Herr Thiessens Attitude Towards The Circus

Morgenstern further emphasises the mystery around the circus by highlighting Chandresh’s attitudes towards the process of developing it, saying that ‘I prefer that these plans be kept undisclosed’12. This secrecy demonstrates Chandresh’s belief in both the potential and power of the circus even in its ‘conceptual stages’13, and by extension his immediate connection and passion towards the circus. As well as this, the secrecy around the circus allows the reader to feel involved in the small group of people in the know, and at this point Morgenstern cleverly uses dramatic irony as the reader has more experience of the completed circus than any of the characters in the discussion. This echoes back to the first chapter and builds further on the

Morgenstern’s first description of Herr Thiessen’s reaction to the circus is his statement that ‘it glows’24, sitting alone as a fragmented sentence. This use of sentence structure shows Herr Thiessen’s shock at the beauty of the circus and appears to be an organic representation of his thoughts due to its simplicity. The word ‘glows’ has connotations of beauty and warmth, reflecting how he is drawn to it, much like a moth to a flame. This warmth links back to the feelings of community, familiarity and security established in the reader and Bailey’s first impressions of the circus, and in extending this to Herr Thiessen strengthens and develops this feeling as it appears to connect people between both different places and different times. This image of the circus glowing also contrasts with the simple black and white colour scheme of the circus, designed not to draw attention away from the feats displayed within. This potentially shows the beauty that remains even in the basic colour scheme of the circus, and that it is not as restrictive as it may first

Through Herr Thiessen, Morgenstern describes the ‘endless circles of the pathways like clockworks’25 within the circus. The word ‘endless’ suggests that the circus cannot ever be fully explored, linking to the position of the reveurs and their repeated visiting of the circus, never tiring of the adventure and atmosphere that it promises. ‘Circles’ links into the symbol of rings repeatedly used throughout the novel in relation to the shapes of the tents themselves and also as a representation of the competition between Marco and Celia, and also provides an interesting link to the handling of time, as it appears that the lives of the circus and those within it are supernaturally altered, potentially becoming ‘endless.’ As well as this, the simile of ‘pathways like clockworks’ explicitly links the layout of the circus to Herr Thiessen’s way of life, giving the impression that he feels comfortable and at home within it, as though it is actively welcoming him personally, adding to the appeal. This idea is extended through the fact that after his visit, Herr Thiessen’s memory of the circus ‘begins to have an influence on his work’26, demonstrating the beginning of the circus’ permeation into his life, which later grows to almost entirely consume him as he founds the movement of reveurs, a group of people sharing in a