Mephisto was written amidst the time where the most notorious body of power rose in world history. In the country where Klaus Mann came from, the Nazis came into full power and ran the country where he was exiled. The political reality that surrounded Mann’s time played a major role in shaping the events in the novel. The plot of the novel portrayed the collaboration of the arts and politics in fulfilling its own ambitions. Klaus Mann depicted how the two different fields of practice worked together in the pursuit of their self interests and goals.
By the time of its publication in 1936 the novel stirred controversy when the main character depicted similar patterns with a former actor friend of Mann named Gustaf Grundgens who became famous for its portrayal of Mephistopheles in a film. The following essay will center on the discussion on how does the artistic ambition coincides with political power as seen in Klaus Mann’s classic novel Mephisto. To be able to have a broader understanding on how the discussion will flow, a brief summary of the novel is included.
Subsequently, the main character’s – Hendrik Hofgen – personal ambition will be taken a look closely to see his personal motivations, other possible agendas, and factors which pushed him to be the character that he is. On the other hand, it will be essential as well to look at the political ambition of the Nazis to be able to understand both parties. From here on, their partnership will be discussed to have a full grasp on how they utilized each other’s capabilities to fulfill their dreams. First published in Amsterdam in 1936, Klaus Mann who lived outside Germany to escape prosecution penned his classic novel.
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Understanding contemporary world politics is by no means an easy feat. To merely begin the process, one must first have an ample knowledge of historical as well as modern trends in international relations, the issues at hand both now and in the past and major events that affect the field. Several groups and styles of thinking have developed throughout the centuries to make attempts at ...
Mephisto focused on Hamburg actor Hendrik Hofgen who has moderate political views. By the time the Nazis gained domination all over Germany, Hofgen fled out of the country to escape possible prosecution. He came back to Germany when he is determine to fulfill his ambition as an actor and maneuvered his way into getting it. Through his collaboration with the Nazi government, instantly became famous and wealthy and was given a high ranking position as a director of the Stage Theater. His continue support for the regime made Hofgen turned away from his original political leanings.
His portrayal of Mephistopheles in Goethe’s Faust made him an icon in his field but this made him realized that by working with the Nazis is just the same as having a pact with the devil. With his dream coming true and benefits started to flow, Hofgen slowly realized how miserable it is to be stuck inside his dream. The horrid reality of the implication of the Nazi’s rule sinks into him and haunted him. Hendrik Hofgen is just a plain theater actor in the province of Hamburg. At that time, the centers of theatrical activities were Munich and Berlin and artists were considered successful to reach that point (Dente 187).
Having a strong passionate love for the acting, Hofgen wanted to break into the center of the arts and be famous. His desperation for fame can be described from the novel when his insecurities became the topic of the theater directors: Frau von Herzfeld laughed softly. “I’m told he’s hiding behind a screen in his dressing room. He’s always in a terribly jealous state when Berlin guest artists are around. He’s never going to make it to their level, he says to himself, and he goes off to hide behind a screen in a state of sheer hysteria…This evening he’s probably already had at least one crying fit.
The Term Paper on Weimar Republic Government Germany Treaty
After the new Weimar government, led by the Social Democrats, signed the Treaty of Versailles it may have signaled the beginning of the end for the new republic. The consequences of Versailles were severe to Germany, and many were looking for someone to blame, and the government was the ideal scapegoat. Communists and the right saw an opportunity to create a state that they wanted, and were ...
(Mann 22).
Though his capabilities were immediately recognized, Hofgen was depicted to suffer a low self-esteem with regards to his status as a provincial actor. Perhaps, Hofgen saw these artists from the main cities as an embodiment of wealth and glamour while doing the job they love the most. Eventually blinded by that desire, he disregarded his former colleagues to advance himself to the level where he could utilize his skills in order to gain recognition. Though he left the country, he immediately went back for he wanted to strive in his homeland.
Unlike his friends who pursued their careers in the likes of the United States and Paris, Hofgen chose to be an actor in Germany with his language and tradition which he believed to signify his talent and identity (Dente 187).
