Post Modern Perspective

1. The Reader Post Modern Perspective

2. First Person Narrative • Positions the reader to accept to the relationships and associations of character through the understanding of Michael. • Hannah- talks about her beauty • Not seen as a weird loner • Positive associations • Auschwitz camp  Michael • Hanna – sympathized  Judgments and opinions influenced by emotions • Ignorant to her actions • The novel is written in the first-person limited point of view. Michael Berg, thenovel's primary character and protagonist, is also the narrator and in the final chapterclaims to be the author of the supposed autobiographical text. This meta-fictionalelement constructs an artificial credibility within the text, which is supplemented bythe authoritative writing.

3. Structure • Short chapters • Broken into 3 parts •  Part 1 – Deals with the relationship to Hanna, orientation of characters •  Part 2 – Court case- in past tense- reader is juxtapositioned and sees Hanna from a different perspective •  Part 3– in present tense- visits her in prison • We are ‘the reader’ • Questions about human nature and society • The first-person point of view, coupled with the fictionally autobiographicalconstruction, gives the text a gritty and believable texture. Michael is a sympatheticcharacter even though he is not, in many ways, a particularly likable character. He isintroverted, emotionally distant, and fairly self-centered. Nevertheless, the novel’sconstruction allows Michael to present himself in a favorable light. Also of interest,the character of Hanna Schmitz, an illiterate Nazi war criminal, is constructed to besomewhat sympathetic, because access to her is controlled entirely from Michael’sviewpoint. Since Michael finds her sympathetic, the reader also finds her sympathetic

4. Genre • The reader is a fictional story, but is seen as non-fictional as based on historical events – • e.g. street names are used to create validity • Uses real locations – Auschwitz camps.

5. Conclusion • There is no answer only an exploration of human behavior • Questions of guilt arise. • Question of german guilt • Questions surrounding humanity The book does not provide answers, only different perspectives.