Bartok Whynn's Unexpected Purpose

The Magician's Elephant

Bartok Whynn’s life changes after a fall makes laughter his constant response, until his unlikely post at the elephant’s side becomes part of a collective escape.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Stonecutter Falls The Stonecutter Falls from "The Magician's Elephant". The Stonecutter Falls A long descent Bartok Whynn falls from the cathedral while carving a gargoyle.

The Stonecutter Falls from "The Magician's Elephant". The Stonecutter Falls A long descent Bartok Whynn falls from the cathedral while carving a gargoyle.

The Stonecutter Falls A long descent Bartok Whynn falls from the cathedral while carving a gargoyle. During the descent, he realizes that life is funny and laughs even as he expects to die. Survival with a change His back heals in a crooked way, and he survives. The experience alters his bearing and turns laughter into a daily, uncontrollable response.

A Trade Abandoned A Trade Abandoned from "The Magician's Elephant". A Trade Abandoned Work no longer possible Bartok returns to stonecutting but cannot stop laughing long enough to carve.

A Trade Abandoned from "The Magician's Elephant". A Trade Abandoned Work no longer possible Bartok returns to stonecutting but cannot stop laughing long enough to carve.

A Trade Abandoned Work no longer possible Bartok returns to stonecutting but cannot stop laughing long enough to carve. The craft that once gave his life structure becomes inaccessible. A humiliating replacement Dismissed from the cathedral, he takes a job with a bucket and shovel behind the elephant. His new position leaves him physically and socially at the rear of the spectacle.

The Laughing Attendant The Laughing Attendant from "The Magician's Elephant". The Laughing Attendant Hilarity beside sorrow Bartok directs visitors onward with laughter while the elephant stands broken-hearted.

The Laughing Attendant from "The Magician's Elephant". The Laughing Attendant Hilarity beside sorrow Bartok directs visitors onward with laughter while the elephant stands broken-hearted.

The Laughing Attendant Hilarity beside sorrow Bartok directs visitors onward with laughter while the elephant stands broken-hearted. His constant amusement creates an unsettling contrast with her confinement. Near the hidden truth He seems to serve the countess’s exhibit, but his presence places him where the elephant’s distress is most visible. His later choice will reveal that he is more than a comic attendant.

The Dream's Figures The Dream's Figures from "The Magician's Elephant". The Dream's Figures A new kind of carving Bartok dreams of carving people rather than gargoyles: a boy, a moustached man, a woman, and others.

The Dream's Figures from "The Magician's Elephant". The Dream's Figures A new kind of carving Bartok dreams of carving people rather than gargoyles: a boy, a moustached man, a woman, and others.

The Dream's Figures A new kind of carving Bartok dreams of carving people rather than gargoyles: a boy, a moustached man, a woman, and others. The figures move his attention from grotesque stonework toward human connection. Recognition in the snow When Leo Matienne suggests that Bartok might also go where he belongs, Bartok recognizes the people from his dream. His laughter gives way to attentive recognition.

The Rear of the Procession The Rear of the Procession from "The Magician's Elephant". The Rear of the Procession Leaving the assigned role Bartok joins the group that takes the elephant from the ballroom.

The Rear of the Procession from "The Magician's Elephant". The Rear of the Procession Leaving the assigned role Bartok joins the group that takes the elephant from the ballroom.

The Rear of the Procession Leaving the assigned role Bartok joins the group that takes the elephant from the ballroom. The attendant who stood behind her now chooses to move with the people trying to free her. A place among others He follows the elephant through the snow and later appears in the cathedral carving. His connection to the group replaces isolation with a shared direction.

Late summer before the elephant's arrival

After Bartok Whynn recovers

During the elephant's display in the ballroom

During the snowstorm before the escape

On the snowy journey through Baltese