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Hanna Schmitz (Frau Shmitz)
A philosophy professor who is distant from his wife and children. Though he doesn’t appear often in the story, Michael’s father and their relationship are mentioned more often than his other family members. Growing up, Michael often believed that his father regards the rest of the family as his “pets”—that though his father may be fond of them, they do not occupy a significant portion of his mind or time, which are devoted almost entirely to his work. This is evident from the fact that Michael and his siblings would always have to schedule appointments if they wanted to speak to their father. When Michael arranges a meeting to seek his advice, he speaks not as his father but as a philosopher. However, during this conversation, his father seems to regret his past neglect of his family, as he is unexpectedly emotional.
Michael’s Father Quotes in The Reader
The The Reader quotes below are all either spoken by Michael’s Father or refer to Michael’s Father. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 1, Chapter 7
Quotes
I felt as if we were sitting all together for the last time around the round table under the five-armed, five-candled brass chandelier, as if we were eating our last meal off the old plates with the green vine-leaf border, as if we would never talk to each other so intimately again. I felt as if I were saying goodbye. I was still there and already gone. I was homesick for my mother and father and my brother and sisters, and I longed to be with the woman.
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Part 3, Chapter 1
Quotes
I had no one to point at. Certainly not my parents, because I had nothing to accuse them of…. But what other people in my social environment had done, and their guilt, were in any case a lot less bad than what Hanna had done. I had to point at Hanna. But the finger I pointed at her turned back to me. I had loved her. Not only had I loved her, I had chosen her. I tried to tell myself that I had known nothing of what she had done when I chose her. I tried to talk myself into the state of innocence in which children love their parents. But love of our parents is the only love for which we are not responsible.
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Michael’s Father Quotes in The Reader
The The Reader quotes below are all either spoken by Michael’s Father or refer to Michael’s Father. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 1, Chapter 7
Quotes
I felt as if we were sitting all together for the last time around the round table under the five-armed, five-candled brass chandelier, as if we were eating our last meal off the old plates with the green vine-leaf border, as if we would never talk to each other so intimately again. I felt as if I were saying goodbye. I was still there and already gone. I was homesick for my mother and father and my brother and sisters, and I longed to be with the woman.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3, Chapter 1
Quotes
I had no one to point at. Certainly not my parents, because I had nothing to accuse them of…. But what other people in my social environment had done, and their guilt, were in any case a lot less bad than what Hanna had done. I had to point at Hanna. But the finger I pointed at her turned back to me. I had loved her. Not only had I loved her, I had chosen her. I tried to tell myself that I had known nothing of what she had done when I chose her. I tried to talk myself into the state of innocence in which children love their parents. But love of our parents is the only love for which we are not responsible.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
