Just as Thomas Mann points out in his story "Death in Venice" so also does Heinrich Boll reveal in "The Clown" that the inability of the New Germany to draw upon its inner core and find a balance between their intellect and emotion is what inevitably leads to their tragic death. The purpose of my paper is two fold in that it will seek to argue (1) that in effect, the New Germany has no inner core person and therefore is incapable of finding a balance between intellect and emotion. The result is that this New Germany can only move from one extreme to the next with no apparent resolution and (2) furthermore when the New Germany is confronted with both polarities of the human personality the test results in it's failure to be able to find a balance to cope and subsequently leads it to abandon the experiment and chose a life that will only revolve around one extreme.

Hans special ability as a clown to hold the mural up to society through his pantomimes is what serves to reveal the true emptiness of this supposedly new pluralistic society. To Hans their has been no real change in this New Germany, they have just gone along from one extreme to the next logical alternative. But, at the root of this shift to the other end of the spectrum lies the fact that this New Germany has no inner core of being in which to draw upon and find that delicate psychological balance between their intellect and their emotions. In effect, to come to terms with both the rules and expectations of the busua middle class and the earthy, fleshy, Chopinistic side of human nature. Their inability to do this is what has given rise to their dead hypocritical nature we see in the present text.

It should first be pointed out exactly what this New Germany is. The New Germany is not in effect, the next generation after World War II but, rather, is a whole new perception that has been taken on by the young as well as the old. It is a perception that chosen to forget the war and all of it's atrocities in order to take on a more politically correct look to the world. It is this new look however that our protagonist Hans Schnier argues has really only brought about a bunch of hypocrites. In one scene early on in the text where Hans is talking to his mother over the phone and the mother remarks of her amazement with the new strength and vitality Han's grandfather projects, Hans responds that it is easy for his grandfather to seem fresh and invigorating (similar to the face of the New Germany) because " the old boys are not bothered by either memory or conscience"(p 27).

As with Aschenbach, the New Germany can only function on one side of the human equation. For the most part it is in the realm of the icy intellect and abstract principles as is most evident with the Catholic group. The Catholic group is especially symbolic of the New Germany's inability to deal with both extremes of the human personality at the same time. There position is similar to Aschenbach's in the beginning of Death in Venice, they have in effect, chosen to utterly dwell on the intellectual pole of the human personality. Hans confronts their ineptness to deal with the emotional side of the equation in his conversations with Kinkel and Sommerwild. When Hans attempts to bring out the real reason why Marie left (that of her inability to find that balance) and thus get Kinkel to acknowledge the two confronting extremes that are at play here Kinkel tells him that "It's too bad you obviously have no sense of metaphysics" (p87) and similarly Sommerwild responds in a way that refuses to even acknowledge Marie's name and responds "I am anxious to keep the matter as objective as I possibly can. " (p120). Their inability to deal with fleshy emotional desires that are really at the heart of the conflict and need to turn things into abstract principles is in effect, what leaves them sounding like cold theologians who will never be able to deal with anything outside of the realm.

However not all of the New Germany shares this decidedly left wing approach. A major part of the problem of not having an inner core to draw upon and balance things out is that one will inevitably slip up and fall into the opposite extreme. The inability of this New Germany to draw upon it's inner core being and find that balance with their more emotional side is what gives rise to their two-faced hypocritical behavior. This is what Hans sees and feels the most given his unusual physical ailments and abilities. This hypocritical behavior is most effectively characterized by Han's brother Leo and Han's mother.

At first appearance one my say that Leo dwells on the emotional side of his personality. Hans makes mention of Leo's love for playing Chopin, an intense, fleshy, earthy type of music. The fact that Leo decides to become a Catholic priest is symbolic of his switching from one extreme to the other. But, the fact is that their has been no resolution with himself to do this. Because of the lack of an inner core person Leo is incapable of balancing his emotional desires with his logical intellect. The net result we see is that while it may appear that Leo has changed his stripes, in reality he is incapable of dealing with both realms of his personality and so must chose one extreme in order to function.

