opiniile unui clovn

7/25/2019 Opiniile Unui Clovn

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Opiniile unui clovn

Summary

1.Although both its artistry and its themes have drawn contradictory evaluations,The Clownartfully reveals the

perceptions of the title character, Hans Schnier. Hanss past-tense narration of three crucial hours creates the

immediacy of stream of consciousness, punctuated with telephone conversations that trigger Hanss opinionated

memories of his childhood in orld ar !! and his life as an outsider in the postwar period.

"eturning to his #onn apartment, drun$en, failed, and penniless after an in%ury on stage, Hans, the scion of the

&brown-coal Schniers,' who has separated himself from his wealthy family and their values, grieves that his

companion, (arie )er$am, the *atholic daughter of an old socialist, has left him after seven years to marry

Heribert +pfner, a *atholic lay functionary. Hans telephones his family and (aries circle of *atholics to see$

money and news of (arie. !n conversations with the *atholic officials, Hans espouses the spiritual and sensual

marriage in which the lovers &offer each other the sacrament' and re%ects the validity of legal and ecclesiastical

marriage if it lac$s reciprocal grace. )enying the virtue of Hanss relationship with (arie, the *atholics defend

submission to &abstract principles of order' and reveal that (arie and +pfner are honeymooning in "ome.

A call to Hanss socially prominent mother, a nationalist racist who in 1/ urged a last stand of children

against the &0ewish an$ee' but now directs the Societies for the "econciliation of "acial )ifferences, points

up the hypocrisy of many rehabilitated 2a3is in postwar 4ermany5as do Hanss recollections of Herbert

6alic$, his Hitler outh leader who has been decorated for populari3ing democracy among the youth of postwar

4ermany. Hans cannot forget or forgive 6alic$s responsibility for the death of a little orphan boy. 2or can

Hans forgive his mothers sending her adolescent daughter, Henrietta, to death on antiaircraft patrol in the last

days of the war.

!nformed that Hans is in #onn, his father, the industrialist whose fine loo$s and manner have made him a

television spo$esman for 4erman economic renewal, visits the apartment and offers to support Hans if he will

train with a &famous' mime recommended by a &famous' critic. Hans re%ects his fathers philistinism and hisreverence for &money in the abstract.' Although he remembers gratefully his fathers having saved two women

from e7ecution in 1/, Hans rebuffs the old capitalist who accommodates himself to whatever political and

social authority is current.

!n other telephone conversations and memories, Hans condemns a popular preacher, Somerwild, and through

him the *hurch, for pseudointellectualism, sophistry, and worldly self-aggrandi3ement. His brother, 8eo, a

seminarian, resists brea$ing curfew to bring Hans companionship and money5further evidence of legalisms


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inhibiting the *hurchs mission of consolation and charity. !n reverie Hans foresees a stultifying conventional

middle-class life for (arie and +pfner.

A call from his agent and meditations on his profession, especially his memory of having refused to play satires

on the est 4erman democracy in 9ast 4ermany, reveal Hans to be an artist in the tradition of the 4ermancabaret clown: an entertainer whose satire reveals society to itself. After the three hours traffic that passes in his

mind, Hans, integrity intact but completely isolated from both groups and individuals, returns in crac$ed white

face to the train station. ;here, still loo$ing for a few coins and (arie, he sings a ballad of *atholic politics in

#onn with small hope that his performance may yet ma$e church and state see itself. et if (arie, he says, sees

him li$e this and remains with +pfner, then she is dead and they are divorced. !nstitutional religion will have

$illed reciprocal love.

2.The Clownis a first-person narrative which e7poses the accommodations of postwar est 4erman society to

the success of the 9conomic (iracle, that astounding industrial recovery after the destruction of orld ar !!.

(embers of the highest circles of society, with representatives from church and state as well as the military and

industry, have conveniently forgotten the recent past in order to further their personal or institutional successes.

