Part 3

In part 3, Michael still feels numb regarding the whole situation with Hanna but also feels like he can have other kinds of feelings and in a way closes his story with her. Although he marries Gertrude and has children with her, it is evident that Michael will never feel the same love and passion for any other woman as he did for Hanna. Michael’s issues concerning sleep, emotions, and relationships are essentially a product of his relationship with Hanna. After she abandoned him, he was unable to feel total happiness again and was wounded for the rest of his life. He was clearly too young to be able to deal with such neglect and greatly suffered after what he thought was “the love of his life” left him without an explanation.  Although it could be seen as sweet that Michael sends Hanna tapes of himself reading out loud, I find it kind of pathetic that he hasn’t been strong enough to block her out of his life. Instead of trying to break out of this depression that’s been causing him to lose sleep, he makes it worse by associating himself with her.

Hanna and Michael’s reencounter is rather different than what I had imagined. Hanna is excited to see Michael, but his emotionless reaction threw me off and reminded me that he is no longer the love-struck, naïve child that he was at the beginning of their relationship. It is clear in this scene that Michael will never be the passionate and lively man that he was when his and Hanna’s relationship was at its peak. At this point, the age difference between the two is also very obvious. While Michael is still in his younger years, Hanna is an old woman and no longer posses the sexy, mysterious, intriguing qualities that once attracted Michael.

I couldn’t understand why Hanna killed herself. Was it because she realized that her and Michael would never be together? Did she feel that she was a burden on his life and find it worthless to go out into the real world? Nonetheless, Michael remains untouched by the situation. Despite his lack of sadness considering her suicide, Michael speaks to the author who wrote about Hanna and still cares about her memory. How can he be so numb when it comes to Hanna, but still care about her so much? He is finally able to let go of her after her death and in a way finds peace after living a long life of depression and detachment.

I enjoyed the reader, but also found it incredibly sad. It is still somewhat unclear to me whether or not Michael confused sex for love, because if it affected him so much then it had to have been somewhat close to love. 

Part 3

Part 3 of the Reader was definitely the most emotional. As i read that Michael had gotten married, i wondered if that was what he actually wanted, or if he just married because of it was part of life. I always thought that the book would somehow come back to Michael and Hanna's relationship, and not just forget her in jail. Not to my surprise, it did, as Michael gets divorced after just a few years and begins to try and contact Hanna in jail. I though at first that sending the cassettes of him reading to her was a good way of communicating, or at leafs making a connection to demonstrate that he still cared for her. However, then I realized that Michael was fighting an inner battle on what to do. He was feeling guilty that he had loved a criminal, and perhaps still does, and now he is trying to get into contact with her again, something that he is definitely questioning himself about inside. Hanna's thank you note is good symbol that she is thankful for what Michael is doing and it is proof that she has learned to write, and most likely read in prison. In y opinion, if Michael truly loved her, he should have started to send written letters to her since the cassettes were now pointless, however, i also understand he was fighting with guilt. It took me by surprise when Hanna killed herself in jail. I believe her suicide messed with Michael's mind even more. He felt guilty for killing her. Would it have saved her if Michael had sent written letters? That is the question I had

Betrayal to the Highest Degree

The last section to this book is definitely the most saddening and emotion-wrenching part since it brings up the two forms of guilt that Michael felt towards knowing Hanna; the first form was the guilt he felt for loving a criminal who had murdered survivors of a concentration camp and the second form of guilt was felt since he had betrayed his criminal lover by ignoring her and leaving her to bear the long years of exile alone and without any form of comfort from the outside world. It is my personal belief that, though he was trying to escape the guilt by sending her cassette tapes but not writing to her, he was wrong to not write at least to provide her with a reason to continue trudging along. Instead, she held on for several years till she realized that he would no longer acknowledge her letters and instead, ignore her success in learning how to read and write which she most likely was doing for Michael out of love. Ironically enough, Michael did actually care how Hanna was faring and had not lost his feelings of love for her even though he admitted publicly that he did. It made me very sad though that it took Hanna's death for Michael to finally admit that he was wrong in ignoring her and had never actually lost his love for her and the fact that he realizes at the end that it was he who caused her to hang herself since she was all alone in the world.

