Ferdinand Wehsal Character Analysis in The Magic Mountain

Ferdinand Wehsal is a merchant from Mannheim who becomes a resident at the Berghof. Hans finds Wehsal’s gloomy, self-deprecating disposition rather pathetic. Wehsal has a crush on Clavdia Chauchat (which also annoys Hans), though he never approaches her, opting to stare at her from afar and lament his lovesickness instead. He becomes one of Hans’s closest acquaintances at the Berghof after Joachim’s death, and he and Anton Ferge frequently join Hans when he visits Settembrini and Naphta.

Ferdinand Wehsal Character Timeline in The Magic Mountain

The timeline below shows where the character Ferdinand Wehsal appears in The Magic Mountain. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...table. Hans is friendliest with A. K. Ferge (the “martyr” from St. Petersburg) and Ferdinand Wehsal, a merchant from Mannheim who would constantly stare at Clavdia. (full context)

Hans finds Wehsal rather pathetic. He poses inane questions to his dining companions, asking them, for instance, whether... (full context)

...to the man’s living quarters. He thinks Naphta’s backstory is honorable and encourages Ferge and Wehsal, who accompany him, to think so too, though Wehsal thinks it’s rather unfortunate that Naphta’s... (full context)

One day around Christmas, Hans, Naphta, Settembrini, Ferge, and Wehsal are all walking through town when they start arguing about health and sickness. The conversation... (full context)

...phrases they toss back and forth, the more confused Hans gets—and the more Ferge and Wehsal lose interest. Eventually, they part ways with Settembrini and Naphta at their lodging house and... (full context)

Abstract Ideals vs. Lived Experience Theme Icon

...Settembrini and Naphta engage in a very public altercation outside, which Hans, Joachim, Ferge, and Wehsal witness. The altercation takes place in front of the Kurhaus. The four Berghof boys are... (full context)

...off and find some friends to join them. Hans goes upstairs and rounds up Ferge, Wehsal, and Herr Albin. He also gets Frau Stöhr, Fräulein Kleefeld, and the Magnuses. Clavdia and... (full context)

From that point forward, Hans sits and listens to Peeperkorn talk. Sometimes, Wehsal and Ferge accompany him to Peeperkorn’s room, as do Settembrini and Naphta. Hans is glad... (full context)

...a waterfall in the forests of the Flüela Valley, located about an hour’s drive away. Wehsal and Ferge join Hans, Peeperkorn, and Clavdia, and the group takes two carriages. Clavdia, Ferge,... (full context)

Clavdia, as she climbs into the first carriage, flashes a pitying smile at Hans, which Wehsal notices and teases Hans about. Hans accuses Wehsal of being cruel because of his own... (full context)

...their lodging house. Naphta joins Clavdia, Ferge, and Peeperkorn’s carriage while Settembrini joins Hans and Wehsal’s, and then the party continues on its way. The drive into the mountain forests is... (full context)

One February afternoon, Hans, Ferge, Wehsal, Settembrini, and Naphta meet up and take a sleigh ride to Monstein. It’s a beautiful,... (full context)

After Naphta has left, Wehsal asks Settembrini if he actually plans to accept Naphta’s challenge. Settembrini, though he does not... (full context)

...be five paces apart and will be allotted three shots. Settembrini accepts these rules, but Wehsal—his second—is horrified. Because nobody involved actually owns a pistol, they borrow them from Herr Albin,... (full context)

...night before and feels awful. His teeth chatter in the cold air as he, Ferge, Wehsal, and Settembrini make their way to the meadow. Suddenly, Settembrini stops, places his hand on... (full context)