One of the underlying themes presented in The Reader is the importance of literacy as an essential ingredient for the success of society and for the well-being of individuals in the ability to understand the world around them. In The Reader, Hanna is illiterate and almost depends on Michael to read the whole book to her, thus showing the title of the book. During the trial, it appears that Hanna does not understand the gravity of her situation. He is not even aware of why he is on trial, which is evident when the judge states, "So, because you wanted to make room, you said that you and you and you should be sent back to be killed?" and then Michael who witnesses the trial declares: “Hanna didn't understand what the president of the court wanted to say”. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Because of Michael's background and coming from an educated family, he is the "reader" that the title of the book alludes to. While attending the trial, he immediately discovered the secret of Hanna's 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 that she wrote the report. At this time, 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 that is simply made up of pure ignorance. Hanna lies during the trial about being the head of the prison guards, which had a disastrous effect on her. His lie describes the extreme of his feelings 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 part of the SS and that she was not informed of the pain she had inflicted on others. Hanna could have used her time effectively to learn to read and write. In comparison, this ignorance can be seen in Nazi Germany, particularly in 1943 during the time of the Holocaust. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay When the Germans would place non-Aryans in concentration camps or send them to die in gas chambers, didn't they come to ask themselves why they particularly hate 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 end the mass extermination of innocents. Schmidt also shows her the importance of education through his violent, yet ironically cautious behavior. He pressures and gets angry if Michael doesn't take school seriously. This anger initially seems to stem from the internal shame of her illiteracy, thus jumping down Michael's throat leading her to "beat her fists at me." (p. 53.) and "holding the narrow leather belt he wore... stepped 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 relationship asymmetrical between Michael and Hanna with Hanna owning the dominant role.