Character List
The listing is complete except for a number of patients whose appearance is not significant enough to warrant separate mention.
Albin A young man who, convinced of his hopeless condition, threatens to commit suicide publicly.
Hofrat Behrens The head doctor of the sanatorium.
Ellen Brand The young Danish girl, whose talents as a medium are ruthlessly exploited by Dr. Krokowski in his seances.
Hans Castorp The hero in search of self-education.
Clavdia Chauchat The typically "eastern" temptress of Hans Castorp.
Fräulein Engelhart A promiscuous old spinster whom Castorp uses to obtain information about Clavdia.
Ferge A self-debasing Russian, who participates in several discussions between Settembrini and Naphta; a prototype of the "eastern" man.
Pribislav Hippe Castorp's schoolmate of long ago to whom he felt strongly attracted. Asiatic features, similar to those of Clavdia, distinguish him. They are the reason that the two become drawn together through the major leitmotif (a short musical phrase representing and recurring with a given character, situation, or emotion) of the borrowed pencil. Hippe is German for a type of sickle. According to Revelation XIV, 17-19, an angel of perdition tends to harvest among men with a sickle; therefore, the scythe has been used as the symbol of death. Like Clavdia Chauchat, Hippe exerts a fatally erotic influence on Castorp.
Barbara Hujus A little Catholic girl whose fear of death is heightened by the arrival of the priest administering extreme unction to her.
Karen Karstedt A little, hopelessly ill girl whom Castorp, obsessed with consoling the "poor sick," accidentally leads to her grave.
Hermine Kleefeld A particularly gossipy patient who gathers like-minded characters around her.
Dr. Krokowski Behrens' assistant doctor, who, like his superior, represents evil.
Marusja The attractive but simple girl whom Joachim admires; she serves to illustrate his overly bourgeois behavior.
Adriatica Mylendonk Homely and aggressive, she is Behrens' directress.
Leo Naphta Settembrini's adversary of Jewish-Polish descent and Jesuit schooling.
Mynheer Peeperkorn A wealthy plantation owner who becomes Clavdia's lover.
Ludovico Settembrini An intellectual, rationalist Italian man of letters, representing "Western" tradition.
Frau Stöhr An extremely insensitive and uneducated woman, who becomes the embodiment of these qualities. With numerous other patients, she represents the atmosphere of make-believe prevalent at the Berghof.
James Tienappel Castorp's uncle, a respected consul. He comes to the sanatorium to take home his nephew but flees when he finds out he enjoys its permissive atmosphere.
Tous-les-Deux A grief-stricken Mexican lady, who is about to lose her second son at the sanatorium; hence her nickname. The unspeakable sadness she radiates appeals to Castorp.
Wehsal An extremely submissive character who falls in love with Clavdia and seeks Castorp's company for this reason. His name means "sorrow" in German.
Joachim Ziemssen Castorp's diseased cousin with whom he once lived at Tienappel's.