;hey are conformists who no longer recogni3e their hypocritical e7istences5until reminded by a renegade

clown. with which the others can so easily dispatch

him.

;hree months after his girlfriend, (arie )er$um, has left him, Hans Schnier falls during a drun$en performance

in #ochum and in%ures his $nee. His career is faltering as he returns alone and destitute to his hometown of

#onn. on the home front, she is now on

the e7ecutive committee of the Societies for the "econciliation of "acial )ifferences. Hans cannot bring

himself to beg for money from this hypocrite, so he insults her with memories of her in%ustices during the ;hird

"eich and hangs up.

)uring unsuccessful attempts to telephone his brother, 8eo, in a seminary, Hans recalls his seduction of (arie

si7 years before, their affair or &marriage,' her two miscarriages, and her leaving him in Hanover after meeting


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the *atholics Sommerwild and +upfner. He is prompted to phone , relate Sommerwild telephones

Hans. Hans learns that (arie has married +upfner and is now on her honeymoon, on the way to "ome, probably

for an audience with the ope. ith Sommerwilds official confirmation of the marriage ceremony, despair sets

in.

Hanss melancholy is interrupted by the doorbell. His father, Alfons Schnier, has come to hire an e7pert trainer

and, thus, subsidi3e Hanss career, but Hans insists that he does not re?uire an e7pert, only money. )espite their

mutual respect, his father cannot give money to someone who will simply spend it and not invest it. #oth father

and son respect each other and yearn for the contact of a warm and loving relationship. #ecause of their

differing attitudes, however, they can find no common ground, and the father leaves.

!n addition, 8eo now seems to have %oined the

*atholic establishment that is trying to separate Hans from (arie. )isillusioned, Hans hangs up on his brother,

thus forfeiting his last hope for outside help.

!n desperation, Hans paints his face deathly white with cold cream@ when dry, this mas$ begins to fla$e and

crac$, creating a deathly visage. He then ta$es his guitar and leaves for the train station, where he will sit on the

steps, singing liturgical music and protest songs until (arie returns to the station from her "oman honeymoon.

Her reaction, upon seeing Hans in misery, will determine his fate: She will either embrace him, and all will be

well again@ or she will ignore him, signaling his complete desolation. Since it is (arch and the middle of (ardi

4ras, however, his garish appearance cannot be distinguished from those of the many costumed revelers. !s he

to sit there throughout 8ent as a sign of protest or penanceC ill he be able to rise above his persecution as the


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religious season might imply, or will he commit suicide in recognition of his hopeless fate, as his death mas$

suggestsC

D.Hans Schnier, a professional clown, returns to #onn, his hometown, after he in%ures his $nee performing his

act while drun$. hen Schnier arrives in #onn, he has little money =his last employer refused to pay his fullfee>, no savings, and little hope of future wor$. Only wee$s before this in%ury, Schnier was a highly paid, well-

regarded performer earning enough to live in lu7ury hotels with (arie )er$um, his lover and companion. hen

(arie leaves him to marry Heribert +pfner, a *atholic official and a member of a religious group to which

(arie belongs, Schnier ceases to care about the ?uality of his wor$ as a clown. He stops practicing and starts to

drin$ more, which causes his performances to decline rapidly.


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hen he tal$s to 6in$el, a respected *atholic theologian and a member of the group to which (arie and

+pfner belong, Schnier blames 6in$el and the *atholic *hurch for his loss of (arie: &;hat much ! have

grasped of your metaphysics: hat she is doing is fornication and adultery, and relate Sommerwild is acting

the pimp.' Schnier attac$s 6in$el throughout their conversation, and he asserts that his relationship with (arie

constitutes a marriage that 6in$el and others destroyed.

