La Tonya Jordan’s Reviews > The Magic Mountain > Status Update

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Hans Castorp was hardly listening. His month was hanging open, because he couldn't breathe through his nose right, although he didn't have a cold. He dimly noticed the disconcerting effect of his heart's pounding out of time to the music.

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Malice, sir, is the spirit of criticism, and criticism marks the origin of progress and enlightenment."

"That would be the word you're looking for. I have a graphic way of speaking, is what you want to say. But wait," he cried, "what do I see? Behold the judges of the dead out for a stroll! What a sight!"

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"Sarcastic? You mean malicious. Yes, I am a little malicious," Settembrini said. "My great worry is that I have been condemned to waste my malice on such miserable objects. I hope that you have nothing against malice, my good engineer. In my eyes it is the brightest sword that reason has against the powers of darkness and ugliness.

Finished reading Satana - The Italian character Herr Settembrini who speaks impeccable German is sarcastic and malicious. He is a literary man who wrote the obituary of Carducci, a great Italian poet. He is a humorist and has strong opinions. The conversation he has between Hans Castorp and Joachim Ziemssen is grand regarding Satan.

Joachim describes to Hans Castorp what happened when they brought the viaticum, the sacrament for the dying, you know, extreme unction for a
Catholic girl, Barbara Hujus, who died at the santorium.

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A dying man deserves a certain amount of respect. You can't just walk up to him so calm and cool and ...... There's something holy about a dying man, as it were - in my opinion.

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And Dr. Krokowski joined him as he sailed off, swinging his arms, palms turned clear around to the back, tossing his question right and left as to whether people had slept well, which was universally answered in the affirmative.

I have just read the part where Hans Castorp was introduced to Behrens.
Behrens did all the talking. He talked about Joachim Ziemssen's desire to leave despite how lovely it is there. He is unaware that Hans Castorp is not a patient and accesses him as a much better patient than his cousin. Follows this up with telling Hans Castorp he is anemic. Behrens is in full control.

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The atmosphere of the metropolitan seaport, the damp atmosphere of global shopkeeping and prosperity, had been the air of life for his forefathers, and with great gusto he breathed it now as a matter of course and found it profoundly satisfying.

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Within three or four months after his father died, he had forgotten death; now he remembered it, all the impressions, from before reemerged simultaneously - in every precise, piercing, and incomparable detail.