Part 2 Chapters 5 - 8

Part 2 Chapters 5 - 8 Michael and Kayle

Plot • The start of the court trial is the start of the excerpt – the first sentence states indictment. It details the events of the 4 defendants whilst guarding a small satellite camp near Auschwitz. • An important point that occurs is Hanna admits to bringing in the weaker and more frail prisoners nightly • The audience receives the knowledge through recounts by the guards and a book by one of the prisoners

Plot Continued • The camp was then broken up by the Nazi regime and the prisoners were sent on a long march • One night the prisoners were locked in the church of a small town when Allied bombers hit the church and surrounding areas • The male guards ran, and a small amount of female guards were left at the site, including Hanna and the other defendants

Plot Continued • The church door was barred, and so the women were trapped inside. Only the female guards left outside could open the door, and they chose not to • All the women inside were killed, save for two – a mother and a daughter – that survived • The story then returns the ‘current’ time, with the trial continuing. Accusations are thrown around and revelations about the guards occur.

Characterization • The main characters from these chapters are Hanna, the surviving daughter, the other defendants, the judge and Michael. • The defendants are not represented in a positive manner – one is described as “a course woman, not unlike a fat broody hen but with a spiteful tongue, was visibly worked up” • Hanna is shown in a better way than the other defendants "Just as Hanna’s insistent contradictions annoyed the judge, her willingness to admit annoy the other defendants”

Characterization Continued • Hanna is shown to rethink her decisions “’So should I have… should I have not… should I not have signed up at Siemens?’”. She is presented as indecisive here, which emphasizes her honesty as she doesn’t try and hide her indecisiveness • Hanna’s honesty is shown again here: “I mean… so what would you have done?” This contrasts her to the other defendants, who are all concealing their thoughts and emotions

Setting • The setting for these chapters are an interesting one. All of the chapters are set in the court room, however the majority of some chapters involve Hanna recounting what happened during World War 2. It is still told to the audience by Michael. • The World War 2 parts start off in a satellite camp near Auschwitz. This then changes to a church in a small village somewhere in Germany, specifically the church of the village. The bombing of the church could be taken as symbolic of Hanna’s decline – the church is normally a place of peace and safety, but for Hanna it is her downfall.

Style • The church is symbolic in these chapters, especially the bombing of the church (and it’s inevitable collapse), however the majority of the chapter is a simple recollection of events that had occurred, with it being described in the unemotional language of a court case.

Part 2 Chapters 5 - 8