From the time he went back to home, Hofgen started to map out his future as an actor. On the other hand, the Nazis became unstoppable as well by the time Adolf Hitler was elected to rule Germany. From the shame that Germany experienced when they lost the First World War, the blame for internal minorities such as Jews became the main target for their propaganda.
The leader of the Nazi government were depicted in the novel as the character of “the fat giant and limping dwarf” (Mann 248) called the Fuhrer, he called for a “general cleansing” in which minorities such as the Jews and the Communist who dared to oppose will be severely punished. To further strengthen their aims and to effectively instill those aims in the minds of the German populace, the Nazi at that time used different kinds of propaganda methods to remind the people of Germany’s loss and that the Jews should be perished since they were the cause of such humiliation.
Nazi government utilized one effective mode of propaganda where it easily targeted to convince the people with their aim. The arts became a popular medium for the Nazis to spread and carry out their political goals. Through the arts and the artists the government induced its political message by means of films, paintings, stage plays, posters, etc. in which common people can easily reach out and interpret. Through Hofgen, the government was able to extend Germany as a strong nation which should be protected from opposition and outsiders.
The Essay on Propaganda and Terror wwere equally important for enabaling Hitler and the Nazis to keep control over Germany
Propaganda and terror were equally important for enabling Hitler and the nazis to keep control over Germany. How far do you agree? I this essay I will explore the merits of both methods in keeping control and analyse the arguments for the different cases associated with the statement before concluding with my own personal opinion. There are some who believe terror was more important than the use ...
The reign of the Nazi government also refer to the Third Reich where culture in the fields of arts and media were inseparable with the government. According to Hitler, the law of Nazi existences, places culture as society’s ultimate value, and should never be considered independent of violence and war (Etlin 20).
Thus, the success of the Nazi’s propaganda can be looked from the cooperation between the artists and the government – an artistic opportunism in the era of the Third Reich. The passionate desire for acting was overshadowed by his strong goal of becoming famous.
Hendrik Hofgen fell under the traps of artistic opportunism when he slowly earned the trust and camaraderie of some Nazi officials starting from the wife of the prime minister, to an Air Force general, and the Prime Minister himself; who sponsored him to get the position of the director of Stage Theater. His portrayal of Mephistopheles which earned him his success made him embody the role of the Nazi – the devil who made the pact with himself for fame and wealth in exchange for his relentless support of the government.
It was seen in the novel that he was more of a revolutionary than the follower of Nazi’s ideology. Before working with the Nazis, Hofgen led a Revolutionary Worker Theater as a sign of his socialist leanings but he has to give that up when he became blinded by his ambitions. Though Hofgen still get in touch with his revolutionary colleagues, he cannot risk damaging his close relationship with the government to avoid losing all he has and capital punishment. In this novel, the government and the artists both engage in a simultaneous act to cooperate with each other.
Political ad Artistic ambitions are interwoven because at that time, art was a valuable medium in spreading out the influence of the Nazis and carry out their objectives. Inevitably, the artists cooperating became the main instruments in propagating crime policies of the government against the Jews. In the character of Hofgen, it can be seen how one can be easily submerged from the cunning ploys of the Nazis government by luring them into fashion similar by Mephistopheles.
Art Review of Artist Cai Guo-Qiang
I chose to do my art review on the artist Cai Guo-Qiang, who is a Chinese artist who does most of his art in the form of explosions and large scale projects such as this one, which bring attention to problems in society dealing with violence and terrorism. In his piece titled Inopportune: Stage 1, Guo-Qiang displays 9 identical cars, which are tumbling through the air in different positions, with ...
Klaus Mann’s Mephisto portrayed what purpose did the arts served amidst the reign of this government and how it corrupted not only the sincere artistic endeavors of the artists but also the product of arts itself.
Works Cited
Dente, Carla. Proteus: The Language of Metamorphosis. USA: Ashgate, 2005. Etlin, Richard A. Art, Culture, and Media Under the Third Reich. USA: University of Chicago Press. Mann, Klaus. Mephisto. Trans. Robin Smyth. New York: Penguin Books, 1995.
