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.