One of the underlying themes presented in The Reader is the importance of literacy as an essential ingredient for societal success as well as to the well-being of individuals by being able to understand the world around them. In The Reader, Hanna is illiterate and almost depends on Michael throughout the book to read to her, thus displaying the book's title. During her trial, it seems that Hanna does not understand the seriousness of her situation. She doesn't even know why she's being tried, which is evident when the judge says, "So, because you wanted to make room, you said that you and you and you should be sent away to be killed?" then Michael, a witness at the trial, declares: “Hanna did not understand what the presiding judge was getting at.” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original EssayDue to his background and coming from an educated family, he is the “reader” that the title of the book alludes to. Watching the trial, he was immediately able to discover Hanna's secret: her illiteracy. When the judge asks Hanna if she wrote the report and asks for a writing sample to compare writing styles, Hanna hides her secret and admits to writing the report. At this point, Michael is aware of his illiteracy. Furthermore, not only is education a recurring motif and theme of The Reader, but it also conveys a generation consisting simply of pure ignorance. Hanna, during the trials, lies about being the leader of the prison guards, which had a disastrous effect on her. Her lie depicts the extreme of her sense of shame at being illiterate. Michael is conflicted because he believes that the energy Hanna spent hiding her secret was wasted and led to her becoming a member of the SS and not being informed of the pain she had inflicted on others. Hanna could have used her time effectively to learn to read and write. Comparatively, this ignorance can be seen in Nazi Germany, especially in 1943, during the period of the Holocaust. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay When the Germans put non-Aryans in concentration camps or sent to die in gas chambers, didn't they ask themselves why they particularly hated these groups of people? “Didn’t they think they were erasing a generation full of creativity, passion and love? The answer would be no because they continued the genocide of an entire generation of people without considering the consequences of their actions and did not even intervene to stop the massacre of innocents. Schmidt also shows him the importance of education through his violent, but also ironically cautious, behavior. She pressures and gets angry if Michael doesn't take school seriously. This anger initially seems to come from his inner shame at his illiteracy and therefore jumps down Michael's throat, causing him to "punch me with his fist." (p. 53.) and "holding the narrow leather belt she was wearing...she took a step back and hit me in the face with it", thus showing to a large extent the role of literacy in Hanna's life, but also the asymmetrical relationship between Michael and Hanna with Hanna possessing the dominant role.