hile waiting for friends to return his telephone calls, Schnier bathes and reads newspapers. ;his, too, causes

him to remember (arie and her *atholic group. He recalls that at first he had refused to marry (arie because

she insisted on a *atholic marriage that re?uired him to swear that their children would be raised in the *atholic

faith. 8ater, when he was willing to agree to these conditions, (arie refused to marry him because she did not

accept his conversion as sincere. Schnier believed that his union with (arie constituted a marriage, whether

condoned by the government and the church or not, but (arie needed Schniers commitment to the church.

hen Schnier tal$s with Sommerwild, a *atholic priest who is a member of (aries group, Schnier accuseshim of having furthered (aries marriage to +pfner, claiming that the priest sent the couple to "ome &to ma$e

the whoring complete.'

Still waiting for phone calls, Schnier is surprised by the une7pected appearance of his father, a wealthy 4erman

capitalist. ;he visit is aw$ward and unpleasant for both, since they had not seen each other for several years and

never had a meaningful conversation. ;he two discuss many painful issues, but Schnier %unior believes his

father is playing a role that he cannot abandon even to help his son. Schnier %unior refers to the needless

hardships the family suffered and the fact that, despite their wealth, they never had enough food. Schnier alsoremembers that his father twice during the war showed compassion: once when Schnier was accused of

&defeatism' and once when two women were accused of fraterni3ing with the enemy. ;he father agrees to pay

his son a monthly stipend, but Schnier $nows he will never receive it.

After his father leaves, Schnier reads in the evening paper that Herbert 6alic$ received a federal cross of merit

for &his services in spreading democratic ideas among the young.' ;his is the same Herbert 6alic$ who led the

local Hitler youth group during orld ar !!. !t is 6alic$ who denounced Schnier as a &defeatist,' and he is

also responsible for the death of a young boy whom 6alic$ forced to carry a loaded ba3oo$a.

Schnier attempts many times to contact his brother, 8eo, who is in a *atholic seminary. 8eo, who converted

from rotestantism to *atholicism, renounced most worldly possessions and refuses to brea$ the seminarys

rules to help his brother. Schnier contacts (oni$a Silvs, a sympathetic member of the *atholic group who

helped him in the past, but Sommerwild instructed her to avoid Schnier. hen it becomes clear that he will

receive no help or support, Schnier decides to sing, play the guitar, and beg at the train station. One (arch

evening, Schnier wal$s to the train station and sits on the steps, singing a song about &oor ope 0ohn.'


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His wor$ could be categori3ed as the first telephone novel in literary history. ith the e7ception of his fathersvisit and a brief encounter in the hall with a neighbors wife, Hanss contact with the outside world ismaintained e7clusively by means of this modern instrument. hile #Ell is able to create telephone dialogues aseffective as traditional dramatic discourse, such conversations serve primarily as stimuli@ they trigger Hanssmemory, and the recollections, in turn, constitute the bul$ of the novel. ;he various conversations also lendcredibility to the predominantly sub%ective narrative stance from which Hans Schnier tells his own story@ his

monologues and memories could be seen as the mista$en ramblings of a paranoid young man were it not forcorroborative statements made in these telephone conversations.

A recurring theme in #Ells wor$s concerns the reactions of contemporary society to its guilt-ridden past of, #oll initiated a creative process tosystematically investigate and analy3e the development of 4erman society while intertwining in his fiction the
http://www.enotes.com/topics/clown/themeshttp://www.enotes.com/topics/clown/themes


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generation which e7perienced the , a professional clown. All events in this first-person novel are seen through the eyes ofHans, the twenty-seven-year-old son of a wealthy industrialist. He is not, however, the typical son of a richbusinessman. As a youth, he showed little aptitude for school, and he has never had any interest in business.!nstead, Hans has the character traits and temperament of an artist: He is spontaneous, impulsive, creative,naIve, and innocent, and he cannot feign feelings that he does not possess. 2or can he, as someone once urgedhim, &be a man.' ;o &be a man,' he would have to become li$e everyone else, which he cannot and will not do.