Similarly Hans mother provides an example of the New Germany's lack of an inner core person that results in her sliding back and forth between two extremes of human personality. Since the war Hans mother has gone from an anti-Semite synonymous for quoting "those damned Jewish Yankees" to become in the light of the New Germany, the president of the Executive Committee of the Societies for the Reconciliation of Racial Differences. One might first suspect that perhaps she has come to an awakening and realized that her past behavior, that of blindly obeying the state to get back "the sacred German soil" (even at the expense of her own daughter) was in error. And that this awakening has subsequently aroused a desire for her to come to terms with the two extremes of the human personality and in essence, become a virtuous person as part of this New Germany. But, this seeming change is just the opposite and Hans knows that. In his conversations with his mother Hans reverts to a cynical sadistic type of language because it reflects the true hypocrisy and emptiness of her so called change. In effect, there been no real change in her personality and the fact that his own mother is incapable of balancing both sides of her personality is why Hans to respond the way he does.

Even if one is tempted to distrust Hans assessment of his own mother thinking that perhaps he just biased against her the author offers us another sign of her inability to draw upon that inner person and find a balance outside of Hans opinion. Subscribing to the values of the busua middle class of German society Hans mother is everything the New Germany wants her to be even down to the food she eats. In the scene with Hans father Hans makes mention that as children they never having enough potatoes to eat. These potatoes are symbolic of the fleshy desires of human personality. Their denial of this type of subsistence reveals how the New Germany has misunderstood what it really means to be human. But, later on Hans finds his mother secretly gorging herself on ham (another type of food symbolic of human desires and emotions). The fact that she is gorging herself in secret serves to reveal her inability to find a balance . She merely goes from the logical extreme of denying herself (and her family) emotional subsistence to indulging herself in it with no apparent resolution of the two.

The best example of how this New Germany has not come to grips with the two polar ends of the human personality is best revealed through Marie. As the story begins Marie has just left Hans to marry Zupfner. Marie's attempted relationship with Hans may be seen as an experiment. In this experiment the New Germany is being manipulated by both logic and emotion, symbolized in Marie's choice between the more emotional Hans and the more logical Zupfner and the other Catholics The only way for this New Germany to deal with this conflict is to draw upon it's inner core person in order to reach a balance. However the results of this experiment are miscarriages and abortions that are symptoms of the New Germanys inability to find that balance.

Unlike Marie and this New Germany Hans has come to grips and effectively balanced his intellect and his desires. At first glance we may only see Hans as a pathetic drunk clown with whimsical musical aspirations, some one who has given up all hope and caved in to his emotional side as Marie does believing that this type of life was beneath him (p 30) but, in effect, Hans knows exactly what he is and where he stands ("I am a clown, I collect moments"). In direct opposite to Marie and the New Germany Hans has found a balance between the two polar ends of his personality and come to grips with what he is as he responds by telling her that the only thing beneath the gutter is the canal (p 30). In essence, Hans has a distinct and well defined inner self to draw upon and give him the necessary instruction to be able to balance his intellect and his emotions and give him a meaningful existence. For the purpose of this experimental marriage though Hans may be viewed as the diametrical opposite of Zupfner and the other Catholics in that he is more in touch with feelings and emotions. For Hans who has balanced his personality and simply chosen to be more in touch with his emotional side the relationship is one that is fulfilling and good. Yet for Marie who cannot balance her emotional love for Hans with her logical need for marriage the relationship is one of confusion and frustration. In the end the experiment fails and New Germany having no core inner person to balance itself out is sent hopelessly back into the realm of the icy stoic intellect as is revealed when Marie leaves Hans to marry Zupfner In effect, the New Germany has been "saved from a sinless situation and placed in a sinless one" (p110).

Just as Aschenbach becomes hopelessly lost to his emotional side so also does the New Germany lose itself a life of living on the edge of human personality. The lack of an inner core to balance the ever present conflict of emotion and intellect gives way to the empty and superfluous nature we see. The attempt to force the New Germany to come to terms with these contrasting extremities of the human persona are in essence, too much to ask of it. Just as Marie runs off to marry Zupfner so also does the New Germany give up on the experiment and will choose to either dwell in the realm of abstract intellect or gorge itself on the desires of the human flesh. There can be no middle ground or resolution between the two. The fact that the new Germany can only exists in one of these extremities of life is in the eyes of Thomas Mann, Heinrich Boll, and Hans Schneir the resulting tragedy that must inevitably follow.