Therefore, this rationale would define death as an eternal sleep, an alternative world to the loveless one she was living in. She would rather live in the reality she perceives than face yet another obstacle to her own happiness. Instead of choosing to live in a reality which consistently crushes her dreams, Hanna chooses to live in a dream world of her own. He is obviously no longer interested in her romantically, and she wastes no time trying to convince him or herself that the situation is fixable. Michael is cold and casual in conversation, and does not perceive Hanna in the same light as before (Schlink 195). The second time Hanna realizes Michael does not meet her ideal is the day before she is supposed to be released from prison. She has unrealistic expectations of him which do not hold up to the reality of his youthful character. Here is where Hanna’s image of Michael is shattered for the first time. For example, in the last scene before she leaves him in his youth, when she sees him at the pool, Hanna expects Michael to act as if he recognizes her as his lover (Schlink 79-80). However, in truth, Hanna idealizes Michael in the same way. At first, Michael is presented as the one who fantasizes, because of his description of his infatuation, claiming: “I could barely sleep, I was yearning for her, I dreamed of her…” (Schlink 27). Therefore, this motivation would consider death to be freedom from the seemingly unbearable pain of life.Īnother motive for Hanna’s action is the realization that her hope in the possible romance with Michael is just the product of a long-term accumulation of imagined fantasies. Overall, she is too overwhelmed to face her problems, which may have contributed to her motivation to take her own life. After overcoming this fear, she is faced with yet another obstacle her maturity from this new knowledge burdens her with a heavy conscience. Ironically, before, it was Hanna’s fear which rendered her innocent, as her illiteracy prevented her from understanding the full effects of her actions at the prison. She is weighed down by the loss of life she had caused, which cannot be undone. She cannot escape the truth in written ink, and this truth convicts her. With the knowledge she gains from these books, Hanna fully realizes the implications of her actions at the Nazi guard camp. After Hanna learns to read, she spends time studying “a general concentration-camp bibliography, and… some books on women in the camps, both prisoners and guards” (Schlink 205). One motive for Hanna’s suicide appears to be the need to escape the moral weight of her wrongdoing.
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