CHARACTERIZATION - MICHAEL
Name: Michael Berg
Born: July 1943
Age: 15 years old at the beginning of the novel, 51-52 years old in the present
Special features: Contracted jaundice at the age of 15
Thoughts & Character Traits:
- Always thoughtful about Hanna, guilt, philosophical questions, etc. (Part 3, Chapter 12)
- Sensitive/emotional (p.6)
- Intelligent, manages to graduate despite missing school (p.38) and learns quickly in college (p.84)
- Self-critical (e.g. betrayal of Hanna - p.72)
- Naive at first, even lies to his parents (p.29, 30)
- Curious, wants to learn more about Hanna's past (p.40)
- Initially lacks self-confidence, describes his appearance negatively (p.39), but becomes more self-assured over time in his new class (p.64)
- Independent, takes care of the route for the bike tour (p.52)
- Very much in love and creative, writes a poem to his beloved (p.57)
- Fearful of new connections and relationships
- Uncertain, Michael doesn't know whether to talk to the judge about Hanna's illness or not (p.132)
- Responsible, the prison director can rely on him > Michael takes care of an apartment and even gets Hanna a job (from p.181)
Expressions:
- He was raised very morally
- He feels "numbed" (p.99), uses many metaphors
Relationships:
- Relationship with Hanna at the age of 15
- Separated from his wife Gertrud (p.147)
- Has a daughter named Julia (p.164)
- Three siblings: a younger sister, an older brother, and an older sister, no close relationship (p.30)
- Mother and father have no close relationship, especially distant from his father, who works a lot (p.31)
- Good relationship with his classmates and students at the time (p.70, p.159)
Important Actions:
- Reading aloud (from p.43)
- Daily attendance at the trial (from p.87)
- His realization that Hanna is illiterate (p.132)
- Recording tapes and sending them to Hanna (from p.174)
- Visiting Hanna in prison (from p.184)
Appearance:
- At the age of 15 = rather weak (p.5), long thin arms, frizzy hair, cheap glasses, considers his appearance mediocre (p.39)
- No specific information about his appearance in the present
CHARACTERIZATION - HANNA
Name: Hanna Schmitz
Born: October 21, 1922 in Hermannstadt (p.91)
Age: 36 years old at the beginning of the novel, died at 62 years old
Special features: Illiterate
Thoughts and Character Traits:
- Helpful (p.6)
- Tidy person, her apartment is clean (p.33)
- Dominant in the relationship, Michael is always the one who has to apologize (p.50)
- Behaves brutally, throws Michael out of her bed (p.36), hits Michael with her belt (p.54)
- Distant, she doesn't like to talk about her past (p.75) > she doesn't let anyone get close to her, is a loner
- Often afraid, she doesn't want other people to know about her illness (p.127)
- Insecure and hurt after the trial (p.157)
- Hardworking, teaches herself to read and write (from p.178)
- Friendly but distant from other women in prison (p.196)
About her past:
- At the age of 17, she went to Berlin, where she worked as a Siemens worker (p.91)
- At the age of 21, she voluntarily joined the SS, where she worked as a concentration camp guard (p.91, 92)
- In 1944, she worked in the concentration camp in Krakow (p.101)
- After the end of the war, Hanna lived in Kassel and moved several times
Expressions:
- Mostly honest, but can't talk about her illness with others
- Hanna is not particularly talkative
Relationships:
- At the age of 36, she had a relationship with Michael
- Not a good relationship with the defendants, they accuse Hanna
- The weakest and sickest girls in the concentration camp were Hanna's favorites (p.112)
- Family: no information
Important Actions:
- Hanna helps Michael after his accident (p.6)
- Hanna disappears (from p.79)
- Hanna admits to having carried out the selections (p.106)
- Hanna commits suicide (from p.192)
Appearance:
- At the age of 36 = shoulder-length, ash-blond hair, pale arms, high forehead, high cheekbones, pale blue eyes, full lips, strong chin, feminine face (p.14)
- As an older woman = gray hair, wrinkles on her forehead and cheeks (p.184)
