A comparison of Death in Venice and Baron In the Trees

However, what perhaps demands greatest attention is the symbolism. The theme, as described by Thomas Mann himself, is the "fascination with the death idea", and we see examples of this all throughout the novel. While some of the symbolism is blatant, there are occasions that require the reader to be alert of, or even consciously probe for it, and in order to successfully understand the point, the reader must be aware of Aschenbach's endeavours early on. The symbolism of death is most obvious, ranging from the skeleton-like exotic stranger (pg.198-99) encountered in the opening, to the gondolier (pg. 215-17), evidently embodying Charon, ferryman of the Styx in Hades. Nevertheless, let us focus on Aschenbach's role in society, in this recounting of the tale orbiting around a once morally resolute man losing command of himself over a disorderly desire, illustrating the triumph of disaster over the powers of discipline.
             The Baron in the trees is a slightly different novel, but comprises some of the same features. Set in late 18th - early 19th century Italy, it tells the story of the protagonist, Cosimo Piovasco di Rondo, a rebellious nobleman who, at an age of twelve, reacted against his father's authoritarianism, and the unfairness of being forced to eat the most gruesome dishes of decapitated snails and other indelicacies prepared by his sister. He took off to the treetops, as boys of that age are wont to do. However, unlike other boys, he never came down. In this lie his philosophical - as well as physical -terms of rebellion. Cosimo is angered not only over the fact that he has to eat his snails, but also over the discipline and strictness of the entire society of the time. He strives for objectivity, to distance himself from his natural world by living between earth and sky and sets up his society and livelihood, entirely in the trees, as his own Noble Savage. In this arboreal existence he discovers that in order to see the earth properly, one has to keep oneself at a necessary distance from it, as can be understood by his thoughts passed on to Voltaire (pg.