Thesis: Rudy Steiner is affected by before and after the war. He is the best friend of Liesel Meminger. He is introduced in the fourth chapter called "The Kiss". Before the war , Rudy first met Liesel Meminger. She is the main character of "The Book Thief" .

"Rudy was destined to be Liesel's best friend". " A snowball in the face is surely the perfect beginning to a lasting friendship". Rudy was a great friend to Liesel during the time they spent together before the war.

As the war approached, Rudy's father , Alex Steiner, makes a deal and is sent to the military to help fight the war. Rudy is mostly affected by this because his father and his own life is on the line .

"This was on account of the event that was rarely spoken but widely regarded as "The Jesse Owens Incident", in which he painted himself charcoal black and ran the 100 meters the local playing field on night".

In this quote , Rudy is a huge admirer of the famous African American athlete Jesse Owens. He is one of the few famous athletes that earned a gold medal . Rudy is not afraid to be different when it comes to race , ethnic, or athletics.

Rudy despises Franz Deutscher . He is stubborn when it comes to getting along with him. Franz Deutscher scares Rudy . He is the leader of Rudy's Hitler Youth squad.

Death affects Rudy the most out of all the characters in "The Book Thief". Rudy is dead before Liesel finds outs. Death also reveals that Rudy dies during a bombing . Rudy is only fourteen when he dies. Liesel is also the same age before his death. This is a major part to the affect of Rudy before and after his death in "The Book Thief.