Why didn't Michael tell someone she couldn't have written the report?

I just saw this movie so sorry for the late reply. I've skimmed most of the intricate responses here and I have my own opinion. I think that there is no real answer as to why Michael did not say she was illiterate, only that he knew. I further believe the writer wants us to know this as a possible parallel to the common theory that the SS knew and didn't tell..that the German people knew and didnt tell..that the whole world knew and didnt tell. These are the consequences of when you know and you dont tell....any ideas?

In the movie when they were together Hanna said to Michel that "WAR AND PEACE" is a REAL book ... that probably adds to the answers of your question.

I wish he would have said some, he was a wimp. That part made me so mad.

He was a jerk to her all movie, it sucked

I think, with the sentence of Michael's professor saying "what is not important is utterly unimportant. The difference is how we act on it", it can tell the reasoning of Michael, at least. He didnt think by speaking up for Hannah is important. He eventually checked it as unimportant to stand up for Hannah. The reason can be his still-heartbroken heart (he even can handle himself not replying to Hannah's letter), or maybe not wanting Hannah feel (more) humiliated in court due to his knowledge about Hannah, or maybe letting Hannah a chance to choose for her life. The reasons could be multiple that impacted on his emotion and action.

I thought it was appalling that Michael would be so selfish and thus equally guilty as those lying Nazi guards who used Hanna as a scapegoat for their own crimes. I guess the comments of Michael's teacher are central to the plot i.e. "The notion of secrecy is central to Western literature. You may say the whole idea of character in fiction is defined by people holding specific information which for various reasons--sometimes perverse, sometimes noble--they are determined not to disclose."
But, I agree with Michael's professor, Rohl, who asserted, "It's perfectly clear you have a moral obligation to disclose it to the court." So I don't understand why he didn't and instead could allow Hanna to waste away in prison for over two decades with a clear conscience. I mean, how could you sleep at night?! Worse still such could have been avoided I think if the prosecution and/or judges demanded a sample of all the defendants handwriting to narrow down who was in charge and the true author of the report.

Probably still so overwhelmed and outraged at not knowing she was a Nazi

Guess you could say... he did nazi that coming. (sorry, I'll leave now...)

a lot has been said of why he didn't say anything - shame, shock, etc. but. i think his real cruelty lies in letting her rot and fade away in prison. all alone. yes, ok, he did a massive job of recording all those tapes for her, but she? she learned to read and write! i mean, that's gotta(!) melt your heart, no? knowing how deep that illiteracy issue goes for her (that she was willing to go to prison for life just to not be ashamed in front of everyone). but he never responded. and he never visited until it was too late. (and when he did, he was dead cold...all the while thinking he's doing a great thing by setting her up in the world and he's *done a great job with tapes - yay me Michael! totally not seeing how she needs him, how she missed him and basically asks for forgiveness with all her looks). though she specifically asked to write back at least something. to me, that's not love. not even close. and the reason he sent those tapes was probably just to deal with his own nostalgia for the time with her. or maybe he was even more simplistic than she was. he *had* to know that would he have visited regularly, she wouldn't fade. and maybe one day would get out and be with him - not like he had a life away from her anyway, all his *thoughts were of her. daily. all the time. yet he passed on the chance to be with her. even if through a barrier.

i think it's irrelevant that he kept quiet in the court. just not fair that she's the only one who's gotten the life sentence. when she clearly wasn't the guilty one. she just didn't know better - simply obeyed orders. and did so well. other guards, on the other hand, obviously didn't feel at all guilty when trying so desperately and heartlessly to push all the blame onto her, the simplistic lady. *that was cruel. and i'm sure they felt just the same during the fire - if Hanna was afraid of chaos, other guards probably thought "let those jews burn". and even then they used her simple obeying mind.

bottom line for me - he could have drastically changed her life for the better not so much by making her sentence 4 years or whatever, but by treating her with love while she was already in jail. that would've started a chain reaction of her being happy (since not alone, not abandoned, and forgiven and loved by probably only, or one of few, men in her life who actually cared..and whom *she left), doing better (whatever activities they're doing there because she has something to look forward to on the outside actually - i'm sure it means the world for those locked up), people seeing she actually has someone on the outside who cares for her (which means she can start over and not a hopeless case), and thus most likely getting a much shorter sentence - 10, 15 years maybe? which would be a pretty great deal, since both of them didn't have anyone else in their life anyway (as in whom they could genuinely love and be love back). reminds me of the Bible where it said something like "rather be hot or cold, but not lukewarm". that's what he was to her. and dead cruel. gave her hope, yet killed it altogether when showed up and acted like a distant relative or something, while she lit up only like women who love light up. so to me, that's nonsense that someone might think she hanged herself cause she thought she deserved punishment. she did so because there was no future. and had he not sent tapes, she would've done so much much sooner, i think.