Regarding the movie, the character that exemplified a Kantian deontologist was a young boy by the name Rudy Steiner. A deontologist refers to a person who is morally obligated to act in conformity with a certain set of rules regardless of the results. With deontology, it is against the law to lie or steal. In the movie, Rudy Steiner realized that Liesel’s family were hiding someone in the basement; however, he vowed not to tell anyone. Liesel Meminger exemplifies utilitarian. The young lady knows that stealing is bad, but she finds comfort by stealing books and sharing them with people around her. Lastly, an egoist in the movies was the mayor. The mayor did not want to see Liesel reading in his house. Rosa was relieved of duties while Liesel was stopped from visiting the Mayor’s house.

The kind of moral growth that the protagonist (Liesel Meminger) undergoes throughout the film is a good interpersonal relationship. Liesel Meminger portrays good behaviors in the film by obeying the foster parents and helping Max recover from his trip. The movie provides insights into obligatory actions. These are actions that one is required to do. For instance, in the movie, one was required to enroll in the army. In the case of Hans, he was conscripted into the military and was required to attend immediately. Wrong actions were seen when Hans tried to stop the police from taking Max and ended up making his family visible.

The shortcomings of utilitarianism and deontology theories include the following. With utilitarianism theory, one cannot predict the future. In the movie, Liesel Meminger and Hubermann’s family could only predict the results of their actions, but they could not determine all the consequences of hiding Max from the authority. A deontology theory may give rise to moral fanaticism. Duty is given priority over humanity. A deontology theory does not consider elements such as sympathy and emotions. Kant argues that when a person loses sympathy, he/she no longer moves with any desire, but acts with the aim of fulfilling his/her duty. In a situation when a person acts for his/her own sake, the outcome would be a closed system whereby individuals do not find it necessary to inquire about certain actions, which is dangerous. Without sympathy, Kant’s concept of duty can result in moral fanaticism. With deontology, one is not flexible and has no chance to consider individual situations. In the movie, Rudy Steiner could not inquire why Liesel’s family hid Max before vowing not to reveal their secret.

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