character confidence

[ashleyyoon]

Did the fact that Max was secretly kept in the basement give Liesel a "taste of rebellion"? If so, did her acts linked with rebellion give her confidence as a character?

[Kaylee Buntyn]

Doing something illegal like that at the time was the most dangerous thing possible really. I don't know if necessarily she got a "taste of rebellion" just because it wasn't rebelling on purpose it was helping a family friend out by keeping him safe from harmful people. I do definitely agree that it did give her character confidence because it was Papa's doing that Max stayed with them and Hans was one of her biggest role models really, so if he was doing one thing and being confident about it she mimicked his emotion which helped her along with what she was doing in life. 

[parisadonohoe]

I do not think that hiding Max makes Liesel feel rebellious so much as fearful, because he puts her and her family at risk of imprisonment and even death. Her “rebellion” comes through stealing books from Ilsa Hermann’s library, punishing her for stopping employing Rosa. Liesel eventually finds a solemn joy in giving Max small gifts while is not awake, which may empower her in the sense that she is kind to a man that makes her so vulnerable. However, this confidence should not be confused with rebellion because it is not an act against someone so much as it is an act for another human being.

[Madeleine Stewart]

I think Liesel was hiding Max for the purpose of protecting him. I do not think that she was trying be rebellious. Some of her others actions, such as stealing books, were making more of a statement. Especially for the time and place she was taking the books from the fires was risky business.