Liesel and Max have lived very similar and different lives. The strongest comparison between them is both have left (or been left by) their families to live with the Hubermanns. They contrast because the reason for Liesel’s abandonment was because her mother was the wife of a communist, Max left his family to go into hiding because he was Jewish. Liesel definitely got the better end of the stick, even though her brother virtually died in her arms and her mother deserted her, “anything was better than being a Jew” (Zuzak, 161).
Max’s life gave a lot of meaning to Liesel’s life. For example, when Max was sick, Liesel gave him presents to lift his spirits, sort of like how Max has “projects” to keep him busy. Therefore, Max is essentially one of her “projects”.…show more content… They share nightmares as their first discussion together. Sharing their bad luck, the two become connected through sharing themselves through words. Liesel teaches Max that he can express his scrappy personality through words and Max gives Liesel meaning. Max gave Liesel a hand written and drawn book called “The Standover Man”. The story is of a bird who is scared of men standing over him, it’s about his life. The first "standover man" is his father, who leaves him at a young age. As a boy, he likes fighting, and whenever he loses, another boy would be standing over him. When he comes to the Hubermanns, instead of a man, a girl is standing over him. The girl asks the bird about his dreams, and both his and Liesel's recurring nightmares are pictured, Max saying goodbye to his family, and Liesel sleeping with her younger brother at the side of her bed. The bird now thinks they are friends, and that on her birthday the girl gave a gift to him, a hug. The "best standover man" he has ever known is not a man, but a girl. The significance has a lot to do with their friendship that kindled over their similar struggles and connections, which meant a lot to