Goldmund’s Final Journey

Narcissus and Goldmund

Goldmund’s last attempt to recover his former freedom brings disappointment and illness, leading him back to Narcissus and toward death.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Need to Leave The Need to Leave from "Narcissus and Goldmund". The Need to Leave A Work Completed Goldmund finishes a Madonna modeled on Lydia and senses that the emotional source behind his work is running dry.

The Need to Leave from "Narcissus and Goldmund". The Need to Leave A Work Completed Goldmund finishes a Madonna modeled on Lydia and senses that the emotional source behind his work is running dry.

The Need to Leave A Work Completed Goldmund finishes a Madonna modeled on Lydia and senses that the emotional source behind his work is running dry. He wants to return to the landscapes and experiences that once fed his art. Permission and Parting Narcissus gives him clothes, money, and a horse rather than trying to keep him. Goldmund departs, though the farewell exposes an attachment he has not overcome.

The Journey’s False Promise The Journey’s False Promise from "Narcissus and Goldmund". The Journey’s False Promise Pursuing the Past Goldmund travels hoping to revive his youth and former appetite for the world.

The Journey’s False Promise from "Narcissus and Goldmund". The Journey’s False Promise Pursuing the Past Goldmund travels hoping to revive his youth and former appetite for the world.

The Journey’s False Promise Pursuing the Past Goldmund travels hoping to revive his youth and former appetite for the world. He is already ill, but pride keeps him from turning back when the journey proves difficult. A Changed Body Pain and exhaustion replace the energy he expected to recover. The road no longer offers a simple return to his earlier self.

Agnes’s Rejection Agnes’s Rejection from "Narcissus and Goldmund". Agnes’s Rejection A Former Lover Revisited Goldmund seeks Agnes, remembering her as an intense embodiment of desire.

Agnes’s Rejection from "Narcissus and Goldmund". Agnes’s Rejection A Former Lover Revisited Goldmund seeks Agnes, remembering her as an intense embodiment of desire.

Agnes’s Rejection A Former Lover Revisited Goldmund seeks Agnes, remembering her as an intense embodiment of desire. She no longer wants him, and her refusal reveals that his former charm and youth have passed. The Journey Ends Inwardly Although he keeps traveling, this rejection marks the emotional failure of his excursion. Goldmund has to confront aging rather than recover his old life.

A Return in Illness A Return in Illness from "Narcissus and Goldmund". A Return in Illness The Road Abandoned Goldmund’s pain forces him to sell his horse and endure a long recovery.

A Return in Illness from "Narcissus and Goldmund". A Return in Illness The Road Abandoned Goldmund’s pain forces him to sell his horse and endure a long recovery.

A Return in Illness The Road Abandoned Goldmund’s pain forces him to sell his horse and endure a long recovery. He eventually returns to Mariabronn, exhausted and uncertain whether he can work again. A Different Self His altered face and weakened body carry the journey into the cloister. He is less defiant, more accepting, and no longer ashamed to receive care.

The Mother’s Final Call The Mother’s Final Call from "Narcissus and Goldmund". The Mother’s Final Call Pain Reinterpreted Goldmund describes his chest pain as his mother’s fingers drawing his heart toward her.

The Mother’s Final Call from "Narcissus and Goldmund". The Mother’s Final Call Pain Reinterpreted Goldmund describes his chest pain as his mother’s fingers drawing his heart toward her.

The Mother’s Final Call Pain Reinterpreted Goldmund describes his chest pain as his mother’s fingers drawing his heart toward her. The image gives his approaching death a maternal meaning, though he does not claim certainty about an afterlife. A Last Exchange He tells Narcissus that he will die without making the great mother statue he imagined. Narcissus remains beside him as Goldmund’s strength fades.

After Goldmund completes the Lydia Madonna

During the first days of Goldmund’s final journey

During the final journey, after Goldmund finds Agnes again

After Goldmund’s accident and prolonged illness

During Goldmund’s final days in the infirmary