At the beginning of this section
At the beginning of this section, Hans Hubermann is drafted into the war and his job is to clean up after raids. While in Essen, Hans breaks his leg. This was a good thing for Hans because it means he gets to come home to Molching. Liesel sees Max while the Jewish people walk down the road. Isla comes to the Hubermann household and gives Liesel a blank book to write her own story in. Everyone on Himmel Street, besides Liesel, dies from a bombing. Liesel lives because she was in the basement writing. After her family is killed, Liesel goes on to live with the mayor and his wife.
Throughout this last section of The Book Thief, setting is a crucial factor why awful things are happening. This book takes place in Molching, Germany during the Holocaust and World War II. Most of the unfortunate events in this chapter happen on Himmel Street. In Germany during this time, Jewish people were not seen as an inferior to every other person.
One unfortunate event includes Max seeing Liesel while marching down the street with the rest of the Jewish people. Liesel went into the crowd to see Max, they were both punished because Jewish people are considered “bad or dirty” people in Germany. After Liesel does this, her and Max are both whipped and suffer injuries as a result. As the Nazi beats Max, he is yelling names at him such as: dirty asshole, Jewish whore, and a dog. This happens because Max was Jewish and living in Germany where Hitler did not like Jewish people and was trying to exterminate all of them.
Another disastrous event is when Himmel Street suffers a bombing leaving all of Liesels loved ones and neighbors deceased. This bombing happens because during this time in Germany they were at war with other countries. Bombs begin to fall on Himmel Street flattening the whole neighborhood and leaving behind one breathing human being. Everyone continued to sleep during the bombing because there is no warning. Liesel lived because she is down in the basement working on her story. The only survivor is found by Nazi soldiers. When Liesel is rescued, she comes to find all of her family and loved ones are dead and she discovers all their lifeless bodies sitting on the street.
