Part 2, Chapter 8 Summary

Chapter 8 deviates from the narrative's chronological presentation. Michael, the narrator, relates how in the years to come he would read and re-read the book both in English and German. He finds the book to be flat and devoid of emotion. He finds it as numb and disconnected as the trial. He tries to recognize Hanna as one of the guards described in the book but fails to discover which guard she was, if any. Michael then presents a summary of the book with a large amount of detail provided about the night of the fire when hundreds of prisoners died.

Part 2, Chapter 8 Analysis

Chapter 8 presents and re-presents the survivor's book as Michael tries to come to terms with Hanna's actions. Although Michael's presentation of the material here does contain many more interesting details about the particular night of the fire in...