Part 3 Reaction

Like the first two parts of this novel, part three was completely unexpected. Schlink has a way of beating the readers expectations with every part of the novel. That is in part what I think this book is really about, beating expectations. I really like the way he merged the story back with present time towards the end of the novel. From the beginning, it was clear that the story is being told as a memory and that the events are not occurring as time is elapsing but the way the author eased in the real time with the story time worked really well and it made for a great way to end the novel. 

I did not particularly appreciate that Michael had to end up a failure in the emotional sense, it would have been nice to have seen him find some company to live out the rest of his life with but I understand why the author had to make it that way. It is only to ad credibility to the story that Michael had to end up alone and traumatized by the sexual abuse he received as a teenager. I do not understand why he decided to start sending her the recordings of books. After all the pain she caused not only to him but to the people that she took hostage during the holocaust; I personally do not believe she deserved the joy of knowing that someone was thinking about her. Michael should have let her rot in prison alone and miserable after everything she had down. Hanna should have never had the satisfaction of knowing that someone cared for her because she never truly cared for him, she only used him as she saw fit. I especially did not like the fact that Michael was willing to help her get on her feet once she was finally released. In the end, I believe that she got what she deserved and I do believe that finally, justice was served. 

Part Three

Part three was perhaps the most depressing and most unsatisfying section of the novel. I struggle to contain my annoyance while reading Michael constant obsession with the past and his inability to let it go. Hanna basically ruins Michael’s life, and his ability to love other people because of a one-year relationship consisting of controlling sex and reading aloud. Michael initial numbness to all feeling, caused by his guilt for betraying Hanna, and her abrupt disappearance, followed him throughout the course of his young life. Every relationship afterward he compared to his failed relationship with Hanna, and no one could life up to the image of her.

I also found it relatively sad that his daughter, who he obviously noticed craved love and attention from her parents, was sent off to boarding school after Michael’s divorce. He thought more about the life he could have had with Hanna then the relationship he should have with his daughter. Hanna probably is that she ignored her past because she was ashamed of it and lived completely in the present. Until she came face to face with Michael, and felt for the first time what she had done to him and the opportunity for them to forgive and forgot was over.    

The end

Wendell Pfeffer

4/6/14

            Again like I expected once I reached part three the story changed drastically. Hannah was in prison and meanwhile Michael was trying to accept the fact that she was a member of the SS. Hannah spent eighteen years due to her involvement and inability to open the doors of the people trapped inside the church. I thought after reading part two that Michael’s feelings towards Hannah were gone due to the time they spent apart, but I was wrong. Michael kept obsessing over the same ideas and problems he had with Hannah since when they were young. For example - whether or not she actually loved him, why she was with him and if it was his fault that Hannah left him. In addition everything he did related back to Hannah. To be honest it was getting quite annoying; I understand that they shared good moments when they were young but to keep obsessing over them many years later is strange. Personally if I were with a girl and broke up with her a year later I would forget about the relationship we had. With Michael it’s a completely different story.

 I liked the idea of Hannah in part one, but in part two and three I didn’t. Even though Michael’s thoughts towards Hannah are annoying to the reader it did benefit him in many ways. When Michael was a kid Hannah gave him confidence, helped him overcome his sickness, gave him love, company and inspired him to work hard in school. When Michael grew up and became an adult Hannah inspired him to pursue his passion and that is writing. I think towards the end of the novel the reason to why Michael ever even committed to helping her when she was in prison and about to get out was because he wanted to pay her back for all the positive things Hannah did for him in his life.

