Sartor Resartus · Chapter
Sorrows of Teufelsdröckh explained
After the loss of Blumine, Teufelsdröckh does not succumb to madness or despair but instead quietly takes up his pilgrim's staff and begins wandering the world.
What happens
After the loss of Blumine, Teufelsdröckh does not succumb to madness or despair but instead quietly takes up his pilgrim's staff and begins wandering the world. The chapter explores his internal turmoil, concealed beneath a stoic exterior, and his reflections on nature, solitude, and the human condition as he travels through mountains and valleys, seeking healing but finding only a deeper confrontation with his own soul.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Loss
Teufelsdröckh's bereavement over Blumine is the central catalyst for his sorrow and subsequent wandering, illustrating the profound impact of lost love.
The Nature of Work and Duty
Teufelsdröckh's quiet resumption of his pilgrim-staff and his wandering as a form of coping suggest a duty to endure and continue despite inner turmoil.
Spiritual Crisis and Faith
The chapter explores Teufelsdröckh's existential despair and his search for meaning in nature, culminating in a moment where he feels the unity of Death and Life.
Characters to notice
- Diogenes Teufelsdröckh
The Professor experiences profound sorrow after losing Blumine, yet he conceals his inner turmoil and begins a wandering journey across the globe.
- The Editor
The Editor narrates and interprets Teufelsdröckh's state of mind and actions, providing commentary on his stoicism and the chaotic documents.
- Blumine
Referenced as the 'Flower-goddess' whose loss triggers Teufelsdröckh's sorrow and wandering.
- Gneschen
Teufelsdröckh is referred to as 'brave Gneschen' after the initial paroxysm of grief, showing his resilience.
- Lord Byron
Mentioned as an example of one who publishes his sorrows in verse, contrasted with Teufelsdröckh's silent wandering.
- Napoleon
Cited as representing his sorrows through grand military spectacle, another contrast to Teufelsdröckh's quiet endurance.
Key passages
“He quietly lifts his Pilgerstab (Pilgrim-staff), 'old business being soon wound-up'; and begins a perambulation and circumambulation of the terraqueous Globe!”
Teufelsdröckh calmly takes up his pilgrim's staff, quickly finishes his old affairs, and starts traveling around the entire world.
Describes his immediate response to loss: not dramatic outbursts but a quiet, determined journey.
“To consume your own choler, as some chimneys consume their own smoke; to keep a whole Satanic School spouting, if it must spout, inaudibly, is a negative yet no slight virtue, nor one of the commonest in these times.”
To suppress your own anger like a chimney that consumes its own smoke, and to let your inner demons rage silently, is a rare and valuable virtue in these times.
Highlights Teufelsdröckh's stoic self-control, contrasting with the expected dramatic expressions of despair.
“Beautiful, nay solemn, was the sudden aspect to our Wanderer. He gazed over those stupendous masses with wonder, almost with longing desire; never till this hour had he known Nature, that she was One, that she was his Mother, and divine.”
The sight was beautiful and solemn to Teufelsdröckh; he looked at the vast mountains with wonder and longing, realizing for the first time that Nature is unified, maternal, and divine.
A moment of spiritual revelation during his wandering, where nature becomes a source of solace and meaning.