Michael Berg moving on with his life, avoiding the thought of confronting Hanna at all costs----Source
In Part III, Hanna is imprisoned and Michael reaches new milestones as he gets married and has a daughter named Julia. Although it may seem that he's moving on with his life after Hanna is sentenced to prison, Hanna becomes his personal "monster" that he is unable to face and overcome.
His unhealthy habits continue as he purposely harms himself to enjoy the pain, he took pleasure in skiing with few clothes on, "When I started to feel feverish, I enjoyed it. I felt weak and light at the same time, and all my senses were pleasingly muffled, cottony, padded. I floated. (168) I think in some ways the pain he purposely inflicts on himself is a mechanism to deal with this long-term numbness he's confronted with ever since his disavowal with Hanna. He realizes that even when he's taken to the hospital, the doctors can't treat his numbness, and he comes to a conclusion with his own diagnosis "that the numbness had to overwhelm [his] body before it would let go of [him]."
His guilt still follows him and just as how his generation is putting all the blame on their parents' generation, he wishes he could place the burden of this guilt on someone else. His only option of is "to point at Hanna." However the finger he points to her, Michael says, "turned back to me." Like every previous situation when he blames Hanna, his guilt returns back to him and he realizes, "I had loved her. Not only had I loved her, I had chosen her." (170)
Despite all the guilt that has accumulated and haunted him from his relationship with Hanna, "[Michael] admitted to [himself] that a woman had to move and feel a bit like Hanna, smell and taste a bit like her for things to be good between [him and his partner]." (174) I find it very confusing how he's avoiding the thought of Hanna at all costs, but at the same time he's yearning for Hanna and his memories with her. I don't think he misses Hanna necessarily, he just misses his memory of loving Hanna and how she made him the happiest he had ever been in his life. I don't think Michael is aware that he will never find "Hanna" in any other woman he meets and that his feelings towards Hanna and there's nothing he can do to change it. I'm not sure whether to attribute him as a weak character or a strong character because I think apathy makes you fit both categories.
I think the reason why he feels so guilty about his past relationship with Hanna is because he still loves her. I mean, he still looks for women that remind him of Hanna and even admitted to himself he can't be with someone who wasn't in some way similar to Hanna. I think this is why when he "points a finger at her", it just ends up turning back to Michael. He isn't guilty of having loved Hanna, but for still loving her despite knowing about her crimes. Maybe this is why he seems like such a contrasting character. He wants to get rid of his guilt but that is impossible as long as he still loves Hanna so we see this contrast of Michael shutting out Hanna but also seeking for her in other women.
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