Part 3

Honestly, the book wasn't so bad. It was pretty boring and not a lot of action went on, but a lot of interesting ideas that occur in many people's lives today are present in the novel as a whole. The idea that one relationship at a very young age can shape the way we end up living our life. Hanna single handedly controls Michael's life as soon as they first begin their relationship. It's like she controls his subconscious mind all throughout the second part, even though he rarely sees her. Michael is controlled by the guilt and separation from Hanna. When he finds out that she was actually a horrible person and killed innocent people, he can't do anything besides decide to take himself out of her life, which is what any normal person would do. But because of his early relationship with her, he can't forget about her, and his life is controlled by this. It's a great example of how a single relationship with someone outside our families can control and mold our minds into feeling certain ways for our entire lives. Michael is going to be forced to live his life with the idea that his first lover was a murderer of a lot of innocent souls, something not easily taken down. The person that Michael sees as most dangerous is oddly also seen as the most important person to his psyche. Sometimes those that make the biggest impact in our lives (whether a good impact or bad impact) is the one who stands out most in our life, and I think Schlink is trying to portray that idea throughout the novel.

Final Post

I'm kind of upset in saying this but, I didn't really like this book at all. It only upsets me to say that because the beginning of it had so much potential in my mind and the ending or really the entire third half didn't meet the standard that had been set in the first two parts. I wouldn't call reading it a waste of my time or anything. Nevertheless, if someone had told me or given me an account of what happens in the novel I know that I wouldn't have wanted to read it myself. That being said, there are many parts of it that do have great merit to them.
The way everything transpires/ occurs in the court scenes were rather interesting. Hanna seems to self-incriminate herself through her account of what happened during the fire. The most interesting part about herself incrimination is that she does so knowingly. She doesn't exactly "take the blame" for what happened she just happens to give an honest account of what happened. In this particular moment with Hanna the author is able to demonstrate that the legal system, wherever it may be, is just a game. Though it is a pitiful and rather upsetting fact, he displays no mercy in denouncing that basic part about it. Once someone understands that idea, it all becomes really evident. For instance, the counsel will either "win" or "lose" a case.
Besides everything that occurs in the prolonged case against Hanna and the other guards, what really seemed to impact me was Hanna's suicide. I, honestly, was not expecting it at all. When the chapter began and it just mentioned Hanna's suicide I think my jaw literally dropped. However, I think that what the author chose to do with Hanna is actually the sad reality of life after prison. Once you spend your life for so many years under a strict system you began to accommodate to it and nothing else seems to work for you.

Part 3

Camille Kelleher

            I didn’t really enjoy this book too much. Michael’s narration continued to annoy me throughout the book because he is a sad character who wants the readers to sympathize with him. I think he causes his own self-destruction by surrounding himself with Hanna’s memories and her presence. He doesn’t think too far and visualizes the consequences that his actions may have in the present, so he makes himself suffer even more. Hanna haunts him throughout this entire book and it starts to get old after a while. The idea that her secret of being illiterate led her into unfortunate circumstances is kind of annoying because a lot of people have their own cross to bear in life, and hers is illiteracy. When Michael tries to convince the woman from the church fire to take Hanna’s savings, she replies “Using it for something to do with the Holocaust would really seem like an absolution to me, and that is something I neither wish nor care to grant.”  I think this is the only part in the book when I felt disheartened by the situations described in the book. It amazes my how some people can hold grudges against unfortunate circumstances, especially after a person kills herself when she suffered from her past actions for 18 years. Also, the woman’s opinion is arrogant because there were other women involved in the church fire that could have saved the prisoners. I think Hanna killed herself from her guilty conscience and also because Michael wouldn’t take her back. In the end, I didn’t really enjoy the book too much. One thing that I am left pondering is to what extent did her act of reading books written by Holocaust survivors in prison leave on her mind or perspective of leaving jail. Maybe she felt closer to the prisoners that she saw suffering because she went through a period of turmoil and didn’t feel justified having the chance to live freely again.

