THE BOOK THIEF - MARCUS ZUSAK - LITERARY TECHNIQUES - ACTIVITIES

FRAU Diller was a sharp-edged woman with fat glasses and a nefarious glare. She developed this evil look to discourage the very idea of stealing from her shop, which she occupied with soldier-like posture, a refrigerated voice and even breath that smelled like Heil Hitler. The shop itself was white and cold, and completely bloodless. The small house compressed beside it shivered with a little more severity than the other buildings on Himmel Street. Frau Diller administered this feeling, dishing it out as the only free item from her premises. She lived for her shop and her shop lived for the Third Reich. Even when rationing started later in the year, she was known to sell certain hard-to-get items under the counter and donate the money to the Nazi Party. On the wall behind her usual sitting position was a framed photo of the Führer. If you walked into her shop and didn't say Heil Hitler, you wouldn't be served.

(Zusack, pp.55-56)

READ THE ABOVE PASSAGE FROM 'THE BOOK THIEF', THEN ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS:

1. What sort of a person do you think Frau Diller is from the description in this passage? Quote from the passage to justify your answer.
2. What does 'a sharp-edged woman' mean?
3. What literary technique is used in 'fat glasses'?
4. The author says: 'The shop itself was white and cold, and completely bloodless.' Why do you think he described the shop in such a way? 
5. What literary technique is used in this passage: 'The small house compressed beside it shivered with a little more severity...' 
6. Can a small house 'shiver'? Why does the author use this term?
7. What was the Third Reich? (You may have to google this one if you don't study history).
8. What term do we use for goods bought under-the-counter?
9. Who was the Führer? Why was he referred to as such?
10. What was the significance of the Heil Hitler salute?