The Book Thief- The Relationship Between Liesel and Max

The relationship between Liesel and Max changed and developed throughout the course of The Book Thief. Originally, when Liesel and Max first met, they were quite apprehensive towards one another. Max came to the Hubermann’s and at first Liesel was kept away from Max, which caused her to be very confused about his presence. 

However, Max and Liesel soon began to bond. Personally, I believe the turning point in their friendship was when Liesel and Max exchanged what their nightmares were about. Liesel, as the reader witnesses early on in the book, was with her brother when he died on the train. Since max has nightmares as well, he shares that he dreams about leaving his family. Their nightmares were both crucial turning points in their life and I believe that’s how they first started their connection. 

To me, as I watched Max and Liesel’s relationship grow, I thought they started acting like brother and sister. Max started teaching her new things, such as reading, which Hans did, but Max starts to take that over. Then Liesel starts doing thoughtful things for Max, such as bringing him things when he was sick and writing what the outside world looked like. Their love grew deeper, and the reader sees less of Liesel thinking about her old brother. This leads me to think that Max almost replaced Liesel’s brother that died. 

Max and Liesel’s relationship ended up with a much happier ending than Liesel’s true brother, which for me made the ending all that much better, since Max and Liesel were reunited. I love that they were reunited because Liesel had lost so much, but her relationship with Max was preserved.