Chapter 1 Summary and Analysis

Chapter one begins with an excerpt from Thomas Mann that speaks poetically of the danger with which "the world of limitless silences" welcomes visitors.

The author describes his cheerful ascent up a mountain overlooking the Hardanger Fjord in Norway on a cool, cloudy day. He describes his feeling of safety and celebration at being alone in nature, the little glimpses of life such as moss, fern and lichen that he catches along the way, and his ignoring of a sign that warns him to "BEWARE OF THE BULL". He writes of his confusion at the idea of a bull actually being so far up the mountain, his continuing up the path, and his shock at suddenly encountering a huge white bull lying across and blocking that path. He describes how at first the bull seemed benign and friendly, but how in...