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Michael says in one part of th e novel ―… In comparison with the other
defendants, Hanna was the dominant one.‖ p. 236. The quotations can reveal clearly that dominant
is one of Hanna‘s characters.
c. Remorseless
A remorseless person is seen as cruel and not caring how much another person is hurt. Bernhard Schlink also describes Hanna as a character who has lack
of remorse. This kind of character links strongly to her domineering character. Being domineering might lead her to the lack of guilt for actions that hurt other
people. This is s hown by Michael‘s confession after fight to fight they are
subjected to. In the weeks that followed I didn‘t fight at all. If she threatened, I instantly
and unconditionally surrendered. I took all the blame. I admitted mistakes I hadn‘t made, intentions I‘d never had. Whenever she turned cold and hard,
I begged her to be good to me again, to forgive me and love me. Sometimes I had the feeling that she hurt herself when she turned cold and
rigid. As if what she was yearning for was the warmth of my apologies, protestations, and entreaties. Sometimes I thought she just bullied me. ...
p. 49-50 Hanna does not accept to blame herself, in the other way, she lets Michael
take all the blame, even for acts she obviously committed. Hanna‘s having lack of remorse then also shown by the moment when Michael and Hanna take a four-day
trip in Amorbach. The only fight we had took place in Amorbach. I had woken up early,
dressed quietly, and crept out of the room. I wanted to bring up breakfast and also see if I could find a flower shop open where I could get a rose for
Hanna. I had left a note on the table. … When I returned, she was standing in the room, trembling with rage and white-faced p. 54.
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Michael left Hanna in the morning to look for breakfast and at that time
there is a misunderstanding, Michael leaves her a message but she claims that there are no notes left. She gets mad and hits Michael across the face with her
belt, his lip split and his shirt is covered with blood pp. 55-57. Michael later can even thinks that Hanna bullies him, he is aware of the suppression she makes in
their relationship, but he keeps giving way to her and come back to her. With Hanna thing felt good for weeks
—inspite of our fights, inspite of the fact that she pushed me away again and again, and again and again I
crawled to her.... p. 67.
Hanna does reject Michael not only for once and so not just for once Michael begs to come back to her. Here she seems having poor behavior control;
instead of love, warmth, and approval, she cre ates hopelessness in Michael‘s self
that she does not concern to the impact she causes on him. From the quotations above, it can be known that Hanna abuse Michael
verbally and physically. She is unable to empathize with the pain she causes and she keeps taking advantage of him. The kind of fight keeps happening between
them for couples of times in their relationship. Furthermore, Hanna‘s work at SS troops also becomes one proof
strengthening the remorseless character trait. Hanna joins SS guard in autumn 1943
, ―...Yes she had worked at Siemens in Berlin and had joined the SS in the autumn of 1943‖ p. 95. Hanna is actually promoted at Siemens as a foreman but
she chooses to leave and applies as a female guard at SS in Auschwitz p. 95. She clarifies pos
itive after being asked in the trial ―Is it true that you joined the SS
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even though Siemens had offered you a job as a foreman?‖ p. 96. Based on history, in the Nazi era there are many troops, SS is one of those. SS stands for
Schutzstaffel, an organization which is intended to provide security for Nazi Party, it was built upon Nazi ideology under the command of Heinrich Himmler
pp. 90- 93, ―Schutzstaffel‖, n.d.. Hanna as one of the female guards at SS is
responsible in a concentration camp in Auschwitz. Their job is to guide and to choose numbers of prisoners which are women and and girls to work in a factory,
the ones who could no longer perform useful work are sent back to the concentration camp to be killed p. 107. SS was then responsible for the crimes
against humanity during World War II ―Schutzstaffel‖, n.d.. Hanna further testifies that she serves in Auschwitz until early 1944 and moves to the west along
with the prisoners p. 97. Since the end of the war Hanna lives in one place and another, eight years is the longest time she spends in one place p. 97.
From the discussion, it can be identified that Hanna‘s social environment
as an SS guard related closely to the rules and regulations in the troops. She lives under commands which then require her to choose numbers of prisoners and send
them to death. Those then strengthen Hanna ‘s remorseless character trait.
d. Introvert
