Independent Study Project - Literary Option
Comparison of The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
And Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink and Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov are two opposite yet parallel stories. The Reader follows Michael Berg from the age of fifteen as he falls in love with an older woman whereas in Lolita Humbert Humbert is obsessed with none other than Lolita. When fifteen year old Michael Berg is struck down by hepatitis, he is helped home by Frau Schmitz (who he then knows as Hanna), a stranger from a nearby neighborhood. When he recovers, he visits her with flowers to thank her for assisting him. He is fascinated by her even though she happens to be more than twice his age, and on their third encounter they begin having an affair. Michael is swept up by his infatuation with Hanna, but can’t help noticing certain oddities in her behavior. She is unable to open up emotionally, has fits of temper, and also fits of insecurity. She also makes a point that she will no longer see him if he neglects his studies for her. Their greatest connection yet sparks as he begins to read to Hanna aloud which, becomes part of their daily ritual. As their relationship continues, he becomes more involved in his school life and the social elements it provides. Hanna seems more like hard work, but when she unexpectedly leaves the city, Michael is devastated. No girl can properly be to him what Hanna was.The next time Michael sees Hanna, he is a law student sitting in on the cases of six female Nazi guards, accused of a variety of atrocities. Hanna is one of them. Michael once again becomes obsessed by Hanna, the idea of what she did, and the inconsistencies of her testimony. After the trial, Michael is still stuck on the idea of Hanna. He carries the burden of his knowledge about her through his life, until he eventually realizes a way to continue having a relationship with Hanna, and try to put the past to rest. Though Lolita is a fictional