Alexa Reaction to part 1

            The Reader is one of the fastest and easiest reads of the year, which I really enjoy. I feel like it’s more complicated than it seems and I might be reading it too fast without picking up on the analytical material. What I like about it so far is that it is a reflection on the past and not something that is currently happening. Michael makes it clear from the beginning that Hanna is no longer in his life and he mixes in certain details he wish he would’ve known at the time but was too young to realize. Often times when we look back at something, we tend to see the not so great things that we ignored during the process. I think as Michael looks back he realizes how much he missed because he was in such a lustful frenzy with her. It is clear that he is nostalgic about his time with Hanna but he also seems to be filled with uncomfortable regret, which makes sense considering he was having a wild affair with someone who spoke to him as if she was his mother. I’m still trying to get over that but it’s kind of creepy every time she calls him “kid.” Is she sexy or is she creepy I have not made up my mind yet.

            Something besides their relationship that really caught my attention was when he compares thinking and making decisions on page 20. I had to read that page a few times because usually we assume that thinking and doing go hand in hand but clearly they don’t. He knows his thoughts are sinful and regrets thinking them, however his actions are completely irrational to the supposed guilt he feels. He knew exactly what he was doing when he decided to go see her again, which is why he looks back and realized that thinking and doing don’t necessary go hand in hand. I found this really interesting because a lot of times when we’re young we tend to do and then think, and as he gets also he starts to think and then do.