Death in Venice by Thomas Mann - Essay Example

? Death in Venice by Thomas Mann’s The terms ‘beauty’ and ‘decay’ remind many individuals of the lovely disguise death puts on when the end is approaching. When life is on the verge of extinction- people may feel that their cheeks are covered with roses, and the eyes are like stars. The withering of the American woods is also a sight which soothes many eyes, though the end of beauty is on cards. This decay is indeed beautiful and symbolizes nature clad in her best attires while fading. The sight is unforgettable. The novel Death in Venice, written by Thomas Mann, illustrates the central character Gustav von Aschenbach as a person torn between beauty and decay. This masterpiece (Death in Venice) of Thomas Mann, the Nobel Laureate was published just before the World War I. During that period Mann was 36 years old, and already a celebrity in the literary circles (globally). The protagonist of the story is Gustav von Aschenbach. Like Maan, he is a successful writer. When he is losing his youth to time and age, he travels to Venice to search for spirituality. In the course of time he is physically attracted to a young boy from Poland named, Tazdio. While waiting in the dining hall of the hotel, Aschenbach glances at Tadzio for the very first time, which turns into fatal attraction in the days to come. The little boy becomes his object of desire, and is showered with affection, never shown by the protagonist towards anyone earlier. He stalks the lad in the streets forgetting his own prestige and position in the society. This desire for the boy leads to his loss of dignity, and finally he succumbs to death after encountering cholera. The themes of beauty and decay have been used by the author to balance the indulgence of the protagonist in Dionysian sensuality in the story of Death in Venice. The Tension between Beauty and Decay in the Novella The protagonist Gustav von Aschenbach, becomes obsessed passionately with the beautiful appearance of a little boy belonging to a polish family in Venice. This illegitimate attraction finally results in his downfall, and paves the way for the death of the writer. The poetic temperament of Aschenbach makes him fall for the beauty which he relates to his aesthetic sensibility. He is vulnerable to artistic beauty and cannot resist falling for the young lad. He allows the beauty of Tadzio to move him and his hidden desires. The poet is engulfed with passion and lust and craves to look younger himself. Aschenbach, who has spent fifty summers on this earth, tries to paint his hair and face to match his young object of amour. He visits beauticians, but all these desperate attempts make him look cheap and funny. He has been ageing gracefully, but after his visit to Venice he decays along with the city. He ends his literary pursuits and life in addictive love for the beautiful young boy. His love is not at all welcome by society and finally withers with him. Here is he chooses beauty he has to move towards decay as well. Moving away from the death and decay would mean separation from the object of his love or the physical beauty of the young boy and he is not ready for this. The city of Venice is attacked by the epidemic, cholera and he smells disinfectant at places but does not pay much heed. He decides not to warn the boy and his family despite contemplating the same initially because he does not want them to leave the hotel. One day after following the boy for a long time in the scorching heat he eats some over ripe strawberries and then sits in a vacant area of the street, his unapproachable dignity completely shattered by the pursuance of his love. The Larger Statement of Mann: Value, or Lack of it in Beauty The tale is a bit uncomfortable and bizarre in the sense that it crosses the borderline of value to touch beauty. The interest showered by a middle-aged man on a little boy is a bit tough to digest by the conservative reader. However, in this case it is predictable why Aschenbach does not bother about what others think about the aesthetic attraction towards the lad. Yet, he is faced with the logical contradictions (just as anybody who reads the book) from his inner soul. He wonders why the society condemns his affinity towards pure beauty. He does not voice his desires or touch the boy, but merely looks at him in admiration. It is striking that being possessed by ethereal love the protagonist commits acts simply reprehensible as considered by most people. According to him how can love and the breach of morality walk hand in hand? He feels if love is true, then the accusation for breaking free from social modesty should not be a curse. This love should not be blamed and cursed. Any art-work is usually associated with the time-period. The book was first published in the year 1911, during the outbreak of the World War I. The society was not at all tolerant towards homosexuality at that period. Moreover, Pedophilia (as is the case here) is not accepted by any society till date, so it was very difficult for Aschenbach to lead a normal life in Venice in the company of the little boy. Pedophiles are punishable by law even now, so it could be imagined what hazards the protagonist went through while following the boy of his desire. The