The
concept of what is "real" and what is not has plagued and delighted
man transcendently from past, and will continue to do so after the present.
In this "high-tech" day-and-age, we have conformed to believe that
what we call technology is in fact "real"; that the flickering images
on our televisions are caused by definable means, that the processes completed
by computers have more to due with science than with the enchanted. An indication
of the flirtation with conflicting forces brings the words of a theater manager
in “Eisenheim the Illusionist”:
“Life and death. Space and time. Fate and
chance. Theses are the forces of the universe. Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, I
present to you a man who has unlocked these mysteries. From the furthest
corners of the world where the dark arts still hold sway he returns to us to
demonstrate how nature's laws may be bent. I give you Eisenheim!”
Our highly specialized minds have
taken away from us the spark of imagination and the wonder we once each
possessed as a child. In Steven Millhauser's short story "Eisenheim
the Illusionist" part of his collection The Barnum Museum, the
childlike quality has returned. As Eisenheim's character is revealed to
the reader, the line between reality and fantasy entwine more and more until
that line no longer exists.
Steven
Millhausers short story, “Eisenheim the Illusionist” also known as “The
Illusionist” has an almost academic tone to it, as its narrator refers to old
eyewitness accounts of Eisenheim and his performances (from critics, audience
members, neighbors, et al.). The narrator’s acknowledgment of his uncertainty
lets us trust him more: aren’t we more inclined to believe a person who appears
to present us with the facts, rather than a clod declaiming his own
interpretations as fact? But Millhauser’s direct language also lends
credence to the most farfetched ideas:
“Some
said that Eisenheim had created an illusory Eisenheim from the first day of the
new century; others said that the Master had gradually grown illusory from
trafficking with illusions.”
Eduard Abramowitz, Eisenheim's given name,
is born halfway through the nineteenth century to a talented
cabinetmaker. Well on the way to becoming a craftsman himself, fate
intervenes in the form of a traveling magician, mystifying young Eduard and
subsequently awaking Eisenheim into existence. The boy begins to drift
more toward magic and illusion, practicing new talents and exercising old
ones. He combines his talent for crafting with his desire for magic to
create devices for illusions; such as "A small beechwood box, with its
secret panel, was able to withstand the most minute
examination"(216). In his early twenties, Eisenheim appears in more
and more private appearances until one day, "As if suddenly, Eisenheim
appeared at a theater in Vienna"(217). This marks the beginning of
the transformation of Eisenheim. Until now, Eisenheim had been a
cabinetmaker performing tricks on the side. He now is to be a full-time
magician.
Once
in Vienna, Eisenheim begins focusing solely on his art. As with any
profession, he has to pay his dues. In this case, he begins to imitate
variations of already prominent acts, except Eisenheim always has to do
something bigger. "It was clear that the restless young magician
would not be content with producing clever variations of familiar tricks"
(219). Eisenheim, now including original illusions in his act, emerges at
the forefront of magic. His act begins to take on dark
characteristics. The illusions he produces himself include "The
Tower of Babel," "The Satanic Crystal Ball," and "The Book
of Demons" (221). In one original trick, "The Pied Piper of
Hamelin," where Eisenheim leads children from the audience to a cavern,
only to have them reappear in a black chest, "a frightened child told his
mother that he had been in hell and seen the devil"(221-222). This
begins the second change in Eisenheim. He has now become a powerful
magician of whom it has been said, "that Eisenheim was not a showman at
all, but a wizard who had sold his soul to the devil in return for unholy
powers" (220). At this point the reader is challenged whether to
think that Eisenheim is merely a talented and convincing illusionist or if he
had in fact allowed the "supernatural" into the story.
