Theme of Mortality in the Novel Death in Venice - Paper Example

The theme of mortality received attention in the novel Death in Venice. The title of the Novel, Death in Venice is an indication of cases of mortality and sufferings in, the entire part of the story. The setting of the novel is Germany during the early age of 1912 at the prime age of the author Thomas Mann. It is apparent that during the tenure of Otto, there were deaths, poor economy and many foreign cultures in the country. The novel gives the great suffering of Gustav one of the major characters in the novel Death in Venice. In the Thomas Manns video, it is apparent that suicides characterize his daily life. For example, from the video, it is clear that a 42-year-old son committed suicide after the deaths of a number of sister siblings. Thomas Manns video, the novel Death in Venice and Orlow book on German culture depicts mortality as the central theme. The purpose of this essay is to explain how the theme of mortality as evidence in the short stories depicts the tensions and cultures in Germany between 1871 and 19142.

In Thomas Manns video, it is clear that the tensions in Germany forced Mann to go to exile. While in exile, Mann learned of the death of his son. The ruling government in Germany between 1871 and1914 was against critics and dictatorial in nature. For example, Mann has to flee to exile because most of his novel criticized the practices of the government. Death characterizes the life of major characters in the novel Death in Venice. For example, in the novel, the wife of Gustav died and his life changed for the worse. Gustav developed an erotic love towards Tadzo and fourteen-year-old boy. Thomas Mann depicted the cultures of the society and his feeling in the novel through the characters in the novel. The erotic feelings toward people of same-sex symbolize the rote in the society and death of the authentic cultures in the German society. In Thomas Manns video, it is clear that in his family, many people committed suicide including his siblings. As a result, it clear that the theme of mortality evident the novel depicts the culture of the German society during the 1871 to 19142. It is apparent that the spirit of gays could obsess the Gustav. Gays are common in the contemporary society where the victims never find anything wrong with the attractive feeling from a person of same sex. Some societies condemn the erotic feelings of persons of the opposite sex1.

The spirit of gays indicates the rote in the society and the bad cultures due to immigration in Germany during the period of 1871 to 1914. Besides, the outbreak of cholera in the in the city depicted in the text is an indication of a dirty environment and poor governance in the city. The cholera epidemics in the society are a symbol of death in the novel. The poor performance of the economy of Germany during 1871-1914 was a time of epidemics in the country2. Cholera is a deadly disease in the society. In most of the developing countries, cholera causes high mortality rates for children and old people. The outbreak of cholera in the text is a clear indication of the state of cleanliness in the Germany society in the ancient time. Often, cholera results from dirty food, water, and the physical environment. The author uses the outbreak of the disease to symbolize death in the society1.

The history of modern Germany according to Orlow is characterized by wars, bad economic times, and poor social constructs in the society2. There were problems of symmetric modernization in Germany and destructions in the cohesion in the country. The tourism activities in the Germany are many considering the huge populations of immigrants in the country. In the text Death in Venice, the author explained about Tadzo, his mother, and brother walking on the beaches, which are an indication of tourism culture in the country. The text also shows the nature of government in Germany in the ancient time. After the report of an outbreak of cholera in the city, the government issued a notice on the tourist regarding the danger of the epidemic1

On the contrary, Gustav was obsessed in the pursuit of Tadzo that he later died of cholera in the Venice. The death of Gustav is symbolic of the loss of dignity in the country because of poor governance. In Thomas Mann Video, it is evident that the ruling government in Germany was against criticism of her people. Thomas man shows in the text how gays spirit degrades and results in deaths of the victims. The death of Gustav was shameful because the pursuit for the little boy stripped off his dignity1.

In conclusion, it is evident in the novel, Thomas Manns video, and Orlow text that mortality characterized the German society. The novel, Death in Venice is a picture of the German society between 1871 and 1914. During the ancient time, the ruling government in Germany was the criticism from the nature of the governance. For example, in Thomas Manns video, he flees to exile to avoid the hand of the government. Mortality in the novel Death in Venice depicts the culture of the German government during the time.

Bibliography

Mann, Thomas. Death in Venice. Re-Image Publishing, 2016.

Thomas Mann: His life and work retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTAJXJ_ptMYOrlow, Dietrich. A history of modern Germany: 1871 to present. Routledge, 2016.