Previous
Part 3: Tricksters
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Book Thief, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Death
Words and Language
Books
Stealing and Giving
Color, Beauty, and Ugliness
Summary
Analysis
Max gets off the train and finds his way nervously to Himmel Street by night, holding his suitcase and Mein Kampf. He feels guilty for inflicting the danger of his presence on the Hubermanns, but he has no other options. He takes the key from his pocket and braces himself to enter.
The two narratives collide here at Himmel Street. Max's guilt for putting the Hubermanns in danger – guilt for wanting to live, essentially – echoes the survivor's guilt of many of the characters.
Themes
