“The earth is literally a mirror of thoughts. Objects themselves are embodied thoughts. Death is the dark backing that a mirror needs if we are to see anything.”
Sammler consistently refers to mortality and suffering as the backdrops needed for life to be understood. He asserts that the gravity of life can only be grasped when individuals look past their privileges in life. As a Holocaust survivor, he has encountered extreme suffering and had to survive through it. Thus, he has a unique perspective that he does not observe in others around him who have lived rather privileged lives. The statement highlights that the true nature of the human experience is put into perspective when death and difficult situations are taken to account.
“Passion for the infinite caused by the terror, by timor mortis, needed material appeasement.”
Dwelling among people who prioritize luxuries and leisure, Sammler has a hard time understanding their mindsets, as he is critical of that lifestyle. He expresses the quest for ultimate happiness through possessions is futile since it is counterproductive. In that suffering is part of life and shielding oneself from it might be detrimental when one is confronted by it. Thus, the assertion illustrates how the notion of seeking ‘immortality’ due to fear of death and suffering obliges material comfort. Consequently, the pursuit of luxuries is just a coping mechanism for the realities of life and the ultimate demise.
