The Reader Essay - 882 Words

Memory is a powerful concept. Often when an individual undergoes a traumatic situation, the ramifications of these actions seep into an individual?fs psyche unknowingly. In effect this passes through memory and becomes sub-consciously buried within a person?fs behavioural patterns generally. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink explores the concept of a young mans subconscious desire for a woman whom he ?gcan?ft remember to forget?h (1Memento) as she is so deeply inlaid within his soul. Critically acclaimed as ?gA formally beautiful, disturbing, and finally morally devastating novel. From the first page?c [it] ensnares both heart and mind?h ( Los Angeles Times), the novel tells the story of a young boy, 15, Michael Berg, through his own†¦show more content†¦In the unconscious state, dreams are the purest form of truth into a person?fs subconscious. In Michael?fs dreams he physically yearns for Hanna?fs presence. ?gIt took a while before my body stopped yearning for hers; sometimes I myself was aware of my arms and legs groping for her in my sleep, and my brother reported more than once at table that I called out ?eHanna?f in the night?h (p 85). The helpless nature of Michaels actions show how much Hanna has affected his subconscious and although he is made aware of his actions, his physical dependence comes from the deep scaring within him. On another occasion, after Hanna?fs death, it is documented that Michael once again subconsciously desires her presence. Michael dreams of Hanna while travelling through the countryside to bid Hanna?fs final wishes. ?gI dreamed of Hanna and myself in a house in the autumn-blazed hills that were lining our route. Hanna was older than when I had met her and younger than when I had met her again, older than me, more attractive than in earlier years, more relaxed in her movements with age, more at home in her own body. I saw her getting out of the car and picking up shopping bags, saw her going through the garden into the house, saw her set down theShow MoreRelatedThe Reader Essay892 Words   |  4 Pagesindividual undergoes a traumatic situation, the ramifications of these actions seep into an individual fs psyche unknowingly. In effect this passes through memory and becomes sub-consciously buried within a person fs behavioural patterns generally. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink explores the concept of a young mans subconscious desire for a woman whom he  gcan ft remember to forget h (1Memento) as she is so deeply inlaid within his soul. Critically acclaimed as  gA formally beautiful, disturbing, andRead MoreEssay on A Kinder Reader1733 Words   |  7 PagesA Kinder Reader When one thinks of stories that improve us as human beings, Aesop’s Fables comes to mind, not the dark, dank, heroin#8209;laced world of Mohsin Hamid’s Moth Smoke. But, reading is like fashion, and one man’s cherished plaid pants are another man’s horror. Not all fiction can directly dole out moral advice, such as Jane Austen’s warnings about the dangers of hasty judgment in Pride and Prejudice, but almost all fiction can proffer tales that at the very least expand our rangeRead MoreControlled Reader Essay1569 Words   |  7 Pagesto elicit a desired response from the reader, for there are two types of readers an author must consider: the implied reader and the actual reader. 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After being hypnotized for two days while I read this very interesting story, I would have to agree. Once I saw the startling similarities in the area of seduction, the door opened for me to see what I believe Schlink was trying to show all alongRead MoreHooking the Reader in Ian McEwans Enduring Love Essay994 Words   |  4 PagesThe beginning is simple to mark. This is the opening sentence of Ian McEwans novel Enduring Love, and in this first sentence, the reader is unwittingly drawn into the novel. An introduction like this poses the question, the beginning of what? Gaining the readers curiosity and forcing them to read on. The very word beginning allows us an insight into the importance of this event, for the narrator must have analysed it many a time in order to find the moment in which it all began, and so