Paper 2

Writers often use a character that is alienated from his or her society or culture in order to explore cultural or social values. The Reader (1997) by Bernard Schlink is a classic literary novel that has used a main character who is alienated from her society, in order for Schlink to explore the culture and social values at the time. In the novel Schlink alienates Hanna from society, as she is convicted as being involved in an awful Nazi war crime. The cultural values explored in the novel are the denial of crimes committed in the Holocaust and the separation between pitied Jews and Nazi Germans. The Reader set in post World War Two Germany, explores values through a love affair between Hanna Schmitz a middle aged women who is symbolic of first generation Germans and Michael a fifteen year old a representation of Germanys second generation. Schlink has created a cross generation love story as its effect on the reader is much more powerful, as the repercussions of the affair especially on Michael, are symbolic of similar feelings of newer generations of Germans. Schlinks choice of characterization, narration and setting signify the alienation of Hanna and creates a further understanding and acknowledgement of cultural and social values at the time of post war Germany. Schlinks narration and stylistic techniques are the basis around Hanna being alienated in society, and highlights the cultural and social value of guilt that post generation World War 2 society feel. The Reader structurally is told from the first person perspective of Michael. Structurally the novel is broken into 3 parts, part 1 is generally Michaels memories of his and Hannas love affair, part 2 Michael is studying law and watches Hanna at the Nazi war tribunal and part 3 is the repercussions of the court case. The love affair between the two characters is merely given a few chapters indicating that Schlinks message towards audiences is more focused on the attitudes of the current society and consequences to the affair. Although as the book is told entirely from the first person perspective of Michael, as throughout the novel Hannas voice and opinions are silenced. As Hanna is sile nced audiences are not able to grasp what her views are on the relationship and what she is feeling during the trial. Which has the implication on audiences that Schlink does not want to focus on the first generation Germans like Hanna but instead focuses on the second generations actions after their knowledge and guilt of the Holocaust. As the novel alienates the older generation and is focused on the repercussions of the War on society, it emphasizes cultural values at the time, as the novel explores the uncertainty between punishing the Nazis for their crimes and feeling personally guilty for knowing about the crimes and doing nothing about them. This theme is raised when Hanna in the courtroom questions the judge, What would you have done? if he was in her position, the judges implied answer is that he would have done the same. Which address the cultural attitude, of post-war society feelings of guilt after the Holocaust.

Characterization in the novel has an essential role in conveying Hanna as alienated from society as it further enforces the cultural value of guilt and shame of the Holocaust. Schlink depicts Hanna as a middle aged woman with A broad planed, strong, womanly face her appearance that Schlink conveys to audiences of Hanna is a rough and worn one, suggesting that she is damaged and impure, similar to the cultural ideologies that audiences would be feeling towards Nazi War Criminals. In the novel Schlink chooses a female to alienate enforces her character as being weak compared to the male character Michael. This weak socially construction of women is contrasted with Hannas conviction in the court, and this contrast is able to highlight strongly the juxtaposition of a woman being able to commit these crimes. Also the character Hanna has a frequent habit of washing herself both whilst Michael is with her and without QUOTE. This habit of cleaning is symbolic of Hanna trying to clean herself of her sins and wrongs. Symbolically Hanna attempting to rid herself of her crimes enforces that at the time people looked down on Nazi supporters and people that were apart of World War II. Another way that Hanna is isolated is through her inability to read and write. Her illiteracy further alienates her from society as she is unable to order from a restaurant as she gets Michael to order for her QUOTE. Her illiteracy in the end leads her to complete isolation in jail. As in the court case Hanna is asked to write her name, to verify if she was the one to write the report regarding the fire resulting in a mass killing of Jews. As she cannot write her name, in pride she does not admit she cannot write but instead she tells the judge that she was responsible for the crime. Thus this character trait leading her to even further isolation in jail, in which she receives no visitors QUOTE until Michael much later in her life. Hannas illiteracy is another characterization that Schlink has used to differentiating between Hanna a Nazi Criminal and other characters like Michael. Schlinks setting for The Reader in post war Germany highlights the cultural values of the isolation and separation of Nazi Germans. Early in the novel Michael describes Hannas house as being a new building and he remembers the older building that used to be there, he doesnt know when or why it was torn down but gathered the new house was built in the seventies or eighties. The effect this has on readers is the implication that by destroying the old building that Germany is trying to destroy its past and have a clean slate. Although due to the passing of the years the building had darkened and Michael assumed that the inhabitants would be just as somber. Michael comments on the lack of balconies in the new house, the excess of tiny apartments and that due to the passing of the years the building had darkened The effect this setting has on readers is that it further describes Hannas character as being dark and somber, which demonizes her. Also Hanna lives alone in her house and is not described as conversing with neighbors or other people QUOTE enhancing her isolation from the German community. The understanding of Hannas isolation is essential in audiences comprehending the cultural and soc ial values at the time the novel was published. Although audiences reading the novel will come with their own cultural ideologies, that effects their understanding of the novels wider message.

In conclusion Bernard Schlink has used alienated Hanna in the novel The Reader to further explore cultural and social values. The context of the novel is post WWII it has cultural and social values of guilt that first and second generations are feeling towards the aftermath of the Holocaust and the feeling of pity on the Jews. These values are highlighted within the novel by Schlinks narration and stylistic features, by the characterization of Hanna and by the setting of the novel in Germany post war. Overall Schlinks use of alienation is able to successfully address cultural and social values. Although it must be taken into consideration that different audiences will come with their own contexts and ideologies thus the cultural and social values presented in the novel may differ in understanding and in significance.