the enchanter

I haven't thought up a discussion question for this one yet...if you can think of one, please please let me know, I will be eternally grateful.

Chapter 5

Now that the opera is complete, its role as the bridge between Kunn and Gertrude is over. The two continue a pleasant relationship with “a feeling of mutual understanding and affection”, but occasionally Kunn feels his disability coincides with the lack of passion in their relationship. The seasons change from spring to summer signifying that something should and would happen between the two. He even becomes resentful towards his ability to write music and his status as a cripple, confirming Muoth’s argument in the past that music writing cannot give him consolation or make him forget about his disability, but only provoke more feelings of pain.

I thrust solace and hope aside and surrendered myself
despairingly to the dreadful prostration of desire. I cried
out to God and asked Him why He had made me this
way, why He had made me a cripple, and why instead of
the happiness that was the lot of the poorest of mortals,
He had given me nothing but the terrible solace of living in
a whirl of sounds where, in the face of my desires, I continually
depicted the unattainable in strange fantasies. (p. 81)

Meanwhile, Teiser, who is indispensable for Kunn as a friend as well as an adviser for his work, is mentioned a great deal in the beginning of the chapter. Kunn visits their home every evening; they share cakes and clear Austrian wine, and a box of large Virginia cigars; arias from Mozart operas and clinking of glasses echo through the lithe house, beautifully accompanied by Teiser on the violin, piano or guitar, or even just by whistling. Teiser is a direct contrast to Kunn, whose energy is concentrated on the inside; Teiser breathes in life and emanates life with an optimistic atmosphere, which is most obviously shown in his love for Mozart, whose works represent brilliance and light-hearted beauty. At Teiser’s, Kunn finds comfort the friendliness and warmth that is something he cannot find elsewhere.

After Kunn confesses his love for Gertrude and gets turned down, they somehow become even closer. However, the story takes a dramatic turn, when the relationship between Muoth and Gertrude begins. Gertrude manages to see through Muoth and tells Kunn that “there is something about him that frightens” her (p.87), but once they start working together as the main male and female roles of the opera, Muoth and Gertrude quickly become close to each other. Having spent weeks in painful suspicion, Kunn is told that Gertrude and Mouth are in love with each other, by Gertrude herself. Kunn wants so badly to commit suicide, and is on the verge of doing so—then a telegram interrupts his reverie: his father is dying. He then pulls back from the brink of death and comes back to reality.

Earlier in this chapter, Kunn recalls a conversation between his father and himself. Kunn’s father says:

'Youth ends when egotism does; maturity begins when
one lives for others…there comes a time when the situation
changes, when they live more for others, not for any virtuous
reasons. A family is the reason with most people. One thinks
less about oneself and one’s wishes when one has a family.’ (p.89)

Upon receiving the telegram about his father’s approaching death, Kunn realizes that just as his father told him, living for others, namely his family, is what is truly important. Thus, he forgets his own pain and focuses on helping his family.

This chapter is filled with provocative and emotionally disturbing incidents. His best friend and Gertrude’s betrayal, the death of his father—yet through it all, Kunn stays resilient and focused.

Chapter 6

Starting out with Kunn’s introspection in present, the sixth chapter dwells more on Kunn’s realizations about life and relationships, as he goes through a painful period in his life. There are also many descriptive and poetic passages with symbolic metaphors.

After his father’s death, Kunn happens to meet his former high school teacher, Mr. Lohe. During their conversation Mr. Lohe emphasizes the importance of living for others and not taking oneself too seriously. Kunn is struck by the similarities between Mr. Lohe’s words and the views on life that his father has previously expounded. Kunn decides to give a try to live according to these words, by giving up his status in the city and moving back to his home to comfort and assist his mother in every way he can. Regardless, his mother shows little interests in his efforts to draw closer to her and win her friendship. As Kunn finds out that there his mother has been planning to live with her unmarried cousin, Miss Schniebel. Kunn realizes that he is only being a bar that is preventing his mother from living as she wishes, which is to let the Schniebel woman move in and live with her. Bitter at the failure of his attempt to “live for others”, he heads back to the city, now with a more dismal outlook on life than ever.

