Supersense In Thomas Mann's Marioian

In “Mario and the Magician”, the audience members’ choice to be hypnotized is an illustration of how people choose to submit to the supersense of Totalitarian regimes. Elisabeth Young-Bruehl, explaining Hannah Arendt’s thinking, argues that Totalitarian regimes construct a fictitious reality, the “supersense.” Similarly, Cipolla creates a false reality when he hypnotizes the audience members. It is evident that Cipolla does not possess magic powers, but rather Mann is highlighting the audience members’ eagerness to give in to a false reality that is akin to a Totalitarian “supersense.” The audience members’ active choice to relinquish their freedom demonstrates the overwhelming allure of the security promised by a pre-defined “truth.” The “supersense” that Cipolla evokes provides an appealing, simplistic, and idealistic perception of reality like that provided by the supersense of a Totalitarian power. When Cipolla is hypnotizing an audience member, the narrator states,
“Up there we could see his face as he “enjoyed” himself; it was clothed in a broad grin and the eyes were half shut. In a way, it was consoling to see that he was having a better time than he had in the hour of his pride” (Mann 171). Though initially reluctant, the audience member finally gives into …show more content…
However, as I began to truly think deeper about the characteristics of a Totalitarian regime, I saw a direct connection between Cipolla’s hypnosis and the “supersense.” Examining the concept of the “supersense” reminds me of present day. In politics today, there are many instances in which an artificial truth is defined in an effort to determine an external enemy. For example, false generalizations and stereotypes are assigned to immigrants to target them as a common enemy. Overall, creating a “supersense” is an essential aspect in Totalitarian