The Book Thief Part 3: The Struggler, Continued Summary & Analysis

The Book Thief Introduction + Context Plot Summary Detailed Summary & Analysis Prologue: Death and Chocolate Prologue: Beside the Railway Line Prologue: The Eclipse Prologue: The Flag Part 1: Arrival on Himmel Street Part 1: Growing Up a Saumensch Part 1: The Woman with the Iron Fist Part 1: The Kiss (A Childhood Decision Maker) Part 1: The Jesse Owens Incident Part 1: The Other Side of Sandpaper Part 1: The Smell of Friendship Part 1: The Heavyweight Champion of the School-Yard Part 2: A Girl Made of Darkness Part 2: The Joy of Cigarettes Part 2: The Town Walker Part 2: Dead Letters Part 2: Hitler's Birthday, 1940 Part 2: 100 Percent Pure German Sweat Part 2: The Gates of Thievery Part 2: Book of Fire Part 3: The Way Home Part 3: The Mayor's Library Part 3: Enter the Struggler Part 3: The Attributes of Summer Part 3: The Aryan Shopkeeper Part 3: The Struggler, Continued Part 3: Tricksters Part 3: The Struggler, Concluded Part 4: The Accordionist (The Secret Life of Hans Hubermann) Part 4: A Good Girl Part 4: A Short History of the Jewish Fist Fighter Part 4: The Wrath of Rosa Part 4: Liesel's Lecture Part 4: The Sleeper Part 4: The Swapping of Nightmares Part 4: Pages from the Basement Part 5: The Floating Book (Part 1) Part 5: The Gambler (A Seven-Sided Die) Part 5: Rudy's Youth Part 5: The Losers Part 5: Sketches Part 5: The Whistler and the Shoes Part 5: Three Acts of Stupidity by Rudy Steiner Part 5: The Floating Book (Part II) Part 6: Death's Diary: 1942 Part 6: The Snowman Part 6: Thirteen Presents Part 6: Fresh Air, an Old Nightmare... Part 6: Death's Diary: Cologne Part 6: The Visitor Part 6: The Schmunzeler Part 6: Death's Diary: The Parisians Part 7: Champagne and Accordions Part 7: The Trilogy Part 7: The Sound of Sirens Part 7: The Sky Stealer Part 7: Frau Holtzapfel's Offer Part 7: The Long Walk to Dachau Part 7: Peace Part 7: The Idiot and the Coat Men Part 8: Dominos and Darkness Part 8: The Thought of Rudy Naked Part 8: Punishment Part 8: The Promise Keeper's Wife Part 8: The Collector Part 8: The Bread Eaters Part 8: The Hidden Sketchbook Part 8: The Anarchist's Suit Collection Part 9: The Next Temptation Part 9: The Cardplayer Part 9: The Snows of Stalingrad Part 9: The Ageless Brother Part 9: The Accident Part 9: The Bitter Taste of Questions Part 9: One Toolbox, One Bleeder, One Bear Part 9: Homecoming Part 10: The End of the World (Part I) Part 10: The Ninety-Eighth Day Part 10: The War Maker Part 10: Way of the Words Part 10: Confessions Part 10: Ilsa Hermann's Little Black Book Part 10: The Rib-Cage Planes Part 10: The End of the World (Part II) Epilogue: Death and Liesel Epilogue: Wood in the Afternoon Epilogue: Max Epilogue: The Handover Man Themes All Themes Death Words and Language Books Stealing and Giving Color, Beauty, and Ugliness Quotes Characters All Characters Liesel Meminger Death Hans Hubermann Max Vandenburg Rudy Steiner Ilsa Hermann Adolf Hitler Symbols All Symbols The Accordion Mein Kampf Literary Devices All Literary Devices Allegory Allusions Dramatic Irony Flashbacks Foil Foreshadowing Genre Hyperbole Idioms Imagery Irony Metaphors Mood Motifs Pathos Personification Setting Similes Situational Irony Soliloquy Style Tone Verbal Irony Download PDF Download Teacher Edition Sign In Sign up for A+ AI Tools

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Sign In Sign up for A+ Sign up Introduction Intro Plot Summary Plot Summary & Analysis

