The Difference of Character Interpretation Between Markus Zusak's Novel The Book Thief and Its Movie Adaptation

The Book Thief, published in 2005, is a fictional book based on the events of WWII written by Markus Zusak. Because the book became an international best seller, it was adapted into a movie in 2013, and was directed by Brian Percival. Although the book and movie share the same title of ‘The Book Thief’, some things were changed due to particular differences between the literary and cinematic world. Some of the biggest differences are prevalent in the interpretation of characters from the book to the movie, just like how Max’s character was slightly misinterpreted.

The first notable difference is the state that Max is in and how he adapts with the Hubermanns. When arriving at the Hubermanns, the author uses such words that gives the readers an idea of how poor of a state Max is in. Death himself describes Max to have a ‘tortured presence.’ He is also described to have an excruciating case of survivor’s guilt; he feels immensely sorry to leave his family and to risk the Hubermanns’ safety. Due to this, Max has a hard time to cope and settle into the Hubermann household.

On the other hand, Movie Max is seen to arrive in the Hubermanns household and settling into bed very casually. He does not emit much of the ‘tortured presence’ described in the book, but instead emits the presence of a blithe man. Someone who has a tortured presence will most likely smile very meekly, making the curve of the lips very slight. Movie Max’s smile, however, is the one that you will give when you are given a gift; it shows near to none negative emotions. The survivor's guilt that was implemented in the book has completely vanished in the movie, which enabled him to settle and adapt into the Hubermann household much more quickly.

The second difference is his actions and interactions with Liesel and the Hubermanns. In the book, Max does not start a conversation with Liesel until a few weeks were spent in the basement. The first word that Max told Liesel was ‘please’ during the time where Liesel was caught spying on Max. This scene implies that he does not trust Liesel to keep his secret as he pleaded to her twice while his fingers started to cool. Cold fingers are a sign of nervousness and anxiety. The first conversation that they had was about Mein Kampf, a book that saved his life. After that conversation was started, Max started to storytell about his journey to find shelter in the Hubermanns. Proceeding with his story, he apologized and pleaded several times. Liesel and Max has explored their similarities through swapping nightmares and reading together.

While in the movie, none of these interactions could be seen. When Liesel was caught spying on Max, he did not plead. He commented on how Liesel was a curious child, thus lighting the spark to a conversation about Mein Kampf. By eliminating Max’s plead, the movie eliminates the fact that Max does not trust Liesel at first. Max does not tell his story and instead cracks a joke that made both him and Liesel laugh, hence diminishing the feeling of guilt and sadness. Max and Liesel’s relationship seems very under established in the movie because they did not start with any struggles, and did not find any similarities through nightmare swapping, but got along really well from the start.

The third difference is Max’s overall character that was implemented through his actions. As written in the book, the readers can conclude that Max has a very modest character and cares a lot for his family. He is very empathetic as he can understand that he put the Hubermanns in great danger and constantly apologizes for it. These character traits can be seen in how he makes things for Liesel, how he gratefully apologizes, and how he leaves the Hubermanns. Max’s modesty can be seen in how he peeks at the window to see the sky. While in the movie, Max can be seen as so much more selfish, ungrateful and unempathetic due to poor depiction of character. Instead of making books for Liesel, Max gave Liesel an empty book that he had saved. When Max was alone in the basement during air raids, he stood outside to see the sky, risking the Hubermanns further. As he leaves the Hubermanns, he accepts the things he was given and leaves wordlessly.

The author and screenwriter is able to show the statement of inquiry by showing and explaining one’s context so that we can empathize and understand one’s actions well. After being able to understand one’s actions, then it will be much easier to understand one’s reasons to reach a specific goal.