In a garden of feelings

V. Admirers and others

Considering that illness is at one extreme and health is at the other, it is necessary to mention two characters who turn out to be, if not the most efficient, then certainly spectacularly moving in the direction of life satisfaction, which in itself is more valuable for the psyche than life in a cage of conventions: Pantaleon Kwiatowski/Kwiatkowski and Cyprian Karłowski. From the outset, they were portrayed as characters with uncertain characterological or ethical status: the former a mad poet, the latter a reveller devoid of moral standards. Pantaleon, also known as Konwalius, seems to be lost in madness. He is so absorbed in writing poetry and pursuing the illusion of fame that he fails to see the virtues of the world around him and other people—apart from the beautiful Lady Kameleon—who are truly remarkable. His stability of views, however, is impressive. He decides to leave Warsaw because “the publishers there refused to print the thirty thousand poems he had composed. And while saying this, he kept repeating: ‘The human race is heading towards decline, because divine poetry has ceased to be its mother and nurse…’” (part II, Epilogue). He remains a type of Romantic bard who recognizes the poet’s divine calling, does not judge others, and does not try to live a double life. Could it be that poetry’s saving function saved him from madness?

Cyprian Karłowski, on the other hand—a lover known not only in Warsaw but also throughout much of Europe, leading a dissolute lifestyle at his parents’ expense—proves capable of authentic, pure love. Moreover, he is the only one who foresees that a sudden feeling could have cruel consequences in the life of his friend Lucjan. This worldview and the possibility of changing one’s fate are surprising, yet positive. Karłowski, who fell in love with Warska with a pure love and was able to forgive her, and ultimately builds a real life with someone else, defies the principles of determinism. This characterization demonstrates that one can control one’s own destiny, regardless of conventions and social opinion. Cyprian is therefore healthy and saves his own life.