The Magic Mountain: Part 7, Chapter 2: Mynheer Peeperkorn Summary & Analysis

Mynheer Peeperkorn, an old, colonial Dutchman from Java and recently retired from the coffee trade, arrives at the Berghof with Madame Clavdia Chauchat the night she returns, and they dine at the sanatorium’s restaurant that evening. He takes all his meals sitting beside Clavdia at the Good Russian table. Behrens doesn’t know where Clavdia found him, but he’s heard that the two share all traveling expenses and that Peeperkorn is quite wealthy. He adds that Peeperkorn is at the Berghof as a resident—he has alcohol-induced mucus obstruction and suffers some sort of tropical fever. Peeperkorn is a tall, large man with a thin beard and “quite small and pale” eyes. Hans describes Peeperkorn as “robust and yet spare,” a curious pair of traits that often don’t go hand in hand. Behrens says Hans will have to get used to the idea of Peeperkorn—he’s here to stay.

Peeperkorn has an entertaining, loud personality that attracts an attentive audience at his dining table, even if what he says comes out as “incomprehensible phrases.” At other times, Peeperkorn seems to be on the verge of saying something grand and important, only to ultimately say nothing at all.

Once, Peeperkorn approaches the serving woman in the dining hall (who has dwarfism) and exuberantly lets her know that he doesn’t mind her smallness. In fact, he says, he thinks it’s great and reflects her modest character, which is also great. He adds that he would like a small favor from her. He also asks her name (Emerentia), and this makes her blush with satisfaction. Peeperkorn rambles on about various unrelated subjects before getting to the point and asking Emerentia for a glass of gin served neat. Emerentia obeys immediately, abandoning her other work to bring Peeperkorn his drink. Once she returns with his drink, he takes Clavdia’s hand in his own and looks on at his fellow tablemates “with refreshed eyes.” 

Everyone at the Berghof is quite taken with Peeperkorn, and they all notice the expensive necklace around Clavdia’s neck and look at Hans with pitying glances. And indeed, the unexpected circumstances surrounding Clavdia’s return to the Berghof hit Hans hard. During mealtimes, Clavdia doesn’t look at Hans, and she and Peeperkorn keep to themselves during social hours. Later, Hans learns that Behrens has diagnosed Peeperkorn as having “Quartan fever,” since he falls ill with it every fourth day and suffers a fever and chills, as well as a swollen spleen.