- sicklenounChapter 1 →
A hand tool with a short handle and a curved blade, traditionally used for cutting grain; here it is one of the classic symbols associated with the figure of Death.
“I do not carry a sickle or scythe. I only wear a hooded black robe when it's cold.”
- scythenounChapter 1 →
A long-handled farming tool with a large curved blade, long used as a symbol of Death; the narrator pointedly denies owning one, rejecting the traditional grim-reaper image.
“I do not carry a sickle or scythe. I only wear a hooded black robe when it's cold.”
- hauntedadjectiveChapter 1 →
Persistently troubled or disturbed by something that cannot be escaped; here Death means it is endlessly unsettled and preoccupied by the behavior and suffering of human beings.
“I am haunted by humans.”
- illustriousadjectiveChapter 2 →
Well known and greatly admired for impressive achievements; used here with dark irony to describe Liesel's repeated acts of stealing books as though they were a distinguished profession.
“The book thief had struck for the first time — the beginning of an illustrious career.”
- fosteredverbChapter 2 →
Taken in and raised by adults who are not one's biological parents, under a formal or informal arrangement; Liesel is sent to live with the Hubermanns because her own family cannot care for her.
- tightropenounChapter 3 →
A tightly stretched rope or wire on which an acrobat balances; used figuratively here to suggest that the characters are moving through life in a dangerously precarious, carefully balanced way.
“It was a Monday and they walked on a tightrope to the sun.”
- existencenounChapter 4 →
The state of being alive or present in the world; in this context it refers to a person's entire life and place in the world, which can be erased or destroyed.
“He was the crazy one who had painted himself out of an existence.”
- fanaticaladjectiveChapter 4 →
Holding extreme beliefs with such intense, uncritical devotion that reason is abandoned; here it describes Germans who followed Nazi ideology with blind, dangerous zeal.
“a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery.”
- accordionistnounChapter 4 →
A person who plays the accordion, a hand-held musical instrument with bellows and keys; Hans Hubermann is identified by this skill, which defines his character and his bond with Liesel.
“a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery.”
- thieverynounChapter 4 →
The habitual practice of stealing; used here almost affectionately to describe Liesel's repeated book-stealing as a defining pattern of her life rather than a single crime.
“a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery.”
- repurposedverbChapter 5 →
Adapted or reused for a different purpose than originally intended; Max paints over the pages of a Nazi book and turns them into a personal illustrated story for Liesel.
- refugenounChapter 4 →
A place of safety and shelter from danger; Max comes to the Hubermanns' basement specifically because he is being hunted and needs somewhere to hide.
- fittingadjectiveChapter 6 →
Appropriate or well-suited to the circumstances; the narrator uses it to highlight the pointed irony that a girl living under a regime that weaponizes words is the one learning their power.
“She was a girl. In Nazi Germany. How fitting that she was discovering the power of words.”
- noteworthyadjectiveChapter 10 →
Worth paying attention to; deserving notice because it reveals something important or surprising, even if it seems small at first.
“A small but noteworthy note. I've seen so many young men over the years who think they're running at other young men.”
- brutalitynounChapter 12 →
Savage, cruel violence or treatment that shows no mercy; Death uses it alongside 'beauty' to sum up the full, terrible range of what human life contains.
“I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her that she didn't already know?”
- regretnounChapter 11 →
A feeling of sadness or sorrow over something that happened or was left undone; here it is a taste on Rudy's lips, suggesting all the things that were never said or done between him and Liesel.
“He tasted of regret and rain and sweetness.”
- lifelessadjectiveChapter 11 →
Without life; dead; the word is used plainly and starkly to describe Rudy's face after the bombing, making the loss immediate and undeniable.
“She leaned down and looked at his lifeless face and Liesel kissed her best friend, Rudy Steiner, soft and true on his lips.”
- survivalnounChapter 2 →
The act of continuing to live through extremely dangerous or difficult conditions; here it refers specifically to the idea that writing and words can be a means of enduring hardship.
“He was the first to truly understand that words and writing could be a form of survival.”
- alarmedadjectiveChapter 4 →
Suddenly frightened or anxious about a threat or danger; the narrator notes Liesel's absence of fear to show how comfortable and trusting she has become.
“The book thief watched. She was not alarmed. Perhaps she was even a little proud.”
- defeatedverbChapter 6 →
Overcome or beaten completely; used here in a figurative, almost mythic sense to describe someone who has somehow triumphed over the entire hostile world around him.
“He was the crazy one who had painted himself black and defeated the world.”
The Book ThiefNovel by Markus Zusak