Part two of “The Reader” is very revealing about both Michael and Hanna, especially for Hanna. When I, as a reader of the novel, was first introduced to Hanna I thought she was simply a nice lady trying to help a kid out who threw up on the sidewalk. In her mind at the time she could not possibly imagine that this 15 year old boy would be having daily sex with her. However, Hanna is looked down upon when she seemingly takes advantage of Michael when he returns to thank her for helping him out that day he threw up. The book continues to hint at the fact that Hanna has a secret past. She never answers Michael’s questions about her life, she makes Michael read to her daily before sex, and she has shown a history of controlling and violence towards Michael. We as the readers however, dismiss her actions because Michael downplays their seriousness. It is not until part two where we realize simply what Hanna has been involved on. Originally, because I knew the basis of the story, I believed that Hanna was a conductor for the trains that brought prisoners to death camps. I thought this because she was a streetcar conductor in Michael’s home town. Now I see that she had more involvement in determining life or death for the prisoners than I imagined. The odd thing however, is that I have gained more sympathy and respect for Hanna through part 2 than I had for her in part 1. Part two is where it is confirmed that Hanna is indeed illiterate and it is due to this fact that she is admitting to everything, even the written report, which she earlier claimed to not have written. She is more scared of being known as illiterate than a criminal. She knows what she did was wrong, but we the reader come to know that she may have been forced into her situation due to her illiteracy. She “had refused the promotion at Siemens and become a guard” (132). Unlike the other defendants, she admits to everything she has done wrong. I feel as though she wants to take credit for her actions and is personally ashamed for her actions. She even tried to help ease the pain and suffering of some of the weaker victims who were doomed anyways. Instead of making them work, she took them in and had them read to her. The arguments against her were that all of her readers were sent to be killed, but I believe that they would have been killed anyways.
2/17 assignment
Advertisement
