The Book Theif - Part Five

The Gamblers (A Seven-Sided Die)

-On the fourth side of the die, we are introduced to Max’s fantasies about boxing Hitler. -What do you make of these dreams? Why doesn’t Max imagine himself triumphing over Hitler? Why does he tell Liesel that he wins?
- Do you find anything ironic or significant about Max’s plans to write a book called The Word Shaker on the pages of Mein Kampf ?

The Losers

-In this section, the apple-stealing gang gets back together, minus their former leader, Arthur Berg. His replacement is a rich boy named Viktor who has it all but wants more. -What is Viktor’s motivation? Is it simple greed, or does it have something to do with Hitler, as he argues?
- A synecdoche (as in New York , for those who have seen the movie) is a linguistic term meaning “a part is used to refer to the whole.” In other words, a small group, event, or situation is used to represent a much larger group, event, or situation. -Is there any evidence that this gang of theives is a synecdoche? If so, what would it represent?

Sketches

-Simple question for this one. -What do you make of Max’s drawings?

The Whistler and the Shoes

-In this section, we see Liesel “truly [become] the book theif” after she steals The Whistler from the mayor’s house. -Why did Liesel steal the book? Was it just to get back at the mayor’s wife for firing her mother, or for some other reason?