Similarly, he cannot act on his fathers criticism that he lac$s the very ?uality that ma$es a man a man: theability to accept a situation. Hans, unli$e most of his friends and ac?uaintances, does not want to accept the pastand gloss it over, nor does he want to be merely swept along by the new tide of democracy. ;hese ?ualitiesma$e him a misfit and an outsider. ;he loss of (arie destroys his primary lin$ to the real world. ithout her, heturns more and more to drin$ and ends up alone, playing his guitar and singing for a few coins from passersbyat the train station.

Marie Derkum

(arie )er$um =)9H"-$uhm>, the young woman whom Hans considers to be his wife, although they are notlegally married. Sweet, trusting, and religious, (arie is in many ways the antithesis of Hans: She is from a very

poor bac$ground, performed well in school, and is a devout *atholic. !n time, her desire to return to the goodgraces of the church and to have a conventional, church-sanctioned marriage overcomes her love of Hans, andshe leaves him to marry relate +pfner.

Alfons Schnier

Alfons Schnier, the director of a coal-mining company and father of Hans. hen Hans was growing up, hismother was the dominant personality in the family. Hans also has vivid memories of his father, such as how hecourageously defended Hans when, as a boy of about ten, he called Herbert 6alic$ a &2a3i swine.' Schnier isnow a handsome, distinguished-loo$ing man in his si7ties who has recently discovered that he has a talent as atelevision tal$-show guest. He offers his son financial assistance, but only on the condition that Hans ta$eformal training from the best teacher. Hans does not accept his fathers offer.

Mrs. Schnier

(rs. Schnier, Hanss mother, a homema$er and socialite. Hans considers her to be stupid, stingy, andhypocritical. )uring the war, she was a staunch racist and a fanatical 4erman nationalist. She even sent her onlydaughter, si7teen-year-old Henrietta, to fight =and die> on the home front. 2ow (rs. Schnier is president of the97ecutive *ommittee of the Societies for the "econciliation of "acial )ifferences. Hans has never forgiven hismother for the death of his beloved sister, and he has not seen her since he left home to live with (arie andbecome a professional clown, more than five years earlier.


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Heribert Zpfner

Heribert +pfner =H9H"-ih-behrt +9, a *atholic prelate, about the same age as Hans. +pfner, whoas a youth was $ind to Hans and occasionally went out with (arie, is one of several prominent young *atholicsamong Hans and (aries friends, including Sommerwild and 6in$el. #y convincing (arie to leave Hans forhim, he shatters Hanss world.

Herbert Kalick

Herbert 6alic$ =H9H"-behrt 6AH-lih$>, a recent recipient of the


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(arie is a mysterious figure throughout the novel. She vacillates between her love and devotion to Hans and tothe *hurch. She does not actually appear in the novel, other than through Hanss recollections and referencesfrom other characters. hy she ultimately left Hans to re%oin the *hurch and marry +upfner is unclear.


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#Ell originally began The Clownas a third-person narrative but soon allowed Hans to tell his own story. As one

of #Ells few &active' heroes, however, Hans offered a solution which was neither practical in his own

immediate situation nor a model for est 4erman social protest in general. ;he novel was considered

scandalous from the outset for its criticism of the *atholic *hurch. #Ell repeatedly insisted that he was always

faithful to that religion and, despite his withdrawal from the *hurch in his later life, must be considered a

*atholic who attempted to improve an institution that he loved.

2ine years after writing The Clown, a wor$ that e7emplifies the themes and methods employed in his other

novels, Heinrich #Ell received the 2obel ri3e in 8iterature. #Ell was a post-orld ar !! 4erman writer from

a *atholic, pacifist family, a writer who fought in the war and was wounded four times before being captured

and ta$en to an American prisoner-of-war camp, so his life and fiction encapsulate the religious, moral, and

political dilemmas of post-orld ar !! 4ermany. The Clownis the personal narrative of a single person, one

individual, Hans Schnier, who is the clown of the title. !n focusing on the characters idiosyncratic view of the

world and in particular on his love for (arie, the novel e7plores the problems of all humans in twentieth

century societies.