The
next change occurring to Eisenheim comes at the appearance of a worthy
rival. Ernst Passauer is the name given to the magician who threatens
Eisenheim's stranglehold on the elite magic world. Both men thrive beyond
normal expectations of the day. "It was as if the two of them had
outsoared the confines of the magician's art and existed in some new realm of
dexterous wonder, of sinister beauty" (223). With each man performing
at the same venue, the inevitable rivalry comes to a boiling point during what
would become Passauer's final performance. That night, after a
performance of "frightening brilliance," Passauer begins to make the
contents of the stage disappear. Once everything has vanished, "he
burst out into a demonic laugh, and reaching up to his face he tore off a
rubber mask and revealed himself to be Eisenheim" (225). Now the
story has shifted. What is the reader to believe as "reality"?
The tone of the story has shifted none, and yet the reader who believably is
reading an account of a magician is thrown a fantastical situation. The
realm of magic that Eisenheim lives in has seeped into the context of the
story, blurring what's "real" and what's not in the mind of the
reader.
The
twist that the story takes on next is nothing less than inexplicable.
After a yearlong sabbatical, Eisenheim returns again to performing for
people. His new illusion, however, nobody is prepared for.
Eisenheim sits alone on a stage blemished only by a wooden chair and a small
glass table. The illusionist takes his seat, "leaning forward
slightly and appearing to concentrate with terrific force" (227).
After a time, the space in front of him begins to blur, until he has, presumably,
created a small black box. The box, upon inspection by an audience
member, does not have any physical properties, other than it can be seen.
Eisenheim then proceeds to create a ball and a wand, each with the same
unlikely characteristics as the box. Eisenheim's following performances
continue to defy explanation as he conjures into existence images, his most
popular being Elis and Rosa who, of course, become friends (233). At this
point, Eisenheim's shows consist of him in deep concentration while these
masses appear and interact with the audience. As the story states that
these images can find no explanation, "reality" has become one with
illusion. If the reader is to take this story in as an account of a
renowned magician, then he/she has to believe the progression of Eisenheim from
master illusionist to manipulator of reality.
The
final act and transformation of Eisenheim proves to be the most
enigmatic. While the plot of the story thickens, Eisenheim comes
into conflict with the watchful eye of Viennese Chief of Police, Walther
Uhl. "The official reason given for the arrest of the Master
[Eisenheim], and the seizure of his theater, was the disturbance of public
order" (234). The night of the organized arrest comes and twelve
uniformed policemen where in attendance of the show. Eisenheim begins his
show as he would any other night, but when he invokes Rosa into existence, the
police make their move. The policemen make their way to the stage where
they pause (out of respect, or fear?). When Eisenheim neglects to get up,
Police Chief Uhl goes to grab him by the shoulder. "That was when it
happened: his hand fell through Eisenheim's shoulder" (235).
Eisenheim then turns to the audience, bows and begins "his unthinkable
final act: bending the black flame of his gaze inward . . . Wavering, slowly
fading, he stood dark and unmoving there" (236). Eventually,
Eisenheim is no more.
Little
is known of the magician Eisenheim’s origins, other than that he is the product
of the late Austro-Hungarian Empire and its appetite for stage magic. As with
every character-related story, the character goes through a change, development
or transformation. In the case of "Eisenheim the Illusionist,"
he simply grows dark and ceases to be. Who began as a cabinetmaker's son
transformed into a magician, who transformed into an awe-inspiring manipulator
of minds, who vanished his atoms from existence. As Eisenheim grew into
his magic, he needed constant competition. When he outgrew his
competition, he created his own. When he outgrew himself as a magician,
he was no more. In this amazing story, Millhauser creates a character
that transcends his own mind and being. Is the illusion in the disappearance of
Eisenheim, or in the creating of Eisenheim?
References
Ingersoll, Earl G. "Film Magic: Neil
Burger's Film The Illusionist And Steven Millhauser's Short Story
"Eisenheim The Illusionist." Latch: A Journal For The Study Of The
Literary Artifacts In Theory, Culture Or History 4.(2011): 89-109. Humanities
International Complete. Web. 1 July 2013.
Millhauser, Steven. Eisenheim the
Illusionist. New York City: Poseidon Press, 1990. Print.
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