Hermine Kleefeld Character Analysis in The Magic Mountain

Hermine Kleefeld is a resident of the Berghof. She’s a mischievous young woman who plays a prank on Hans early in his stay at the Berghof, “whistling” through her side as he passes her by, a maneuver she’s able to do due to a side effect of the pneumothorax treatment she underwent to treat her tuberculosis. She’s the appointed leader of the “Half-Lung Club,” a group of residents who have undergone the same pneumothorax treatment.

Hermine Kleefeld Quotes in The Magic Mountain

The The Magic Mountain quotes below are all either spoken by Hermine Kleefeld or refer to Hermine Kleefeld. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Joachim searched for an answer. “My God,” he said, “they’re so free. I mean, they’re young and time plays no role in their lives, and they may very well die. Why should they go around with long faces? I sometimes think that illness and death aren’t really serious matters, that it’s all more like loafing around, and that, strictly speaking, things are serious only down below in real life. I think maybe you’ll come to understand that in due time, after you’ve been up here with us a little longer.”

Related Characters: Joachim Ziemssen (speaker), Hermine Kleefeld, Hans Castorp

Page Number and Citation: 50

Explanation and Analysis:

During a walk one day, a young woman named Hermine Kleefeld “whistles” at Hans through a hole in her abdomen. Joachim explains to a perplexed Hans that this is a side effect of pneumothorax, a type of tuberculosis treatment. He also explains that Hermine in fact heads a group of patients who have had the same procedure. It’s called the “Half-Lung Club.” Hans is aghast at this lighthearted attitude toward serious illness, but Joachim, as this passage shows, sees no harm in it. There’s already a high chance that these patients will die of their illnesses anyway, so what’s the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptate

Hermine Kleefeld Character Timeline in The Magic Mountain

The timeline below shows where the character Hermine Kleefeld appears in The Magic Mountain. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...a group of men and women. A young girl with messy hair and half-closed eyes (Hermine Kleefeld) walks toward Hans and whistles as she passes by—but the whistle comes from her... (full context)

...up to him by this point, about the girl. Joachim calmly explains that the girl, Hermine Kleefeld, uses her “pneumothorax” to whistle. He explains that pneumothorax is a surgery Behrens performs,... (full context)

Abstract Ideals vs. Lived Experience Theme Icon

...time she speaks. Hans also spots members of the Half-Lung Club across the room, including Hermine Kleefeld. (full context)

...on the steps leading to the garden to listen to the performance. Among them is Hermine Kleefeld, as well as Herr Albin. Hans and Joachim sit at a table by themselves... (full context)

Time passes, and eventually it’s October, a fact Hans hears Hermine Kleefeld announce to some of the other residents, noting that this will be her second... (full context)

...man’s lessons and doubts the meaningfulness of everything he has to say. Now, he defends Hermine against Settembrini’s criticisms—she’s quite ill, Hans argues, and surely has every right to complain. Settembrini... (full context)

...across the way, smoking a cigarette. Wanting to make her jealous, he begins chatting with Hermine Kleefeld—but his plan backfires when Clavdia responds with defiant indifference. Flustered, Hans takes Joachim up... (full context)

...upstairs and rounds up Ferge, Wehsal, and Herr Albin. He also gets Frau Stöhr, Fräulein Kleefeld, and the Magnuses. Clavdia and Peeperkorn gather their own guests, and in the end there... (full context)

...Elly. Meanwhile, he starts inviting her for sessions in his “analytical dungeon” in the basement. Hermine Kleefeld, who has assumed the role of young Elly’s surrogate mother during her time at... (full context)

Everyone learns, through Hermine, that the “voice” who whispered things to Elly that night in the lounge was a... (full context)

...a secret from Krokowski, of course. On the night of the séance, everyone gathers in Hermine Kleefeld’s room. There’s a table at the center of the room with an upside-down wineglass... (full context)

Hermine Kleefeld Character Analysis

Hermine Kleefeld Quotes in The Magic Mountain

Part 3, Chapter 3: Teasing/Viaticum/Interrupted Moment Quotes

Hermine Kleefeld Character Timeline in The Magic Mountain