On a political level, the boo$ recounts Hanss involvement with a 2a3i youth group@ his sisters death for the

2a3i cause@ his mothers anti-Semitic, pro-2a3i views@ his own condemnation by another youth as a &defeatist'@

and his fathers tacit support of the 2a3is. ;he focus of #Ells satire is on those hypocrites who blindly

supported fascism as well as on those who impetuously shifted their allegiance after the war. Hanss mother, for

e7ample, an ardent 2a3i supporter before 1/, afterward becomes the president of a society for the

reconciliation of racial differences. #Ell accurately depicts and attac$s the erstwhile 2a3is who attained

positions of power in 4ermany during the 1Ls, but on a more universal level the author satiri3es all humans

who heedlessly pledge allegiance to any political cause.

The Clownalso e7plores a religious schism in 4erman society. Hans is from a rotestant family, but (arie is an

ardent *atholic and belongs to an influential and powerful *atholic group. ;he clowns brother abandons his

familys rotestant religion and trains to be a *atholic priest in a seminary, a decision that hurts his parents. On

one level, #Ell e7amines the split between 4erman rotestants and *atholics, but on another level he loo$s at a

more universal ?uestion that parallels the political dilemma: ;o what e7tent should an individual blindly accept

the doctrine of a religionC (arie accepts the teachings of her group and leaves the clown. 8eo abandons his

parents faith to %oin the *atholic *hurch, but his decision appears no more thoughtful than had been his

decision to enlist in the army. ;he religious and political themes ultimately reinforce the novels discussion of

marriage.


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ho has the right to sanction a marriageC Hans learns that the state must issue a license before a church will

perform the marriage. !n his case, he would have had to sign a document swearing that he would raise his

children in the *atholic *hurch. !n opposition to these conventional, institutional definitions of marriage, the

clown, Hans, advocates a monogamous, common-law definition that allows him to claim (arie as his wife. ;he

issue of marriage moves the political and religious themes to a very personal level, forcing the reader to

consider whether marriage is a private, personal commitment between two individuals or a public, religious

matter.

;hese ?uestions of politics, religion, and marriage are presented ironically through the eyes of Hans, whose

interior monologue conveys his anger, suffering, headaches, depression, and grief. ;he reader can identify with

him because in his suffering he e7poses the failings of others, even though his persona as an alcoholic clown

can elicit little empathy or compassion. His role as a clown symboli3es his inability to commit and to ta$e life

seriously, but despite his faults the clown represents the individual who locates morality and responsibility

within himself and fears those who abdicate their responsibility to society at large. ;hrough Hans, #Ell e7plores

the harm done by those who dogmatically accept the beliefs of political parties or organi3ed religions. The

Clownultimately e7horts individuals to contemplate their relationship with authority and other human beings.

*unoscut in intreaga lume, Heinrich #oll a fost distins in 1KF cu remiul 2obel pentru 8iteratura.Opiniile unui clovneste un studiu al ipocri3ei si al alienarii M emotionale, se7uale, religioase, politice M va3uteprin ochii goi ai unui artist deca3ut care, pina in ultima clipa, refu3a adaptarea la o lume in care Ndespre bani sidespre dragoste nu se vorbeste niciodata&. NSint clovn sau, denumirea oficiala a profesiunii mele, comic& M asase pre3inta Hans Schnier, artistul nefericit din perspectiva caruia este radiografiata societatea germana dintimpul si de dupa cel de-al )oilea "a3boi (ondial. *u un cinism fermecator prin naivitatea pe care o ascunde sipe un ton de o ironie amara, clovnul lui #oll se implica intr-o disputa dinainte pierduta cu lasitatea,dogmatismul si ipocri3ia 4ermaniei postbelice. Singur in apartamentul sau, beat, nefericit, ranit trupeste sisufleteste, de3amagit in dragoste, Schnier se confrunta cu propriile amintiri: o familie protestanta care-si trimitefiica in bratele mortii de dragul datoriei fata de Nsfintul pamint german&, o iubita indoctrinata religios care ilparaseste sub prete7tul nevoii de a respira Naer catolic& . ;uturor acestora, Schnier le opune increderea neclintitain autenticitatea artei sale, refu3ul de a spune altceva decit adevarul si dragostea pentru o singura femeie.

