One thing workaholics are tired of hearing is “you need a vacation!” » The classic workaholic has no idea when he or she has worked enough and usually has difficulty making the decision to take a break, even for a short time. Workaholic Gustav von Aschenbach, a middle-aged writer living in early 20th century Germany, desperately needs a vacation to clear his mind and recharge his batteries. His life is comparable to that of a machine, constantly working without interruption and devoid of real meaning. Aschenbach's life goal is to maintain a high status in society and continually be recognized for his excellent work, and therefore he is left with no time for true introspection. It is for this reason that his life is a monotonous and endless cycle of superficiality and forgetting of his own identity and, more particularly, of his homosexuality. In 20th-century Germany, homosexuality was forbidden and sexuality itself was a subject swept under the rug. Aschenbach's superficial goals conflict with this part of his identity, because to succeed he must deny his sexuality entirely. This accumulated frustration pushes him to yearn for vacation, for “a new scene, without associations” (15) and after a short trip, he finds himself in the city of Venice – he does not know that Venice is the ideal city. a place for him to escape from this cycle of repression that consumes his life, because it allows him to feel that many societal constraints and expectations have been lifted. In Thomas Mann's Death in Venice, certain characteristics specific to Venice help to reveal and reinforce Aschenbach's long-repressed homosexuality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"?Get an original essayThe symmetry between Venice's forbidden disease and Aschenbach's evil secret relieves him of his guilt and gives him a sense of comfort and satisfaction that allows his inner nature to flourish. During most of his time in Venice, Aschenbach struggled with his sexuality. Aschenbach feels like his sexuality is a dark, evil secret, and that's why at first he doesn't understand it or accept it for what it is. He continually denies his feelings for Tadzio out of fear of his own emotions. One day, as Aschenbach looks at Tadzio, his heart begins "to beat unpleasantly fast, while his breathing was so rapid that he could only have gasped if he had tried to speak." (46) After experiencing this sensation, he said to himself: “It must be the God-Love himself, who makes us lower our heads at the sight of beauty and weighs our proud spirit as low as the ground. » He "played with the idea - he embroidered on it and was too arrogant to admit fear of an emotion." (47) This emotionally overwhelming experience frightens Aschenbach and leaves him in a state of denial of his true feelings. He believes these feelings are false and should be kept a secret from himself and others, leading him to disguise them as something they have. Venice also has a bad secret which is hushed up by those who know it. There has been a deadly outbreak of cholera in Venice, but the Venetians deny it in the interest of maintaining its image the same. Aschenbach denies his sexuality to defend his image. The idea that Venice is hiding something under the guise that all is well gives Aschenbach "a dark satisfaction with the bad secret of the city mixed with that of the deepest part of his heart..." (53). ) Once he finally understands what is happening in Venice, his "knowledge that he shared the secret of thecity, the guilt of the city - it put him beside himself, intoxicated him... and he was dizzy with fleeting, crazy, irrational hopes and visions of monstrous sweetness. (65) The feeling that he shares the guilt of his dirty secret with Venice - that Venice is his co-conspirator - leads him to completely change his attitude regarding his homosexuality. Instead of denying it or disguising it as something else, he is able to accept it and therefore break with his old "moral sense" that caused his self-repression. Once he understands and accepts Venice's illness, he is able to understand and accept his own "disease." This new awareness of the secret of Venice gives way to an intense and horrifying dream, after which Aschenbach is “broken, disjointed, helpless under the influence of the demon. He no longer avoided the gaze of men and no longer cared whether he exposed himself to suspicion...” He believes that the truth “has escaped; despite all efforts to the contrary, panic was in the air. (67) Ultimately, this knowledge of the city's evil frees him from his self-repression and allows him to act on his emotions without worrying about what the outside world will think. When Aschenbach felt alone with his secrets, he was filled with fear and guilt. However, it is thanks to Venice's secret illness that he no longer feels shame or guilt for his homosexuality and is able to express his true nature. The ocean of Venice relaxes Aschenbach, providing him with a comfortable and conducive setting for his obsession with Tadzio. develop and consequently his unconscious homosexuality comes out of his shell. The scene of the beach and the ocean has always pleased Aschenbach, it has the "power to seduce him, to relax his resolve, to make him happy..." However, it is not the soothing sound of the waves or crystal clear water. what brings him joy is “the spectacle of a sophisticated society indulging in a simple life on the edge of the elements.” (29) "Aschenbach's love of the ocean had deep sources: the toiling artist's desire for rest..." and a "longing...a lure for the unorganized, the immeasurable, the eternal, in short, for nothingness.” » (30) The ocean has the power to transport him "to Elysium, to the ends of the earth, to the most carefree place for the sons of men... without effort or struggle..." (40- 41) Aschenbach finds joy at the beach because it makes him feel that the constraints and expectations of society have been lifted; he takes pleasure in the idea of ​​society abandoning its norms because he unconsciously desires to abandon its norms. The beach is the only place where you can sit and watch people (including young children) in swimsuits playing games or going swimming without risking injury. look stupid or scary. The changed status quo allows Aschenbach to feel comfortable watching Tadzio for hours every day. It was these "regular morning hours on the beach which gave him his greatest opportunity to study and admire the beautiful apparition...this immediate happiness, this recurring daily boon coming from circumstances, it is this which filled with contentment, joy of living, enriches his stay and prolongs the series of sunny days which followed one after the other so pleasantly. (41) In this way, the beach is an incredibly ripe place for Aschenbach's subconscious homosexuality to infiltrate his conscious actions. At the beach, Aschenbach knows how to let go, stop constraining his desires as he is obliged to do everywhere else. He is able to “let his eyes swim in the immensity of the sea, his gaze get lost, blur and become vague in the misty immensity of space”. (30) Essentially, he is able ".