Marius the Epicurean · Question
How does Marius the Epicurean develop the theme of Death, Mortality, and the Hope of Afterlife?
Answer
Marius the Epicurean by Walter Pater develops Death, Mortality, and the Hope of Afterlife across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
The narrative frequently confronts death—through funerals, plagues, and the catacombs—contrasting pagan resignation with Christian beliefs in resurrection and the enduring significance of the dead, as seen in the burial practices and the 'children's graves'.
The death of Marius's father introduces the theme of mortality and its impact on the young protagonist's worldview.
The chapter includes the service to the dead in the family chapel, with offerings to ancestral spirits, reflecting beliefs about the afterlife.
The chapter dwells on the funeral urn, the mother's long service to the departed soul, and the closeness of the dead to the living, reflecting Roman attitudes toward death and remembrance.
Evidence in the book
- Marius the Epicurean His Sensations and Ideas Part I
The death of Marius's father introduces the theme of mortality and its impact on the young protagonist's worldview.
- The Religion of Numa
The chapter includes the service to the dead in the family chapel, with offerings to ancestral spirits, reflecting beliefs about the afterlife.
- II: White-Nights
The chapter dwells on the funeral urn, the mother's long service to the departed soul, and the closeness of the dead to the living, reflecting Roman attitudes toward death and remembrance.
- Change of Air
Marius's mother dies shortly after his return, and the chapter dwells on the pain of a final parting and the longing for reconciliation beyond death.
- IV: The Tree of Knowledge
The death of Marius's mother is a pivotal event that turns his seriousness into intellectual questioning and brings into full evidence the force of his affections.
- VII: A Pagan End
Flavian's death is depicted in vivid detail, emphasizing the physical and emotional pain of dying, the alienation between the living and the dead, and Marius's determination to remember every moment.
- VIII: Animula Vagula
Flavian's death prompts Marius's philosophical inquiry into the nature of the self and the transient present, with reflections on the soul's journey.
- X: On the Way
Marius's reflections on the 'religion of the dead' and the funeral houses among the living, along with the pervasive marks of the plague, underscore the theme of mortality.
