The Book Thief: Part 5: The Gambler (A Seven-Sided Die) Summary & Analysis

Death apologizes for spoiling the ending, but he says he has little interest in mystery. Now he needs to explain how that book (The Whistler) ended up in that river. He divides the chapter into sections headed by the numbers on a special die (1-7), which represents the gamble inherent in hiding a Jew in Nazi Germany.

The scene returns to the present, and Max is getting a haircut. Rosa and Hans argue about who will do it, but Max asks Liesel. She cuts his "feathery" hair and burns the evidence.

Later Liesel is in the mayor's library and she imagines confessing to Ilsa Hermann that there is a Jew in her basement. Ilsa offers her The Whistler again but Liesel refuses. On the way home she searches trashcans for newspapers with empty crosswords for Max. Liesel sits in the basement and reads while Max does the crosswords. They rarely speak, but they feel united by their love of words.

One day Liesel rushes into the house, boasting about the goals she scored in soccer, and then she goes down to the basement to tell Max. He asks her to describe the weather as well, and Liesel describes the sky in unintentionally poetic language. On the wall Max paints a picture of the sun and two stick figures, and underneath he writes Liesel's words.

Max has nothing but time and it seems a punishment just to stay alive. He starts exercising again, and then begins fantasizing about having a boxing match with Hitler. The crowd all supports the Führer, and they mock Max for being Jewish. The two start to fight, and at first Max lets Hitler beat on him. Then he gets up and punches Hitler on the moustache. Hitler stands, turns to the crowd, and gives a speech asking them to climb into the ring with him, as the Jewish enemy has corrupted everything. The whole country of Germany climbs into the ring and beats on Max. Last comes Liesel, and she hands him a crossword.

One day Liesel come downstairs and Max is doing push-ups. He tells her about his new daydream, and say he is training to fight Hitler. Liesel asks who wins the fight in Max's dream, and Max says that he does. Later Max rips out the rest of Mein Kampf and starts painting it white with Liesel, Hans, and Rosa, so he can start a new book. It will be called The Word Shaker.

Death reveals that the die they have been rolling is actually seven-sided, and this last side is unlucky. In June of 1941, Germany invades the Soviet Union, and Liesel and Max see the mayor in the newspaper telling people to prepare for hard times. The next time Liesel is in the mayor's library, Ilsa Hermann is especially insistent that she take The Whistler, which Liesel finally accepts. Then Ilsa gives her a letter for Rosa, and Liesel realizes their last customer has canceled. She feels hurt and betrayed, even though Ilsa apologizes to her and says she can come back and read whenever she wants. Ilsa shepherds Liesel outside and shuts the door.

Liesel sits on the mayor's steps and reads the letter, getting very angry at the mayor and his wife. She starts to walk home, but then turns around and bangs on the mayor's door. Ilsa answers and Liesel yells at her, spitefully bringing up Ilsa's dead son and the mayor's wealth. She imagines her own dead brother standing next to her. Liesel throws down The Whistler, and then sees the damage her words have made on Ilsa's face. Ilsa backs away slowly and Liesel leaves, crumpling up the letter and throwing it at the door.

When she gets home Liesel feels guilty and pretends that Frau Hermann fired her because she insulted her, but Rosa doesn't believe her. Liesel then goes downstairs and asks Max to teach her to do push-ups. That night when Liesel reads with Hans she tells him that she thinks she is going to hell, but Hans assures her that she isn't.