Mr. Henry Lang and Lit One – Period 8 30 October 2016 How Homosexuals are represented inDeath in Venice How and why is a social group represented in a particular way? In Thomas Mann’sDeath in Venice, set in early 20th century Venice portrays homosexuals as incompatible, strange, misunderstood individuals. Through the characterization of Aschenbach the audience gets a sense of how gays used to carry themselves in a society during the time of the story. During the early 20th century, someone being homosexual was out of the ordinary and perceived as wrong and immoral. This being the case, it was very difficult for gays to be themselves around people because they were socially “unacceptable”. The portrayal of homosexuals inDeath in Veniceis mainly portrayed through the description of Aschenbach’s “relationship” with Tadzio.
