Across: Analysis of Major Characters
"Across: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the complex psyche of Andreas Loser, a high school teacher and amateur archaeologist in Salzburg, Austria, who is navigating a midlife crisis after a separation from his family. As an introspective character, Loser grapples with feelings of alienation and a longing for meaning in his life, often perceiving himself as a mere observer rather than an active participant. His journey takes a dark turn when he commits a violent act against an old man spray painting swastikas, reflecting his internal struggle and desperate need to assert control over his existence. This act of violence seemingly liberates him from his passivity, as he feels no remorse for the crime, highlighting the depth of his existential despair. Throughout the narrative, Loser exhibits a profound connection to nature and simple objects, yet his actions reveal a troubling disconnection from the moral implications of his choices. The story culminates in his exploration of the landscapes that inspired him, as he seeks solace in the works of the ancient Roman poet Vergil. The characters in "Across" reflect a broader commentary on the search for identity and the consequences of isolation and violence in contemporary society.
Across: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Peter Handke
First published: Der Chinese des Schmerzes, 1983 (English translation, 1986)
Genre: Novel
Locale: A suburb of Salzburg, Austria
Plot: Philosophical
Time: The early 1980's
Andreas Loser, a teacher of ancient languages at a high school in a suburb of Salzburg, Austria, and an amateur archaeologist who specializes in the excavation of doorways and entryways. He is in early middle age, recently separated from his wife and two children, and on a leave of absence from his teaching post. Loser is a highly introspective man in the middle of a life crisis, searching for a meaning to his existence. He is plagued by the feeling that he is merely an observer of life, rather than a participant. Near the beginning of the novel, he deliberately knocks down a man walking in Salzburg, and this act serves to bring his situation to full awareness. He is concerned intensely with nature and the simple objects around him. Later in the novel, his desire to participate in life emerges, again in the form of a violent act. While walking at night over Monchberg Mountain to play cards with several friends, he sees an old man who is spray painting swastikas on the trees and rocks. He mortally wounds the man with a rock and pushes him over the side of the cliff. Loser feels that, for once in his life, he has acted decisively and experiences no remorse for his act of murder. The next day, he contemplates death and his estrangement from life. At the end of the work, he wanders around the Salzburg area and then travels to Italy to visit the bucolic landscapes portrayed by his favorite writer, the ancient Roman poet Vergil.
The old man, whose identity is unknown. He probably is a neofascist and is approximately in his late sixties. His act of defacing nature by spray painting swastikas on the mountain-side prompts the narrator's violent response.