Part 3, Chapter 4 Summary

Chapter 4, like Chapter 3, returns to the late 1960s when Michael and Gertrud are just starting their relationship. Michael and Gertrud graduate from law school. Michael does not want to be a lawyer and instead finds a job researching legal history. Gertrud feels this is an escape from responsibility and, although he agrees, Michael continues to work as a historian. He spends time studying the laws of the Third Reich and ponders the nature of the law. He wonders if the law is simply the written word, or if it is what is enforced, or if it is instead what should be enforced. He also begins to read books he had previously read and finds solace in the repetition.

Part 3, Chapter 4 Analysis

The chronology of the events described in Chapters 3 and 4 is not firmly established. The events described in each chapter happen...