Albert Camus Essay

How Aschenbach and Meursault in Death in Venice and The crazy respectively, atomic number 18 driven by mind initially then mixture to cosmos driven by the heart as the result of a key event In both The Stranger and Death in Venice, the characters variety as the book progresses. There is mainly one go through that sparks this drastic change. In The Stranger, this action is the murder of Raymonds mistress brother, and in Death in Venice this critical moment occurs when Aschenbach has the sudden urge to travel.Aschenbach and Meursault are both characters that pretend from one extreme to the other. They begin as characters who deposit decisions based solely on what their mind tells them. As the novel develops, these characters move to the other extreme, which is making decisions based solely on what their heart tells them. This passageway from extreme logical thinking to extreme emotional thinking is what leads to the ruin of both Aschenbach and Meursault. As the novel begins, Thomas Mann introduces Aschenbach as a somewhat likable German writer.Initially the reader sees Aschenbach as a sane character anyone can relate to. He lives a very constant spirit, and has neer traveled before. Aschenbach is a character who is extremely involved in his work and one who organizes his entire life based on how he can best achieve quality in his work. At this elevation in the novel Aschenbach makes all his decisions using his mind rather than his heart. plot of land taking a stroll, Aschenbach sees a man with red pilus as well as long odontiasis.It is this man that pushes his mind in to traveling. Aschenbach begins to change as soon as he sets his mind to travel. In his reverie regarding his adventure he envisions a landscape, a tropical swampy section under a vapor-laden sky, damp, luxuriant and uncanny it was like the portrait of a primitive world of islands morasses and slit-laden rivers (pg 3, Mann). The symbol of Aschenbachs departure on this excursio n is the sign of the beginning of his decline.It is from this point on that Aschenbach transforms from being a principle man who makes logical decisions with is brain, to one that makes decisions with his heart. As Aschenbachs journey progresses, he notices many men with red h short letter and long white teeth like the one that inspired him to travel. This shows the constant rapid declining of Aschenbach. His first sleuth of Tadzio in the hotel marks the beginning of the extreme heart-driven Aschenbach. His description of Tadzio understandably portrays his obsession. With astonishment Aschenbach observed that the boy was perfectly beautiful.His face, pale and charmingly secretive with the honey-colored hair curling around it, with its straight-sloping nose, its lovely mouth and its expression of sweet and augur earnestness recalled Greek statues of the noblest period, and, along with its extremely pure perfection of form, it was of such unique personal charm that the onlooker t hought he had never come across anything so felicitous either in constitution or in art (pg 20, Mann). Once Aschenbach begins to follow Tadzios any step, the reader notices that Aschenbach is becoming more and more indulged in Tadzios life rather than his own.His head and his heart were drunk, and his steps followed the dictates of that dark god whose sport it is to trample mans reason and dignity underfoot. as yet when Aschenbach learns of an epidemic, he realizes that if he dies along with Tadzio, they will be able to undertake in heaven. Aschenbach loses total control of his mind and gives in to Venice, a city, half(prenominal) fairy tale and half tourist trap, in whose insalubrious air the arts once rankly and voluptuously blossomed, where composers have been inspired to lulling tones of somniferous eroticism. steady when given the opportunity to leave Venice and escape cholera, his love for Tadzio weighs him down. Aschenbach then has fantasies nigh everyone else dying, and him being left alone with Tadzio. Now it can be clearly seen that Aschenbachs passion is coming directly from the heart, and no thinking is being done on his part. This extreme obsession from Aschenbachs heart forthwith leads to his downfall. He dies in his chair, and it is hours before anyone notices. Albert Camus introduces Meursault as a character mess are quite taken aback by.