She kissed him! -She lost him!

By Charlotte Welch-Cropp