Does Hans' love for Clavdia lead him to idleness and dissipation, as Settembrini suggests? Or is it a positive force for self-knowledge and growth? Or both? Explain and give examples.

In what ways do Hans and Joachim represent Germany? Why do Settembrini and Naphta choose Hans, rather than Joachim, as the object of their pedagogical rivalry?

What do Settembrini and Naphta represent? What is the meaning of Settembrini's threadbare outfit? How is it that Naphta can be both a Jesuit and a communist?

Why does Hans stay at the Berghof after Clavdia departs for the second time? Have there been any hints or foreshadowings about what has happened to him?

Compare the suicides of Peeperkorn and Naphta. What does Peeperkorn represent? What is the meaning of his strongly implied sexual impotence?

What connections does Mann establish between narrative and musical time? As we become...