This paper will analyze the portrayal of the female Nazi in “The Reader” by Bernard Schlink that was written in 1995 in Germany. Due to the aspect of the Nazi trials involved, the time of this story is determined to be around the 1960s (Bazyler 8). This story follows the life of Michael Berg, the protagonist of the story who cannot rid himself of the memories he has with Hanna, the female Nazi. Michael and Hanna develops a sexual relationship when Michael is a young boy. After a while, Hanna disappears and Michael meets her again at the Nazi trials that his college class requires him to go to. Through Hanna’s relations with Michael and the Nazi trials, we gain more insight on Hanna’s personality. Hanna’s relationship with Michael and the Nazi
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In order to conceal her illiteracy, Hanna refuses a promotion at Siemens and accepts an offer to be a camp guard. Considering how being a camp guard will lead her to be responsible for the deaths of the prisoners, it is illogical for Hanna to refuse a job at Siemens solely to hide her illiteracy. It appears that Schlink may have wanted to portray Hanna’s choice to hide her illiteracy as the ignorance of the atrocities that happened during the Holocaust done by normal civilians. This is proven when Donahue mentions that by “linking illiteracy and brutality, Schlink is introducing explanatory ideas about the Holocaust that have been deeply discredited…” (53). Furthermore, Hanna initially believes that her reason is justifiable until the judge questions her actions. Another example would be when Michael discusses his parents’ generation. Many of Michael’s friends had parents that were involved with the Nazi regime. Furthermore, his parents were also part of it even though they played a minor role. Michael says, “We all condemned our parents to shame, even if the only charge we could bring was that after 1945 they had tolerated the perpetrators in their midst.” (Schlink 92). This reveals that society considers normal civilians such as Michael’s parents as perpetrators during the Holocaust, but after it, people just turned a blind eye to the things they have
In order to conceal her illiteracy, Hanna refuses a promotion at Siemens and accepts an offer to be a camp guard. Considering how being a camp guard will lead her to be responsible for the deaths of the prisoners, it is illogical for Hanna to refuse a job at Siemens solely to hide her illiteracy. It appears that Schlink may have wanted to portray Hanna’s choice to hide her illiteracy as the ignorance of the atrocities that happened during the Holocaust done by normal civilians. This is proven when Donahue mentions that by “linking illiteracy and brutality, Schlink is introducing explanatory ideas about the Holocaust that have been deeply discredited…” (53). Furthermore, Hanna initially believes that her reason is justifiable until the judge questions her actions. Another example would be when Michael discusses his parents’ generation. Many of Michael’s friends had parents that were involved with the Nazi regime. Furthermore, his parents were also part of it even though they played a minor role. Michael says, “We all condemned our parents to shame, even if the only charge we could bring was that after 1945 they had tolerated the perpetrators in their midst.” (Schlink 92). This reveals that society considers normal civilians such as Michael’s parents as perpetrators during the Holocaust, but after it, people just turned a blind eye to the things they have