The Traumatic Heritage of Post-War Germany: Guilt, Shame and Sexuality in Bernhard Schlink's The Reader

Abstract

The defensive attitude of Germany's war generation resulted in a traumatic heritage affecting the second generation after the World War II that resulted in the emerging feelings of shame and guilt, which not only brought about the changing face of society but also had an impact on a more individual, personal level: on sexuality. Bernhard Schlink's "The Reader" gives a thorough insight of the mentioned issues through two characters' personal involvement of post-war Germany's moral concerns.