The gondolier is sleazy and rude, which adds to the idea that Venice is decaying. Although the gondolier gives Aschenbach some trouble, he makes it to his hotel just fine. The weather is still gloomy and the outlook is not good.
Aschenbach gets settled in at the hotel, but he does not completely unpack because he is still worried about the inclement weather. While waiting for dinner, Aschenbach spots some polish girls and a boy of about fourteen. The girls are very stiff and plain, but the boy is dressed in bright blue. The boy's beauty and brightness stand in sharp contrast to his sister's stark plainness. Aschenbach finds the boy incredibly beautiful and he cannot help but stare at him. He compares his beauty to that of a Greek statue and finds it almost "godlike." Aschenbach sees the boy again at the beach the next mourning and finds out his name is Tadzio. Aschenbach watches Tadzio all mourning as he frolics on the beach. .
In the afternoon Aschenbach takes a trip through the city and finds himself very depressed at the gloomy weather and the tourist-trap filled city. He decides to leave Venice. He notifies the hotel of his plans and gets ready to leave. The next mourning he realizes that he does not want to leave, but having made his plans he decides to go through with them. He makes it to the dock, but he is so upset at his leaving that he actually feels physically ill. He cannot bear the thought of leaving Tadzio. Luckily his baggage was sent to the wrong location, and he uses this excuse to remain in Venice. On his way back to the hotel he feels that the weather has changed and along with it his mood. .
Aschenbach's obsession with the youth is the medium through which Mann presents his main theme of the contrast between strict intellectualism and physical passion. This contrast is seen both between Tadzio and his sisters, and between Tadzio and Aschenbach. Aschenbach is forced by his Northern European society to hide his passions and act in a cold, concise manner.
