Narcissus and Goldmund: Analysis of Major Characters
"Narcissus and Goldmund" explores the dynamic relationship between two central characters, Narcissus and Goldmund, set against a medieval backdrop. Goldmund is portrayed as an extroverted and sensual individual whose name translates to "Golden Mouth," reflecting his charm and attractiveness, particularly to women. He embarks on a journey of self-discovery that leads him away from a monastic life, characterized by contemplation and scholarship, toward a more adventurous existence filled with artistic expression, seduction, and the quest for maternal connection. In contrast, Narcissus embodies the life of a scholar and monk, representing intellect and a reclusive lifestyle. He recognizes Goldmund's true nature and encourages him to pursue a path aligned with his instincts. This mentorship ultimately shapes Goldmund's experiences, including a tumultuous life filled with both triumphs and tragedies, leading to his eventual return to the monastery. Their relationship serves as a profound exploration of the tension between the contemplative and the active life, highlighting the complexities of human experience and the search for identity. The narrative culminates in poignant themes of mortality and artistic legacy, particularly through Goldmund's unfinished masterpiece, symbolizing the enduring quest for meaning.
Narcissus and Goldmund: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Hermann Hesse
First published: Narziss und Goldmund, 1930 (Death and the Lover, 1932; better known as Narcissus and Goldmund)
Genre: Novel
Locale: The German Empire
Plot: Philosophical
Time: The late Middle Ages
Goldmund, an extroverted and worldly individual whose name means “Golden Mouth.” He is a highly sensual, handsome man who is very attractive to women. An intuitive and artistic person, Goldmund devotes himself to a life in pursuit of the senses and to a quest to find the archetypal figure of the nurturing mother. At the beginning of the novel, he is sent by his father, at the age of eighteen, to the medieval monastery of Mariabronn, where he plans to study and become a monk. His teacher, Narcissus, helps him to realize that his inner nature is not suited to the vita contemplativa of the monk and scholar but rather to the vita activa. Goldmund embarks on a series of adventures involving numerous seductions of women, war and violence, and the threat of death from the plague. Later, he studies with a famous artist and himself becomes an excellent woodcarver. He ends up in prison, to be executed, but is saved at the last minute by his friend. He returns, sickly and aged by life, to the monastery. He dies before he is able to finish his final masterpiece, a carving of the eternal “Eve-Mother” figure.
Narcissus, a monk and scholar in the monastery of Mariabronn. He is a highly intellectual and analytical individual who is devoted to the reclusive life of the scholar. He serves, in the allegorical mode of the novel, as the opposing pole to the artistic Goldmund. As the latter's teacher, he realizes that the young boy is temperamentally unsuited to the monastic life and that Goldmund seeks to recapture the lost union with his mother. Narcissus gives him the courage to leave. When Goldmund returns after roughly ten years, his former teacher cares for him until his death.