Summary
Summary of Der Vorleser by Bernard Schlink
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English written summary of the German novel Der Vorleser, needed for the literary section of the UK German A-level.
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Plot SummaryWell, it is always hard to present a good plot summary of an entire book. After many
revisions we can say that this plot summary of The Reader tells you all the essential
and important points of the entire story in under 1000 words:
Bernhard Schlink begins his novel, The Reader, with a scene of the main character.
Michael Berg, a 14-year-old boy, is on his way home from school when he suddenly
vomits on the pavement. Hanna Schmitz, 35 years old, lives in a flat near the
pavement. She takes care of Michael and brings him home to his family. On the
same day, the doctor diagnoses Michael with jaundice. After his illness is nearly
cured, he visits Hanna with a bouquet of flowers to thank her.
When Michael wants to leave, Hannah asks him to wait because she has to go in the
same direction and she would like his company. While she changes her clothes,
Michael is secretly looking through a crack in the door. Hanna notices this and
Michael runs away.
A week later, he visits her again. Hanna asks him to fetch coal from the basement
and Michael gets really dirty. She gives him a bath. Afterwards, Hanna and Michael
sleep together for the first time, and Michael falls in love with Hanna.
For both, it becomes a ritual and Michael skips the last class of school every day to
wait for Hanna, who comes homes from work at 12 o’clock. Hanna asks Michael to
read to her after they sleep together. She is an attentive listener. During the Easter
holidays, Michael travels by train to Schwetzingen to be with Hanna. She works as a
streetcar conductress. However, they get into a conflict and Michael blames himself
because he feels like he offended Hanna. As they continue to celebrate the holidays
together, they embark on a bike trip. One morning, Michael decides to get breakfast
and writes Hanna a note. When he returns with breakfast, she is very angry because
she didn’t see the note. Again, there is a conflict between them and Michael takes
the blame.
When the holidays are over, Michael has a new class schedule and Michael spends
a lot of time with his class at the public swimming pool. He is often with Hanna, too.
Once again, Hanna and Michael have sex. Later, Michael sees Hanna at the
swimming pool but does not go up to her. The next day, Hanna is suddenly moved
out of her apartment and disappeared. Michael wonders if it was his fault or whether
he has been betrayed by Hanna.
After years, Michael sees Hanna as part of his law studies in the courtroom again.
She is accused of voluntarily going to the SS and working there as a guard in the
concentration camps. It is revealed that she would have young girls read to her, and
afterwards, they were selected for deportation. On a hike from Krakow to Auschwitz,
these deported inmates slept in a church that burned down. All of the people died
except a mother with her daughter because none of the guards would unlock the
door. Hanna admits that she wrote a report at that time, even though she turns out
later to be illiterate.
Michael goes to a concentration camp to try to understand Hanna’s situation back
then and to condemn her work. When Michael discovers that Hanna is illiterate, he
decides to go to the supreme judge and tell him. He manages to talk to the supreme
judge, but not about Hanna’s illiteracy.
Hanna gets a life sentence and Michael becomes a law clerk and marries a woman
named Gertrude. The married couple have a daughter named Julia. However, when
Julia is five, Michael and Gertrude divorce.
Hanna has already been in prison for several years when Michael decides to send
Hannah books on tape. Four years later, Michael gets the first response from Hanna;
she is grateful for the records. Michael never writes to Hanna.
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