Kish Mahoney Holocaust Literature
The Reader
The Reader is the first book that I have read in this class that I did not particularly like or enjoy reading. From the beginning I found it a bit disturbing that Hanna takes this teenage boy into her bed and manipulates him to fit into her life and thus becoming her "Reader". It is obvious as the story progresses that Hanna is a bit clueless to the wrongs of her ways. She used her illiteracy "secret" as a means of freeing herself from the blame and accusations of mass murder in the same way that many Germans who committed war crimes felt that they did nothing wrong as they were only following orders. I found a gross similarity to the way Hanna used Michael (and her other Readers) to get what she wanted, similar to the ways that Mengele used and discarded his twins in Children of the Flames.
The book in general touches base on morality and responsibility as well as Nazi guilt and shame. Hanna's morality is questioned when she become intimate with the teenager ( Michael) and metaphorically I would compare that to the lack of morality and accountability for the heinous war crimes that were committed to the Jewish population in Germany (27). Responsibility is questioned as Hanna denies responsibility for the death of those killed in the burning church and metaphorically comparing that to Germany postwar as many denied that the death and slave labor camps exterminated millions of people (.
In the Reader no one is asking for forgiveness or seeking redemption neither Hanna nor Germany. In the beginning of the book Michael becomes sick with hepatitis and this is ultimately how his life becomes linked to Hanna (3). The connection again is simple as postwar Germany is sick, and can only begin to heal though its encounter with the Nazi past. The sins of the past are entwined into the present as Michael becomes a grown man and struggles with the crimes of his ancestors and former lover (169). Ultimately, Michael had to learn how to deal with his history with Hanna to heal and move on with his life, similarly to those who were Holocaust survivors had to make amends with their past to be able to find peace and happiness in their present and future lives as Holocaust survivors. Michael though obviously still in love with Hanna struggled with the choice of whether or not to inform the Judge of her illiteracy but like his ancestors before him he said and did nothing to prevent more injustice (158-160). Hanna and Michael had to sneak around to keep their relationship a secret even after Michael was an adult this again is a metaphor for sneakiness of the Germans who committed war crimes but went into hiding to avoid being punished for their actions.
Hanna chose to hide her illiteracy and this desire to conceal her illiteracy guided her steps throughout her life. She did not want her self-respect or dignity demeaned through the revelation of the truth of her secret and was ultimately convicted as a war criminal and sentenced to prison. (Similarly, many of those being tried as war criminals chose suicide over admission of guilt to their war crimes.) It was not until several years later, thanks to Michael reading to her while in prison via cassette tapes, that she took some initiative regarding her secret and learned to read (187). It was then that she began to understand the severity of the crime she committed during the Holocaust and how her actions affected others.
Hanna's secret is a metaphor for the lack of understanding of the depth of the events of the Holocaust, both during and after WWII.
References:
Schlink, Bernhard. The Reader. New York: Vintage International. 1998. Print.
The book in general touches base on morality and responsibility as well as Nazi guilt and shame. Hanna's morality is questioned when she become intimate with the teenager ( Michael) and metaphorically I would compare that to the lack of morality and accountability for the heinous war crimes that were committed to the Jewish population in Germany (27). Responsibility is questioned as Hanna denies responsibility for the death of those killed in the burning church and metaphorically comparing that to Germany postwar as many denied that the death and slave labor camps exterminated millions of people (.
In the Reader no one is asking for forgiveness or seeking redemption neither Hanna nor Germany. In the beginning of the book Michael becomes sick with hepatitis and this is ultimately how his life becomes linked to Hanna (3). The connection again is simple as postwar Germany is sick, and can only begin to heal though its encounter with the Nazi past. The sins of the past are entwined into the present as Michael becomes a grown man and struggles with the crimes of his ancestors and former lover (169). Ultimately, Michael had to learn how to deal with his history with Hanna to heal and move on with his life, similarly to those who were Holocaust survivors had to make amends with their past to be able to find peace and happiness in their present and future lives as Holocaust survivors. Michael though obviously still in love with Hanna struggled with the choice of whether or not to inform the Judge of her illiteracy but like his ancestors before him he said and did nothing to prevent more injustice (158-160). Hanna and Michael had to sneak around to keep their relationship a secret even after Michael was an adult this again is a metaphor for sneakiness of the Germans who committed war crimes but went into hiding to avoid being punished for their actions.
Hanna chose to hide her illiteracy and this desire to conceal her illiteracy guided her steps throughout her life. She did not want her self-respect or dignity demeaned through the revelation of the truth of her secret and was ultimately convicted as a war criminal and sentenced to prison. (Similarly, many of those being tried as war criminals chose suicide over admission of guilt to their war crimes.) It was not until several years later, thanks to Michael reading to her while in prison via cassette tapes, that she took some initiative regarding her secret and learned to read (187). It was then that she began to understand the severity of the crime she committed during the Holocaust and how her actions affected others.
Hanna's secret is a metaphor for the lack of understanding of the depth of the events of the Holocaust, both during and after WWII.
References:
Schlink, Bernhard. The Reader. New York: Vintage International. 1998. Print.