Now back to the place where he left off, Kunn once again wanders among the pains from his lost love. Walking around Gertrude’s garden, Kunn writes a new song, the lyrics of which start as follows:

The south wind roars at night,
Curlews hasten in their flight,
The air is damp and warm.
Desire to sleep has vanished now,
Spring has arrived in the night
In the wake of the storm.(p.110)

The lyrics are very symbolic, especially in relation to the symbols mentioned in the past chapters. The “south wind” reappears, which was used as a sign that brought about the “avalanche”. As the “south wind” roars, through the damp and warm air, “spring", which likely represents Gertrude meets the “night", which has previously represented the ultimate darkness, Muoth. They meet “in the wake of the storm”, which certainly does not seem a pleasant setting. Looking back, a pattern has already been established. Up until now there have been hints of Muoth’s violent and destructive tendencies: in the beginning, it is revealed that the last woman Muoth was involved with committed suicide; Lottie, one of his former girlfriends has already confided in Kunn, telling him that Muoth beats all the women that become involved with himself. This likely foreshadows and makes Muoth’s future relationship with Gertrude will be like.

The last two verses of the song are about having to suppress his feelings for Gertrude, and Kunn frankly admits the emotional turmoil he is experiencing. However, Kunn seems to have matured through all the devastating recent events. It is interesting to compare Kunn’s views on music writing has changed over time. In the beginning of the story, Kunn sees writing music as a means of consoling and comforting himself; as he falls in love with Gertrude and laments his status as a cripple, he feels the urge to write music only painful ("He had given me nothing but the terrible solace of living in a whirl of sounds where, in the face of my desires, I continually depicted the unattainable in strange fantasies."(p.81)); now, after all that has happened to him, he accounts his feelings towards writing music as follows:

I plunged deeply into the swift creative current with
feverish intoxication until I finally emerged to the free
heights of feeling, where pain and bliss are no longer
separate from each other and all passion and strength
in the soul press upwards in one steady flame. (p.111)

His pains are not reduced by the music, but Kunn has matured enough to embrace the joy and the pain of life together, which are thoroughly and freely sublimated into the beautiful music that he creates.
Kunn’s attitude towards Gertrude, and her impact on his music are beautifully described in a metaphoric passage:

Between the dark, heavily-laden tree-tops of the spreading
chestnut-trees could be seen the dark blue of the sky, full of stars,
all solemn and golden, which extended their radiance unconcernedly
into the distance. That was the nature of the stars. And the trees bore
their buds and blossoms and scars for everyone to see, and whether
it signified pleasure or pain, they accepted the strong will to live…
Every life had its radiance and beauty.(p.112)

In this passage, the “unconcernedly radiant solemn and golden stars” represent Gertrude, who emanates radiant beauty constantly, however is rather indifferent t Kunn. The "trees the bore their buds and blossoms and scars for everyone to see" represent Kunn himself, who expresses his being through his music for everyone to play and sing; it does not matter whether the music is production of pleasure or of pain, it is an expression of life itself to Kunn.

Approaching the end of the chapter, situations alter again, and end on a bittersweet note. Kunn’s mother writes a letter to Kunn, noting the discord between Miss Shniebel and herself. Her letter hints at wish for Kunn to come and help her. Gertrude and Muoth will be getting married in November. While hopes for his relationship with his mother to get better heightens, hopes to win back Gertrude’s heart are now completely lost. Nevertheless, he composes a small organ piece to be played at Gertrude and Muoth’s wedding in a rather calm state of mind. Kunn says it is a kind of prelude, which symbolizes a “detachment from the past, thanks and good wishes to the betrothed couple and an echo of happy times with both of them.”(p.119)

Question 4: ???????*head barely sticking above the water*HELP*gasp*HELP*back down under the water*!!!!