Suicide is a dark topic, usually avoided in everyday conversations and youth literature. This is understandable. Some topics require a developed level of maturity to fully understand. However, the obscurity of a topic, while understandably considering it a taboo topic, should not make it impossible to discuss in a society that desperately needs to understand it. The importance of feeling comfortable pales in comparison to the importance of trying to save lives. Society must face the fear of discomfort to achieve the common good. In the novel The Reader by Bernhard Schlink the author then uses Hanna's suicide as a reason to analyze different attitudes towards death. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay One of the reasons for Hanna's suicide appears to be the need to escape the moral weight of her misdeeds. After Hanna learns to read, she spends time studying "a general bibliography on the concentration camps and... some books on women in the camps, both prisoners and guards" (Schlink 205). With the knowledge she gains from these books, Hanna fully understands the implications of her actions in the Nazi guards' camp. She cannot escape the truth written in ink, and this truth convinces her. She is burdened by the loss of life she has caused, which cannot be undone. Ironically, it was Hanna's fear that had made her innocent in the first place, as her illiteracy prevented her from understanding the full effects of her actions in prison. After overcoming this fear, he faces yet another obstacle; her maturity resulting from this new knowledge charges her with a heavy conscience. Overall, she is too overwhelmed to deal with her problems, which may have contributed to her taking her own life. Therefore, this motivation would view death as freedom from the seemingly unbearable pain of life. Another reason for Hanna's action is the realization that her hope for a possible romance with Michael is only the product of a long-term accumulation of imagined fantasies. Initially, Michael is presented as one who fantasizes, due to the description of his infatuation, stating, “I couldn't sleep, I longed for her, I dreamed of her…” (Schlink 27). However, in truth, Hanna idealizes Michael in the same way. For example, in the last scene before she leaves him in her youth, when she sees him at the pool, Hanna expects Michael to act as if he recognizes her as his lover (Schlink 79-80). This is where Hanna's image of Michael is shattered for the first time. She has unrealistic expectations of him that don't hold up to the reality of his youthful character. The second time Hanna realizes that Michael does not meet her ideal is the day before he is released from prison. Michael is cold and casual in the conversation and does not perceive Hanna in the same light as before (Schlink 195). Obviously he's no longer interested in her romantically, and she wastes no time trying to convince herself that the situation is solvable. Instead of choosing to live in a reality that constantly crushes her dreams, Hanna chooses to live in a dream world of her own. He would rather live in the reality he perceives than face yet another obstacle to his happiness. Therefore, this logic would define death as an eternal sleep, an alternative world to the loveless one in which he lived. The final possible reason for Hanna's action is that she feels she has nothing left to live for. From his perspective, he pays the price for his actions as a Nazi guard with time