Part One

Camille

            Michael’s genuine innocence and isolation while battling hepatitis fuels his heated affair with Hanna. So far in this book, the author exemplifies the differences in age and maturity to develop the theme of abusive love.   Hanna emotionally and physically abuses Michael since he is eager for her attention and love. Also, she controls their sex life together by manipulating Michael and his feelings. I think from the beginning of their relationship, Michael and Hanna were physically very close but emotionally distant. This is probably caused by the difference in age because Hanna almost encourages him like a mother to do well in school but she is also immature and can’t appropriately communicate her feelings and issues. Near the end of Part 1, they begin to separate as a result of Michael’s new school year and his desire to hang out with his classmates, “We made love a different way. For a long time I had abandoned myself to her and her power of possession. Then I had also learned to take possession of her. On this trip and afterwards, we no longer merely took possession of each other.” I think this separation reflects their growing abandonment from each other and loss of interest. They have become too familiar with each other and the effect of having unfamiliar sex, not even knowing each other’s name, is lost. It does not have an effect on their relationship. Another aspect that really characterizes their free spirited love affair is Michael’s innocence. He rarely experienced life before he visited Hanna’s apartment so he was yearning for a passion or distraction from his household, “The next night I fell in love with her. I could barely sleep, I was yearning for her, I dreamed of her, thought I could feel her until I realized that I was clutching the pillow or the blanket.” His passion to escape his boredom and isolation at home develops this type of passionate love that is mature for someone his age.