The Book Thief Chapter 43 Summary

Three Acts of Stupidity by Rudy Steiner

• In this chapter, Rudy will commit potato-thievery, challenge Hitler Youth leader Franz Deutscher, and then stop attending Hitler Youth meetings.
• The problem with the potato is that Rudy steals the potato everyone else at the market wants. They want it because it's the biggest one.
• So, everybody sees him take it.
• Rudy starts telling a sob story to the owner, but the owner is threatening to call the police.
• Luckily, his teacher is there, and his teacher sticks up for him and gets the owner to let him go.
• Failed again. Poor Rudy.
• The next incident starts at Hitler Youth.
• When Franz asks Rudy Hitler's birthday, one of Franz's favorite questions, Rudy goofs around gives Jesus' birthday instead.
• Franz is not amused and makes him run laps until he finally gives the right date.
• Several days later, Rudy sees Franz on Munich Street and throws a rock at him, hitting him in the back.
• Liesel, Tommy, and Rudy's little sister are with him.
• Franz beats him horribly, blackening his eye, cracking his ribs, and cutting his hair with a pocket-knife.
• So, Rudy stops going to the meetings.
• He strolls along the Amper River instead, and when his parents find out, he flat out refuses to return.
• Luckily, Rudy's older brother gets him into a division of Hitler Youth that he can tolerate.
• Tommy gets to come, too. Rudy is much more careful now.