Themes

The pervasive thread that binds together the very disparate contents of The White Hotel is the eternal struggle between the life force and the death instinct. This conflict is played out within individual psyches and family and social groups as well as between nations, and is seen as essentially beyond the control of rational thought.

Although extremely perceptive observers can sometimes understand how it affects the actions of others, each person remains unconsciously susceptible to the influence of powers which operate at the deepest levels of human existence.

In the hands of a lesser writer, this dichotomy would probably be expressed in terms of a conventional battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. But much of the fascination of The White Hotel stems from Thomas's refusal to engage in this kind of moral simplification. He shows a wide range of experiences and events, many...