Part 2

Camille Kelleher

The book took a major turn after Part 1. Part 2 describes Hanna’s past as a prison guard at a satellite camp and her responsibility for caring for hundreds of Jewish woman who perished in a church fire. Michael attended her war crime trial because he is a student in law school. Hanna maintains the same stronghold of intensity and strength during her trial, like when she was in a relationship with Michael, “Then I also recognized the body, the head with the hair gathered in an unfamiliar knot, the neck, the broad back, and the strong arms. She held herself very straight, balanced on both feet. Her arms were relaxed at her sides.” Part 2 develops the theme of a power struggle between people, and who is at fault for impartial consequences. Hanna becomes a scapegoat for the other women who were ex-guards at the SS camps because she tries to hide her secret that she is illiterate, “Once Hannah admitted having written the report, the other defendants had an easy game to play.” During her trial, Hanna encounters a predicament, should she reveal her weakness of illiteracy and should she protect her secret. The fact that her illiteracy haunts her throughout her life makes me wonder why she didn’t confront the issue instead of making poor decisions hiding from it. Also, I like how Michael initially feels nothing while seeing Hanna and remains relatively calm throughout the rest of the part. He never subjectively degrades Hanna; only himself by wondering if it was better to guilty of betraying a criminal, then I was guilty of having loved a criminal.  Also, I like how Hanna asks the judge what he would have done if he was in her situation, because morals can’t justify a right or wrong in these type of trials.