The Reader by Schlink - Essay Example

Moreover, the main hero of the story, Michael, is the narrator himself which creates certain closeness and even secret intimacy between him and the readers. Schlink draws attention to the German underclass living in the times of WWII time which was forced to decide which side of the regime to join. Being illiterate, which in the author`s perception means ill-educated and ignorant, many people were converted to SS and became individual contributors to the Holocaust. Twenty years later there appeared urgent necessity to punish the perpetrators; however, it turned out that almost all generation could be blamed for the horrors of the Nazi regime.

For the next generation the understanding of the guilt of their fathers became a heavy burden as well. The author tries to show the delicate aspect of moral choice of each and every citizen in the decisive historical times and its consequences. Thus, in Schlink`s opinion, the responsibility for the guilt of the Holocaust must be taken by each participant of the Nazi regime regardless of his level of education as illiteracy does not mean immorality. The author strives to voice the problem and not to keep silent and ignore the past considering it to be the only way of recovery for the society: The book can be partially considered autobiographical as the life story of the protagonist coincides with Schlink`s biography in main aspects: family history, father`s occupation, law career and the places of the story.

The main character of “The Reader”, Michael Berg, recreates the events of his life in a chronological order shedding light onto his life-long relationships with Hanna, his first love. Being a student of a law school Michael attends a court trial of concentration camps guards where he sees Hanna who disappeared years ago. This is the moment when Michael is trying to come to terms with his parents` legacy. Firstly he joins willingly his students