Operele mari ale umanitPii sunt cele care nu au ancore Qn timp. roaspete, pline de mie3, ase3onate cu

adevruri naturale, pot fi consumate de orice generaPie. Heinrich !lla reuRit prin &"piniile unui clo#n' s seelibere3e din &O tempora, o mores'. rin descrierea viePii lui Hans Schnier, de fapt o romaneasc apologie aunei ratri, maestrul german al scrisului, printr-o sinceritate debordant, d o smetie cu mnuRa de mtase uneilumi a banilor, a intereselor politice Ri a pre%udecPilor legate de infailibilitatea familiilor de condiPie.

"omanul pare a fi o hologram. Scris Qn urm cu o %umtate de secol este de o debordant actualitate. )in oriceunghi gseRti realitatea. rintr-o tainic Ri fin conve7itate, epicentrul povestirii triste a unui clovn ieRit dinpTine respinge cutumule sociale din %ur: producerea banilor, importanPa Rcolii Ri nevoia de profesionalism.ovestea lui Hans Schiner este a unui om trist. rsit de cuncubina sa, rmas fr contracte, uitat de familie, neQnvaP ce mare preP are o marc, adic %umtate de euro. rintr-o scriitur simpl, direct Ri acroRant, #Ell neprovoac s gustm acea melancolie profund, sinceritatea debordant Ri ironia cea mai grosolan, a unui
http://www.polirom.ro/catalog/carte/opiniile-unui-clovn-2681/presa_01.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_tempora_o_mores!http://www.polirom.ro/catalog/carte/opiniile-unui-clovn-2681/presa_01.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_tempora_o_mores!


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persona% care supraviePuieRte, indiferent de *)B sau S) =cele dou partide mari ale 4ermaniei> Ri Qn afaracanoanelor bisericii catolice. *lovnul pare a avea ce nu au ceilalPi: timp, suflet Ri rbdare. &Eram mort deooseal!" aveam dureri de stomac #i de cap #i stam at$t de %ncordat %n spatele fotoliului" %nc$t &enunchiul%ncepuse s! m! doar! #i mai tare. 'n spatele pleoapelor %nchise %mi puteam vedea fa(a" a#a cum o cuno#teamdin o&linda miilor de ore de antrenament" cu des!v$r#ire imoil!" machiat! cu o vopsea al! ca )!pada" nu mise mi#cau nici m!car &enele sau spr$ncenele" ci doar ochii" pe care-i roteam %ncet %ncolo #i-ncoace ca un

iepure fricos" pentru a crea efectul !la numit de critici ca *enneholm+,, aRa descrie mai mereu pre3enPa sa Qner3aPul QntTmplrilor ce se ciocnesc de el, fr s vrea.4reutatea romanului const Qn forPa determinant a eroului principal de a o ierta pe (arie, de a %udeca lumeaipocrit, plin de falsuri, angoase Ri triri cen3urate, cu ochiul Ri mintea lucid a unui om care nu are ce pierde.9l e un storctor de platitudini Ri de efemeride pe care le pisea3 Ri scoate din ele esenPa pur. este cTPiva ani,fr s-l cunoasc pe autorul german, (arin reda avea s se remarce prin ma7ima profund:')ac dragoste nue, nimic nu e.'

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