THE BOOK THIEF. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, the protagonist, Liesel Meminger, is trying to survive the harsh reality produced by war. Liesel Meminger and many other characters try to cope with the stress around them and help each other along the way. In this novel, the power of words is an important element. There are also several situations that illustrate acts of love between the characters. The power of words comforts and unites the characters. (Point) When Liesel is haunted by nightmares of her brother's death, Hans offers her comfort by teaching her to read and playing the accordion to calm her; this connects them. (Test) '…he took the words in and breathed them out. A voice played the notes inside her. This, he said, is your accordion.' (Page 381) (Commentary) Death explains earlier in the novel that Liesel also wants to learn to play the accordion from Hans, but instead doesn't ask because she thinks she will never play the way Hans plays it. Hans's way of comforting people is by playing his accordion. This quote shows how Liesel now ...