The Reader

Am I the only one here that has seen this

I have not seen the film, only read the book.
Hanna has a secret she refuses to reveal at any cost " she is illiterate. At that time as the story takes place it was something you would be really afraid of telling and also ashamed of telling.
Why did he not come forward? A good question. Probably because a young laywer who has had connection to a nazi is not a good start in your career also he is very confused about his feelings towards Hanna. Also I could imagen that there was some question about shame for him as a young men having had an affair with an woman 15 years older.

The story begins with Hanna, continues with the trial, then Michael´s visit to the Jewish woman in New York and to round up the story a beginning and an end he visits her grave for the first and only time. I cannot recall he took his daughter there in the book.

I saw the film a year ago.

1. Don't recall really. symbolism of past and future. Trying to get his daughter to understand his past. Trying to connect with his daughter

2. People will often find something personally shameful that others won't think is.

3. See 2.
but.. as a young man having to admit you had an affair with a Nazi war criminal when you were 14 might be hard to do
as he got older and a lawyer, it would be hard to explain why he didn't come forward earlier