Death in Venice and The Dead: comparative analysis

English Literature

Both the stories of "The Dead" and "Death in Venice" relates the story of death in a context. While in "Death in Venice" the final death of the protagonist marks the complete disintegration of his artistic identity in "The Dead" death stands as a symbolical representation of the primary character's epiphany moment.

Death in Venice" describes the story of Gustav von Aschenbach, a reputed author modeled on Thomas Mann himself. Obsessed with perfection Aschenbach is described to have spent his life in a rather repressed manner, like a fist. During the course of the story however the tightened fist of Aschenbach's life begins to loosen allowing a rare breed of passion (something Aschenbach's general demeanor is quite unfamiliar with) to go whirling through each individual finger. The change is brought on early in the narrative by the chance sight of a handsome stranger whom Aschenbach spots during his wait for a tram-car. Unusually drawn by his beauty Aschenbach gets slowly aware that his attraction to the man is slowly taking the form of a desire to be at a certain place in his mind. Haltingly he decides that this place he secretly craves for is the fine city of Venice and before you know it he is all ready to set sail. While the reader is initially convinced by Aschenbach's conviction regarding Venice it is not long before one is sure that Venice isn't just a holiday spot, but rather the point where the fist is destined to slacken.

It doesn't take long for Aschenbach to realize that Venice has an ill effect on his health. His welcome into the city is gloomy and in one word absurd. His very first gondola ride in the city is eerie and discomforting. And yet his attitude on the strange gondola serves as a sort of mini design for his manner during the rest of the trip. Like on the gondola Aschenbach remains in a strangely surrendering mood during his stay in Venice. And yet his character is by all accounts anything but submissive. Mann spends an entire section of the story describing Aschenbach's resolute battle with imperfection. This strong unyielding character however undergoes an obvious alteration during the course of the text. Venice brings about in him a modification displayed obviously by his pederastic fantasies.

The overtly sexual attraction Aschenbach feels towards 'Tadzio' is perhaps the epicenter or at least the most significant point of this alteration. It is not like Aschenbach is unaware of this change, but he is so far overwhelmed by his passion that he yields to it uncomplainingly. This marked transformation summons the disintegration that comes about in Aschenbach's character. When death finally comes it comes as a respite for Aschenbach who is so far pushed by his infatuation with the young boy that he has no control over his conscious or subconscious behavior. He sheds his dignity completely when he decides to recapture his youth with makeup much like the bumbling old fool he had spotted (and secretly laughed at) on the steamship that brought him to the city. The journey from the derisive observer to the silly old hag is painful and uncompromising. The slow collapse, which drags Aschenbach from the one state to the other, is finally completed once death disintegrates him completely.