"The Reader"
The book entitled "Reader" is written by a German novelist, Bernhard Schlink. One of the most successful novels of the first German book which took the first prize in New York Times and became a bestseller in the United States.
A 15-year-old student fell in love with a 36 year-old- handsome woman. Michael suffered from yellow fever. Hanna helped him out to recovery. She worked as a conductor for streetcar. When they see each other, Michael reads aloud classic literature from a school textbook for Hanna. She's on top of the world when she listened to him. Then he takes a shower with her and sleep with her. Reading, bathing and making love became a ritual.
In the course of time he entered a law school. He got to know a lovely girl by the name of Sophie. One day he mulled over his extraordinary relationship with Hanna. He wanted to betray her. Then, he flirted with Sophie at the poolside. Out of nowhere Hanna appeared and towered above them.
She was an eyewitness. No doubt about it. After that she was nowhere to be seen.
Seven years later Michael became a junior lawyer. They met each other in a court.
Michael as an observer of the hearing whereas Hanna as a defendant.
She was accused of slamming a door to a cell in a church where many Jewish women were burnt to death. For the church had caught fire when the Allied Forces dropped bombs.
It is surprising to know that Hanna worked for the notorious Nazi. She was responsible for a prison guard at a ceoncentration camp in Krakau.
Hanna seemed to be arrogant during the process that she didn't make a good impression on Your Honor, judges and procecutors.. Other defendants said Hanna is to be blamed.
A Jewish woman who survived the abominable fire turned out to be an eyewittness and demanded that Hanna be guilty.
The judges subjected Hanna to an inquisition which lasted long hours. Then she put her feet in her mouth. She was so proud of herself that she admitted that she had written documents which she actually didn't. The process concluded with a statement that she be sentenced to an 18-year-imprisonment. Michael was aghast. He wanted to prove that Hanna can not read nor write. He knew that she hid her illiteracy out of her shamefulness. Having said that he knew where he stood. If he had said that, their unequal relationship would have been out in the open. He realized that he's still in love with Hanna. He wanted to do something about her. So, he recorded his story-telling voice on cassette tapes and sent them to Hanna. Hanna responded by writing a letter to him. But he never wrote to her.
Instead he kept right on sending the cassette tapes to Hanna in the prison.
Hanna must have burnt the midnight oil. By the time she was allowed to get out of the prison, she got over her illiteracy. It's amazing!
They were allowed to see each other in the prison before the Big Day. Michael noticed wrinkles in her face and dangling boobs in her breast. When he made a phone call to her in the late evening, her voice sounded so young, captivating and attractive!
It's sad to read the last paragraph, though.
Just after the telephone conversation Hanna hanged herself. She is dead.
When her funeral was over, Michael brought Hannas testament to the eyewitness living in the States. She declined to receive it. Then they decided to raise fund under Hanna's name for the illiterate Jews.
The central theme is about shamefulness. Why was Hanna ashamed of her illiteracy? Why was Michael ashamed of the extraordinarly relationship with Hanna?
I'm of the opinion that her dignity comes first and foremost. She'd be better off put to death than her illiteracy being made public.
She can liken to be a brave Japanese Kamikaze fighter who made a head-on attack on the iron-clad US aircraft-carriers like "Missouri","Arizona" and "Hilary Clinton" during the 2nd Wordl War. The Americans would laugh at us. But the patriotic Japanese hated to be POWs. Only death saves Japanese purity groomed for thousands of years.
What about Michael? At first I liked him His father is a professor. So is mine. What the hell could he have talked with him over what he should do abbout Hanna?
I'd call him a spoiled Mama's boy. A wimpy fella. Moreover what irritates me is that he had too many women to compare with Hanna. I'm a bit envious of him. When it comes to women, I'm inexperienced. That's OK with me.
On top of that when I heard the book's plot was based on Bernhard Schlink's own biography, I blew a fuse. He should have referred to the German war responsibility for Holocaust in detail. Simply giving money to a Jewsih woman is neither a settlement nor the end of the war.