• Prologue: Death and Chocolate
• Prologue: Beside the Railway Line
• Prologue: The Eclipse
• Prologue: The Flag
• Part 1: Arrival on Himmel Street
• Part 1: Growing Up a Saumensch
• Part 1: The Woman with the Iron Fist
• Part 1: The Kiss (A Childhood Decision Maker)
• Part 1: The Jesse Owens Incident
• Part 1: The Other Side of Sandpaper
• Part 1: The Smell of Friendship
• Part 1: The Heavyweight Champion of the School-Yard
• Part 2: A Girl Made of Darkness
• Part 2: The Joy of Cigarettes
• Part 2: The Town Walker
• Part 2: Dead Letters
• Part 2: Hitler's Birthday, 1940
• Part 2: 100 Percent Pure German Sweat
• Part 2: The Gates of Thievery
• Part 2: Book of Fire
• Part 3: The Way Home
• Part 3: The Mayor's Library
• Part 3: Enter the Struggler
• Part 3: The Attributes of Summer
• Part 3: The Aryan Shopkeeper
• Part 3: The Struggler, Continued
• Part 3: Tricksters
• Part 3: The Struggler, Concluded
• Part 4: The Accordionist (The Secret Life of Hans Hubermann)
• Part 4: A Good Girl
• Part 4: A Short History of the Jewish Fist Fighter
• Part 4: The Wrath of Rosa
• Part 4: Liesel's Lecture
• Part 4: The Sleeper
• Part 4: The Swapping of Nightmares
• Part 4: Pages from the Basement
• Part 5: The Floating Book (Part 1)
• Part 5: The Gambler (A Seven-Sided Die)
• Part 5: Rudy's Youth
• Part 5: The Losers
• Part 5: Sketches
• Part 5: The Whistler and the Shoes
• Part 5: Three Acts of Stupidity by Rudy Steiner
• Part 5: The Floating Book (Part II)
• Part 6: Death's Diary: 1942
• Part 6: The Snowman
• Part 6: Thirteen Presents
• Part 6: Fresh Air, an Old Nightmare...
• Part 6: Death's Diary: Cologne
• Part 6: The Visitor
• Part 6: The Schmunzeler
• Part 6: Death's Diary: The Parisians
• Part 7: Champagne and Accordions
• Part 7: The Trilogy
• Part 7: The Sound of Sirens
• Part 7: The Sky Stealer
• Part 7: Frau Holtzapfel's Offer
• Part 7: The Long Walk to Dachau
• Part 7: Peace
• Part 7: The Idiot and the Coat Men
• Part 8: Dominos and Darkness
• Part 8: The Thought of Rudy Naked
• Part 8: Punishment
• Part 8: The Promise Keeper's Wife
• Part 8: The Collector
• Part 8: The Bread Eaters
• Part 8: The Hidden Sketchbook
• Part 8: The Anarchist's Suit Collection
• Part 9: The Next Temptation
• Part 9: The Cardplayer
• Part 9: The Snows of Stalingrad
• Part 9: The Ageless Brother
• Part 9: The Accident
• Part 9: The Bitter Taste of Questions
• Part 9: One Toolbox, One Bleeder, One Bear
• Part 9: Homecoming
• Part 10: The End of the World (Part I)
• Part 10: The Ninety-Eighth Day
• Part 10: The War Maker
• Part 10: Way of the Words
• Part 10: Confessions
• Part 10: Ilsa Hermann's Little Black Book
• Part 10: The Rib-Cage Planes
• Part 10: The End of the World (Part II)
• Epilogue: Death and Liesel
• Epilogue: Wood in the Afternoon
• Epilogue: Max
• Epilogue: The Handover Man

Themes

• All Themes
• Death
• Words and Language
• Books
• Stealing and Giving
• Color, Beauty, and Ugliness

Quotes Characters

• All Characters
• Liesel Meminger
• Death
• Hans Hubermann
• Max Vandenburg
• Rudy Steiner
• Ilsa Hermann
• Adolf Hitler

Symbols

• All Symbols
• The Accordion
• Mein Kampf

Lit Devices

• All Literary Devices
• Allegory
• Allusions
• Dramatic Irony
• Flashbacks
• Foil
• Foreshadowing
• Genre
• Hyperbole
• Idioms
• Imagery
• Irony
• Metaphors
• Mood
• Motifs
• Pathos
• Personification
• Setting
• Similes
• Situational Irony
• Soliloquy
• Style
• Tone
• Verbal Irony

Theme Wheel Theme Viz Download this Chart (PDF) Download the Teacher Edition Download this Chart (PDF)

Previous Part 3: The Aryan Shopkeeper

The Book Thief: Part 3: The Struggler, Continued Summary & Analysis

Next Part 3: Tricksters

Themes and Colors 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 The story returns to Max Vandenburg, the Jew, but now he is on a train for Munich, and holding a copy of Mein Kampf. His friend Walter Krugler had gotten him the book with the train tickets and a key inside. Max cut his hair and left. On the train he sweats and worries the whole time, and he reads Mein Kampf to avoid suspicion, recognizing the irony that Hitler's book should be the book to save him. The great irony of Max's escape is that Mein Kampf, the book that fanned the flames of anti-Semitism in Germany, should be the thing to save him. With it he can pretend to be a "real" German, presumably also anti-Semitic. Max's stress and danger are contrasted with Liesel's currently carefree life. Active Themes Quotes Literary Devices Previous Part 3: The Aryan Shopkeeper Previous Part 3: The Aryan Shopkeeper Next Part 3: Tricksters Next Part 3: Tricksters Cite This Page Close Company About Us Our Story Support Help Center Contact Us Connect Facebook Twitter Legal Terms of Service Privacy Policy Privacy Request Home About Contact Help LitCharts, a Learneo, Inc. business Copyright © 2026 All Rights Reserved Terms Privacy Privacy Request Save time. Stress less. Sign up!

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