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War is inhuman at times.

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“I guess humans like to watch a little destruction. Sand castles, houses of cards, that's where they begin. Their great skills is their capacity to escalate.”

So far, the beginning of the book offers information on Liesel Meminger and her trip to Germany. While she's in Germany, Kristallnacht occurs. This is when a group of German Nazi soldiers break into the homes and businesses of Jewish citizens. This is just the beginning, and Liesel has no idea of the huge war that is about to occur in her lifetime and the consequences she is going to be forced to endure, including the loss of some loved ones. To me, this quote pertains to Kristallnacht because this is the first big act of terror the Germans are pursuing. They terrorize the Jewish people, and once this event occurs, Hitler can't stop. His wrath and evilness just continue to grow and this exemplifies how this first event leads to all the other terroristic events, which is why the Germans' great skills are their "capacity to escalate." The Germans are bloodthirsty and their actions during this event are cruel and inhuman, and they will only get worse with time.

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"In fact, on April 20 – the Führer's birthday – when she snatched a book from beneath a steaming pile of ashes, Liesel was a girl made of darkness."

Liesel's character has changed since the beginning of the novel. She has experienced a lot so far: her younger brother dying, being forced to live with new parents, and experiencing living during the horrible era of World War II. It is obvious she isn't happy; moreover, she describes her new mother as a thunderstorm. Her only happiness so far is from the companionship she shares with Rudy. In addition, Liesel is also close with her new dad, Hans. She has trouble adapting to her new life due to factors like her not being able to read and the constant hostility towards Jewish people she must witness. Liesel steals the burning book out of "anger and dark hatred." This quote stood out to me because of the ending line, "Liesel was a girl made of darkness." This shows just how different Liesel is from beginning of the book and how the inhumanness of war changes people.

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"I witness the ones that are left behind, crumbled among the jigsaw puzzles of realization, despair, and surprise. They have punctured hearts. They have beaten lungs."

Jewish people are being killed left and right and tortured during this time period.  This quote is from death's perspective, and it claims that the loss of a loved one is much worse than dying. This can be seen in the example of Max and his mother.
Max is a Jewish teen who seeks asylum in Liesel's new house. He had to approach Hans at the door with a specific code-like sentence in order to be let in. Max's father died giving his life up for Hans, so Hans owed the family. Max was living with his mother, and they were given the opportunity of a lifetime o seek shelter. Max's mother forced him to go on without her, and in doing this, he knew he was leaving her for dead. The thought of leaving his mother still continues to haunt him with guilt, which is why the author claims that dying is easier than experiencing the loss of a loved one. In addition, having to leave a family member behind is an example of the cruelness of wartime.

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“They say that war is death's best friend, but I must offer you a different point of view on that one. To me, war is like the new boss who expects the impossible. He stands over your shoulder repeating one thin, incessantly: 'Get it done, get it done.' So you work harder. You get the job done. The boss, however, does not thank you. He asks for more.”

War expects people to do things they can't always do, which results in death. A boss just wants the job done; moreover, he doesn't care about curtesy. This pertains to Hitler because he doesn't care at all how the Jewish citizens are dying. They are being viciously murdered and teared from their families and homes. People have become so brainwashed by Hitler and his speeches and work hard everyday to reach his goal of ridding Germany of all Jewish people. They lack human decency and are forgetting that Jews are people too, which is one of the reasons war can be described as inhuman.

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“On many counts, taking a boy like Rudy Steiner was robbery--so much life, so much to live for--yet somehow, I'm certain he would have loved to see the frightening rubble and the swelling of the sky on the night he passed away. He'd have cried and turned and smiled if only he could have seen the book thief on her hands and knees, next to his decimated body.

This quote pertains to the inhumanness of war because Rudy was just a small, innocent child who was killed due to warfare. Bombs were constantly going off in Germany, and one of them took his life. He was constantly helping Liesel throughout the entire novel. He befriended her when she first moved to Germany and had no one. When people would pick on her, especially the boys, he'd always get into fist fights with them. He was Liesel's best friend and he would've been a great friend to anyone. Seeing such a happy boy die a cruel death was devastating. He was such a caring person and saw the good in everyone; moreover, he never judged Liesel once when he found out she was hiding a Jewish boy in her house. In addition, he kept that secret until he died. Seeing such innocent kids die due to warfare exemplifies how inhuman war can be.

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“The consequence of this is that I'm always finding humans at their best and worst. I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both."

Rudy and Liesel find an enemy fighter pilot in his crashed plane. Rudy gives the pilot a teddy bear as he is dying. He is confused because although the pilot is an enemy, he still feels bad and his heart aches for the man.
He can’t comprehend how people can be both so good and evil. The quote exemplifies the kindness and cruelty of which people are capable of. This quote shows how Jews and Germans are the same, and how a death on either side is devastating and should be dealt with with courtesy. In addition, death's narration, has seen both the best and worst of humanity. Death in general is devastating, and the amount of killings from both sides shows just how inhuman war is.

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“Please believe me when I tell you that I picked up each soul that day as if it were newly born. I even kissed a few weary, poisoned cheeks. I listened to their last, gasping cries. Their vanishing words. I watched their love visions and freed them from their fear.”

This quote proves that we are all the same. Even though someone is Jewish, they have a soul. Everyone cries and bleeds when they are hurt. Death doesn't just do his job, it seems as if he actually cares in this quote. Although there is such hatred amongst the Jewish people within this book, there are also good people. For example, Liesel's family constantly put themselves in danger in order to protect Max. They have to hide him during basement searches and keep his presence a secret. Liesel ends up telling Rudy, who also keeps it a secret. Max gets awfully ill during his stay, and Liesel and him grow very close when she reads to him while he's sick. He gets better and once better, he departs in order to protect the family. Although the theme of the book pertains to the inhumanness of war, there are some exceptions and good people within this novel.