Count Kai Mölln Character Analysis in Buddenbrooks

Count Kai Mölln is the young son of Count Eberhard Mölln, an eccentric, reclusive nobleman. Kai’s mother died giving birth to him, and he lives with his father in a ramshackle farmstead just outside the Burg Gate. Kai is a gangly young man with strawberry-blond hair and blue eyes. He and Hanno are each other’s only friend. The narration hints at a romance between the boys, though it never confirms this explicitly. Kai, like Hanno, is an indifferent and distracted student; he prefers to spend his time writing stories, which he tells to Hanno. Kai visits Hanno at his deathbed and kisses his dear friend’s hands “over and over.”

Count Kai Mölln Character Timeline in Buddenbrooks

The timeline below shows where the character Count Kai Mölln appears in Buddenbrooks. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...good thing about going to school for Hanno is his classmate and only real friend, Kai. Count Kai Mölln comes from an aristocratic family, though you’d hardly know it given the... (full context)

Hanno was initially a bit frightened by Kai’s messy and intense appearance, but they become fast friends, bonding over their similarly melancholy dispositions... (full context)

...doesn’t mingle with other boys his age, preferring to play music or hang out with Kai. On the occasions when Hanno is forced to swim or go ice-skating, the other boys... (full context)

...he was before he left home. He takes solace in the comfort that his friend Kai and his music lessons with Herr Pfuhl will bring him. (full context)

...make it to homeroom, so he heads straight to his first class, which is empty. Kai sneaks up behind Hanno and playfully scolds Hanno for his lateness. Hanno explains that he... (full context)

...Ballerstedt humiliates a few underprepared students, and then he instructs the class to read independently. Kai reads Edgar Allan Poe instead of the Bible. Hanno tries to read but is too... (full context)

At recess later, Hanno and Kai stand apart from their noisy, raucous peers. The school—students and teachers alike—“ha[s] known about their... (full context)

In a later class, Kai whispers a joke in Hanno’s ear. Hanno laughs involuntarily, and the teacher, Herr Modersohn, gives... (full context)

At recess later, Kai and Hanno stroll through the courtyard toward the gate. Kai mischievously suggests they just leave... (full context)

Kai encourages his friend to cheer up. He asks if Hanno plans to play piano later... (full context)

...everyone’s thoughts drift to Hanno, who suffered greatly in his last days. They recall how Kai came to visit him and kissed Hanno’s hands “over and over.” Tony begins to weep... (full context)