Part 3

Now, after reading the whole book and comparing all the three parts I do not strongly dislike it nor do I love it. Part two was, to me, by far more interesting to read than part one. I liked the idea that each part was a different time in his life. Part three deals with how Michael views the trial after it is done and how his life has changed since he met Hanna. What frustrated me at first when part three began was that he left his wife to be with someone more like Hanna, when Hanna was the person who used him and hurt him the most. I somewhat agree with one of his ex's that he needs to speak to someone and have a better relationship with his mother. When Michael begins to speak about how he wants his daughter to have the "perfect family" I felt bad for him. He had this image of life that he always wanted but he never got it because that is not how life works. My favorite part out of the whole entire book had to be the section where Michael explains the history of law. We cannot evolve as a species if we do not learn what mistakes we have made from the past. The point of learning history is so we better ourselves and we better our community. I found it very interesting that most kids in Michael's generation started to break away from their parents and shame them for what they accepted during the war and how they acted as if they were had no other choice. As Michael described the feelings of his generation, I agreed with what his generation had to say. It is horrible that a person can know they are sending someone to his or her death and not believe it is wrong. The driver who spoke to Michael about the Nazi's bothered me a bit. He obviously was the soldier sitting on the wall smiling at the Jews being shot due to his reaction when Michael had asked him if it was him. To this day, I still do not fully  understand how someone could believe it is okay to kill someone, basically try to "exterminate" a whole race because they believe in something other than you do.

Part 3 reaction

When I finished the book I was overcome by a feeling of sadness and disappointment. We have accompanied Michael on a roller coaster of feelings throughout his life, and each event has culminated in misery. When Hanna's determination to read and her research on concentration camps is revealed, the reader comes to like and admire her strength. This feeling is immediately crushed by the realization that she has killed herself so close to freedom. Did she feel life was no longer worth living because it could never be the same? Was she ridden with guilt and depression? Was she afraid to start living again?

Whatever her reason, her death causes Michael a great deal of pain. He feels her absence even more than before, and his feelings of guilt come back. The book's ending is sad because it is so realistic. Michael has spent his life loving and thinking about Hanna, and in the end she is gone from him before they can start a life together. It seems pointless and tragic, and like the horrors committed in concentration camps, it is impossible to understand. There is no logic in the misfortune, and there is no hope that it can be repaired. 

Part 2 reaction

I was out sick on Friday and most of this weekend, so I only got to finish the book now. Part two was a melancholy read, but it brought up a lot of moral questions. The issue of guilt is widely addressed in the novel; both on the part of the perpetrators and on the part of the bystanders. Hanna is used as a scapegoat by her fellow defendants as a means of escaping prison time. However, she is also used as a relief of guilt for the witnesses. The countrymen and women who were witnesses to the fire could not justify why they did not overtake the group of confused women and break down the door. They were afraid, confused, and lacked the bravery to do so. Building Hanna up as a forceful, villainous leader allowed everyone to justify their actions by stating that they did not have the strength to overcome her.

I found Michael's conversation with his father very interesting. His father presented the idea that, when a human being is a child, it is acceptable and encouraged for parents to tell him or her what is best. Despite argument and anger, the child is never more right than his or her parents. When a human being becomes an adult, however, no one has the power nor the right to tell him or her what is best. Michael's father tells Michael it is neither his duty nor his privilege to intervene in what Hanna believes. He encourages Michael to speak to her and attempt to open her eyes, but says that it is ultimately Hanna's own decision. For whatever her reasons were, perhaps pride or shame, Hanna acted of her own free will. It cannot be anyone else's right to make her decisions for her. 