author emphasizes upon the loss of social dignity alongside with physical decay and impending death in order to oppose such illegitimate love. It is to be noted that the city is dying and decaying from the epidemic of cholera. The readers wonder why Mann has not set the backdrop of the story in a happy, healthy and sweet city. This could have been a place where the poetic pursuits of Aschenbach would have resurfaced and kept him preoccupied. Also, he would choose to be in a beautiful city free of plague (from the artistic point of view). Yet the author chooses to portray the decay side by side the beauty to reveal the difficult bargain the protagonist has to undergo in order to fulfill or move near to his passion. It is interesting to note that this perversion is presented in a pure and artistic manner. Since the story is centered on a successful and ageing writer his downfall from grace would be a matter of concern. The city where he visits for a vacation and finally finds his object of desire is in the state of decay. However, the senior author finds solace admiring and stalking the young boy, Tadzio. Mann writes, “It is a story of the voluptuousness of doom." (Mann, Back Cover) But what will strike the thought process of any reader is the dignity of the artist. It will invariably occur to the reader whether Thomas Mann was himself an admirer of physical beauty. Beliefs about beauty and role as an artist Aschenbach is clear about his social stand and tries best to maintain his reputation. The author projects the protagonist’s deep desire to maintain his dignity and the high name of his family. The initial pages of the novel state a lot within a relatively less space, the author clubs pregnancy with precautions. “Overwrought from the difficult and dangerous labors of the late morning hours, labors demanding the utmost caution, prudence, tenacity, and precision of will, the writer had even after the midday meal been unable to halt the momentum of the inner mechanism…” (Mann 1) These inner mechanisms could herald something uncanny or different, as desired by the poet. The songs of Tadzio have a magnetic effect on the fifty-year old author. He cannot hide his feelings from others despite trying his best – “It was wanderlust, pure and simple, yet it had come upon him like a seizure and grown into a passion – no more, an hallucination” (Mann, 6). This line describes the desire to go somewhere far from his place. This implies the desire to move away from the familiar surroundings or something which is normal or conventional. This is in sync with the illegitimate and unconventional love for the young and beautiful boy which affects the protagonist to a large extent. He looks like a fool in his attempt to look younger. Staring at Tadzio makes him forget everything else. He is infatuated with the boy. He has no shame in his desire and takes it to be pure and divine. However one can say that the protagonist is selfish and irresponsible. When the city is engulfed in the danger of the epidemic he makes no attempts to leave the hazardous place, or facilitate the family of Tadzio to leave the same. His only satisfaction lies in his lust for the boy. Aschenbach worships beauty throughout his life and in his writings. He is now doing so in flesh and blood. The physical perfection of the lad is enough to spoil the focus of his life. He is not ready to accept the fact that this love of his is not moral. In this novel Aschenbach feels that Tadzio is a manifestation of real beauty, and in the process loses his dignity as well as life. Therefore, Mann easily conveys the feelings of Aschenbach to the readers. This increases the appeal of the story to the readers. The story does the impossible of expressing pedophilic love as a noble deed and even involves sacrifice of the protagonist’s dignity and life for the same. The epidemic (cholera) which swept the city is probably identified with the thought-process of the general mass, since they does not approve of the love of Aschenbach which social norms wold perhaps condemn as a disease of the human mind. Conclusion: The evil outcome of relaxing the boundary of morality lies in the backdrop of the story. The protagonist just lets his emotions flow when he sees the young boy and the result is devastating. His arrival to the city of Venice is to relax but his lack of control over his sensuous passion leads to his end when he tries to move towards the seeming beckon of the boy and collapses to death. This very same person has been determined, diligent and sincere in the earlier part of his life. The epidemic in the city highlights the draught of hedonism, and the pleasures which finally lead to ruins. It is difficult for him to avert he forbidden pleasure. Hence this brings on the downfall from dignity and the death. Aschenbach has let himself loose after meeting Tadzio. The sadistic humor lies in the attempts of Aschenbach to look younger to attract Tadzio. Had he done the same endeavor for an adult lady it would seem normal to the world. None would have found it uncanny and perhaps the venue would have been a rejuvenating one rather than the decaying Venice. References 1. Maan, Thomas, Death in Venice, New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 2005 Read More