Complications of Reading Within The Reader The fiction novel, The Reader, that Schlink masterfully wrote, provides deep insights into the complications that took place during and after World War II. Most films regarding World War II and the Holocaust such as Schindler's List and The Pianist do nothing other than portray the horrible atrocities that took place. However in The Reader, we see the aftermath of the Holocaust and how that shaped Germany’s culture. One main subject that Schlink kept emphasizing was the problems regarding reading both metaphorically and literally that the German people collectively had. For example, Hanna’s illiteracy and inability to metaphorically read and understand the situation accurately led her to work jobs …show more content…
One notable feature about Michael’s father is that he is constantly portrayed by Michael as someone who “neither shares his feeling nor deal with the feeling his children had” and resides in “abstractness and concreteness” (Schlink 150). Michael’s father’s reclusiveness and inability to process or read feelings again emphasized the guilt of Hanna’s generation in not being able to process themselves and are left with total confusion after the war. As a philosopher, he searches deeply into philosophy for answers that he cannot personally comprehend. His behavior can be related to the general guilt that his generation feels toward the world as a whole and even the guilt he feels toward his children for leaving such a poor legacy. When Michael asks his father for advice in regards to Hanna’s trial, he answers that “one must try to open her eyes” but contradicts himself by admitting that there is “no justification for setting other people’s views of what is good...above their own ideas of what is good.” His inability to help solve Michael’s problem with Hanna’s illiteracy also points out his confusion about his generation and their relation to the holocaust in general. On one hand, he agrees that Hanna should come to terms with her illiteracy but on the other hand he questions the justifications of doing so. As Michael’s father expresses uncertainty of what is best for Hanna, he becomes an epitome of an intellectual who is obfuscated with the past deed of their