Essay: Loss

Loss is a theme that is developed throughout the book. Everyone suffers loss in the book. At the beginning of the book, Liesel, her mother, and her brother are traveling to Munich. While her mother is sleeping, Liesel watches her brother die. Death takes her brother’s soul away in front of Liesel’s eyes. Her brother is buried and that is where Liesel steals her first book. After that, Liesel is given away to foster parents, Hans and Rosa. She also loses her mother during the situation. When Liesel starts school, she does not know how to read. When she stands up in front of the class to read, she can’t. That is why she remembers a section from The Grave Digger’s Handbook. She memorized and read that. However, her teacher did not fall for it so she gave Liesel a beating. After that, Ludwig Schmeikl taunts Liesel about how stupid she is. She loses her dignity at that point. However, she takes out her anger on Tommy because she loses her temper. Rosa made Liesel deliver laundry to Ilsa Hermann. While she is there, she finds out that Ilsa lost her son in World War I. He froze to death. In Max’s flashback, he loses many people. First, he loses his uncle and then he leaves his family. He finds out later that they are gone. When Hans gives bread to the older Jew, he regrets it. He put his family in danger and everyone loses Max. When Max leaves, Hans loses his optimism. He stopped playing the accordion and waits for his punishment. Eventually, Hans is drafted to war. In the bombing of Munich Street, everyone dies except for Liesel. She loses everyone that was close to her. Liesel loses The Book Thief also because it is thrown into a garbage truck. Luckily, Death retrieves it. When Liesel gets old, Death pays her a visit. Liesel receives The Book Thief back. Then, Death takes away Liesel and she loses her life. There were many losses in