An Analysis of the Reader by Bernhard Schlink Essay

The subjectivity of Michael during The Reader cuts him off from reality and the rest of the world. Early influences in Michaels journey affect the way he acts and reacts to any given situation. His perception of the world in later life is altered by the relationships that he has with his family and Hanna. Through the actions of constantly asking questions of himself and the world, feeling guilt for and from his relationship with Hanna and suppressing what happened to him as a teenager from others, he imprisons himself from the world. Michaels relationship with Hanna changes his subjectivity towards other relationships with other women. In the relationship with Hanna there was always a sense of needing to possess each other (The Reader pg 31). There was a sense of power in being the dominant person in the relationship. So when his later relationships were different, he had trouble adjusting. He says in page 171 that he could not stop comparing the way it was with Gertrud to the way that it was with Hanna. He would feel that there was something wrong. She didnt smell right, didnt move right, and didnt taste right. He thought that he would get over it and wanted to be free of Hanna, but in the end on page 172 he had to admit to himself that each person that he went out with after the divorce with Gertrud had to at least move and feel a bit like Hanna, taste and smell a bit like her for things to be good between them. This shows that his subjectivity has been altered by the relationship with Hanna. He cannot feel comfortable without the relationship being a certain way. He is trapped in whom he can go out with. He has these expectations that the other women have to live up to, and no two people or relationships can ever be alike. There are always differences. Because of...

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