Part 3 Reaction

My final opinion on this book is indifferent. I neither liked it nor disliked it and I honestly did not mind reading it. The topic was not at all what I expected though, and so I like that the book took a turn for the unexpected. I liked that the chapter were short and something meaningful happened in all of them; whether it was from Michael getting small crush on some other girl to Hanna committing suicide a day before she is released from prison. Touching on that topic, a lot of people were probably upset at the author for killing Hanna in a moment of hope for change and maybe a good future for her and Michael, but I appreciated the unexpected plot twist. I also saw some meaning in the way that Hanna died because I found a connection with it and the lecture about the generation gaps. Like Michael’s professor, who when he was about to die segregated himself from society and became somewhat antisocial, Hanna did something similar. She took care of herself at first and got involved with other people, but when she realized she was getting old, she began letting herself go and avoiding social interactions until she finally ended her own life. This reminded me of the lecture in which older generations get left behind by the newer ones and so they choose to get away from society and aspects of life they don’t understand so they can die with as little doubts with what is going on as possible. It is like the old cats that want to get away from home when they are about to die. As if she wanted to break all relations with everyone so she would not have an impact when she died. She obviously forgot Michael though. I also liked that the book was realistic in the aspect that the daughter of the dead woman from the church did not just budge to pardoning Hanna for her crimes, but rather took back from Hanna something that was stolen from her in her hardest moments in life.

Sunday

I found this book to be very depressing and in all honesty, I didn't enjoy it very much. It's not that I disliked the book but it didn't make much of an impact on me. I could've lived happily without having read it.
At first, I found the book to be slightly awkward considering Hanna could have been Michaels mother but the author did a good job at surprising me with a twist. The fact that she was included in the Nazi party emphasized how wrong the relationship between her and Michael was. Considering he was at such a young age and had no expirience, she could have easily influenced him into anything she wanted, including becoming part of the Nazi party. But she didn't. Perhaps this is why she disappeared from his life; because she didn't want to drag him into her craziness.
There is a lot of guilt surrounding this story and I can understand why Hanna feels guilty but not why Michael would. Hanna should feel guilty because she basically took away Michaels youth. He was so infatuated with her that he barely to the time to hang out with kids his age and do immature things. She should also feel guilty because of her actions during her Nazi affiliated days. The amount of guilt she must've had for all those lost souls is probably why she ended up hanging herself. Also, even after her death she wanted to be granted absolution which is what led her to giving the tin can and money. It was clear that she still cared about Michael since she had a picture of him in her cell and I can bet that she wanted him to forgive her for her actions.
However, I don't see why Michael should feel guilt. He didn't do anything wrong. Hanna left him, not the other way around. Perhaps he feels guilty because he thinks he could've done something to save their relationship or he did something wrong to drive her away, but even then, she didn't stay to try and mend things.

Part 3

I can’t say that I’m not happy that this book is over, yet I can’t go as far as to say that I disliked it. I thought this book had a fair plot, but I just don’t think that I gained a whole lot from reading it as a whole. The end of the book reminded me of the cycles that we discussed in class at the beginning of the year. Essentially, in the end, you start to act as you did in the beginning. Michael went on with his life, had a wife, but didn’t really get over Hanna. I think that this shows why it can be so dangerous for children to have intimate relationships with adults. The adult is much more experienced and may think of the incident few times whereas to the child, it is something much greater. The level of commitment and experience comprising the dynamic that makes up an intimate relationship between an adult and child is something that I can only see as destructive to the child. Hanna’s last few months incarcerated show how much the relationship effected Michael from childhood through the rest of his life. He is able, after living a relatively calm life, return immediately to thinking about Hanna (not that he really ever stopped).  The fact that he was willing to speak to Hanna seemed to prove that he did not view the relationship he had with her as inappropriate. He seemed, more than anything, nervous. I think that he didn’t really want to see her because he was nervous, like a teenager going on a date. I am conflicted when I think about why Hanna killed herself. On one hand, I think it could be that she realizes how much of an impact she left on Michael and what she did with him really was much more meaningful to him than it was to her leaving her with immense guilt. Perhaps it was this combined with her guilt for having participated in the Nazi party back in Germany. Regardless of the reason, Hanna’s death sparks Michael to be able to confront and release the feelings that he had towards Hanna for so long, yet was incapable of confessing them. He grieves in a way that shows that he truly not just wanted her intimately, but wanted in her in a loving way.