Thank you for the quote, Ishmael! I've never been sure what to make of the hurdy-gurdy man, though. It always seemed to me as if Winterreise's protagonist becomes so alienated from society that he accepts the Leiermann's state of complete forsakenness and goes off with him.
Absolutely brilliant connection between the hat symbolism and the hurdy-gurdy player at the end of Winter Journey! The idea that transformation requires not turning back, that once we put on the stranger's hat we become different people, really hits home. I remember when I left my hometown for college and realized I could never quite fit back into my old life the same way. The image of the hurdy-gurdy player continuing to crank despite everything kinda reminds us that staying grounded in reality is its own form of spirtual practice, dunno if that makes sense but it's what stuck with me.
Thank you for the quote, Ishmael! I've never been sure what to make of the hurdy-gurdy man, though. It always seemed to me as if Winterreise's protagonist becomes so alienated from society that he accepts the Leiermann's state of complete forsakenness and goes off with him.
Thank YOU so much, Julia!
Absolutely brilliant connection between the hat symbolism and the hurdy-gurdy player at the end of Winter Journey! The idea that transformation requires not turning back, that once we put on the stranger's hat we become different people, really hits home. I remember when I left my hometown for college and realized I could never quite fit back into my old life the same way. The image of the hurdy-gurdy player continuing to crank despite everything kinda reminds us that staying grounded in reality is its own form of spirtual practice, dunno if that makes sense but it's what stuck with me.
Thank you so much! What you say makes complete sense. An essay is like a message in a bottle; I’m so happy you’ve received it!