Your Comments:
1) How and where is the book found? Hans trades cigarettes for the book- second hand: “Her foster father managed to trade some cigarettes for another book”
2) What is the book ‘like’ and what is it about? Mein Kampf : My Struggle. Hitler’s autobiography. This book was Hitler’s more popular way of spreading propaganda and his perspective on life.
3) What happens to the book over the course of the section it appears in? “And there’s a key – taped to the inside cover”. Hans tapes a key to 33Himmel street on the inside cover, and sends it to Max Vandenburg. From there on it is Max’s possession. Later on Mein Kampf is ripped up, painted over and “the Standover Man” is written on top of it.
“During that week, Max had cut out a collection of pages from Mein Kampf and painted over them in white.”
4) How does the ‘book’ help us to understand key aspects of the novel? “He had nothing to give, except maybe Mein Kampf, and there was no way he’d give such propaganda to a young German girl. That would be like the lamb handing a knife to the butcher.” “And what trash is this girl reading? She should be reading Mein Kampf." “You’re either for the Fuhrer or against him – and I can see that you’re against him. You always have been.“
Past Students' Comments:
– (My Struggle) is an ironic reference when you compare Liesel’s and Max’s real-life struggles with the current powerful position of Hitler. The book was not stolen this time. Hans was given it when he asked about membership at the Nazi party office: “he received a used copy of Mein Kampf.” It was written by Hitler : ‘the book penned by the Furher himself” when he was imprisoned. It was used to rescue Max – Hans hid the key in it. Hans brought it with ciggies and cash from the Party. It disguises the means to the survival of the very thing the Nazi regime “struggles” to eliminate (Jews). Its contents symbolize the hatred and prejudice of the regime – that Max is exposed to. The book itself is also a plot device and for this book, the content is not that relevant. It gets “erased” which in itself symbolises a kind of empowerment for Max. He reads it repeatedly – perhaps he is trying to “keep your friends close and your enemies closer”, or is keen to “know your enemy”. It represents his attempt to gain a modicum of power in a time when he has little personal freedom. Then, he “erases’ it and uses it to try to make sense of his situation.