The Magician

Elisabeth visits the Manns with her daughters, Angelica and Dominica. Thomas is surprised at how sensitive the girls are, taking offense easily. Elisabeth has likewise turned serious, admonishing Thomas for his banter and jokes that hurt her children’s feelings. Elisabeth asks her parents pointed questions. One of Elisabeth’s questions is why Katia married Thomas. Katia replies that she knew Thomas would never cheat on her with other women, which was important for her because her mother suffered through her father’s affairs. Despite the edge in Elisabeth’s tone, Thomas wishes that she would stay longer with him and Katia.

Klaus visits the Manns in Los Angeles, looking so defeated that even Erika doesn’t question him. Thomas notes that Klaus ignores his crises, focusing his energy instead on discussing other people and politics. Klaus is obviously “[c]onsuming a variety of drugs” (373). After a failed love affair, Klaus attempts death by suicide. He recovers and moves in again with Harold, the man who jilted him. Through the visits of Klaus and his other children, including Golo, Thomas notes with sadness that his family members love to pick out each other’s flaws.

Doctor Faustus is published in the US in 1947, and despite what Thomas deems its “recondite” (or esoteric) content, the novel is a bestseller.