A 15-year-old student fell in love with a 36 year-old- handsome woman. Michael suffered from yellow fever. Hanna helped him out to recovery. She worked as a conductor for streetcar. When they see each other, Michael reads aloud classic literature from a school textbook for Hanna. She's on top of the world when she listened to him. Then he takes a shower with her and sleep with her. Reading, bathing and making love became a ritual.
In the course of time he entered a law school. He got to know a lovely girl by the name of Sophie. One day he mulled over his extraordinary relationship with Hanna. He wanted to betray her. Then, he flirted with Sophie at the poolside. Out of nowhere Hanna appeared and towered above them.
She was an eyewitness. No doubt about it. After that she was nowhere to be seen.
Seven years later Michael became a junior lawyer. They met each other in a court.
Michael as an observer of the hearing whereas Hanna as a defendant.
She was accused of slamming a door to a cell in a church where many Jewish women were burnt to death. For the church had caught fire when the Allied Forces dropped bombs.
It is surprising to know that Hanna worked for the notorious Nazi. She was responsible for a prison guard at a ceoncentration camp in Krakau.
Hanna seemed to be arrogant during the process that she didn't make a good impression on Your Honor, judges and procecutors.. Other defendants said Hanna is to be blamed.
A Jewish woman who survived the abominable fire turned out to be an eyewittness and demanded that Hanna be guilty.
The judges subjected Hanna to an inquisition which lasted long hours. Then she put her feet in her mouth. She was so proud of herself that she admitted that she had written documents which she actually didn't. The process concluded with a statement that she be sentenced to an 18-year-imprisonment. Michael was aghast. He wanted to prove that Hanna can not read nor write. He knew that she hid her illiteracy out of her shamefulness. Having said that he knew where he stood. If he had said that, their unequal relationship would have been out in the open. He realized that he's still in love with Hanna. He wanted to do something about her. So, he recorded his story-telling voice on cassette tapes and sent them to Hanna. Hanna responded by writing a letter to him. But he never wrote to her.
Instead he kept right on sending the cassette tapes to Hanna in the prison.
Hanna must have burnt the midnight oil. By the time she was allowed to get out of the prison, she got over her illiteracy. It's amazing!
They were allowed to see each other in the prison before the Big Day. Michael noticed wrinkles in her face and dangling boobs in her breast. When he made a phone call to her in the late evening, her voice sounded so young, captivating and attractive!
It's sad to read the last paragraph, though.
Just after the telephone conversation Hanna hanged herself. She is dead.
When her funeral was over, Michael brought Hannas testament to the eyewitness living in the States. She declined to receive it. Then they decided to raise fund under Hanna's name for the illiterate Jews.
The central theme is about shamefulness. Why was Hanna ashamed of her illiteracy? Why was Michael ashamed of the extraordinarly relationship with Hanna?
I'm of the opinion that her dignity comes first and foremost. She'd be better off put to death than her illiteracy being made public.
She can liken to be a brave Japanese Kamikaze fighter who made a head-on attack on the iron-clad US aircraft-carriers like "Missouri","Arizona" and "Hilary Clinton" during the 2nd Wordl War. The Americans would laugh at us. But the patriotic Japanese hated to be POWs. Only death saves Japanese purity groomed for thousands of years.
What about Michael? At first I liked him His father is a professor. So is mine. What the hell could he have talked with him over what he should do abbout Hanna?
I'd call him a spoiled Mama's boy. A wimpy fella. Moreover what irritates me is that he had too many women to compare with Hanna. I'm a bit envious of him. When it comes to women, I'm inexperienced. That's OK with me.
On top of that when I heard the book's plot was based on Bernhard Schlink's own biography, I blew a fuse. He should have referred to the German war responsibility for Holocaust in detail. Simply giving money to a Jewsih woman is neither a settlement nor the end of the war.
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