Justin Spiegel

3101251

Was ist Werthers Problem?

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote Die Leiden des jungen Werthers in 1774, and the work was an instant success, skyrocketing Goethe to a status of fame throughout Europe. It was touted as a literary classic, and is still seen by many today as one of the greatest German literary works of all time. There a number of reasons for this being the case. The central character in the story is a young man named Werther, whose character was very intriguing and in some ways applicable to much of Europes younger generation of the time. The question of where the protagonists problem lies is one that is very open to discussion. It is difficult to answer because Werther is an extremely complicated character, and the novels structure makes it difficult at times to interpret who Werther really is and what problems truly feature in his character. At times Werther may simply be misunderstood, yet perhaps this is just the nature of who he is. One key problem that features in his character is that he has a very morbid outlook on life. His constant references to suicide throughout the novel, and of course his own eventual tragic fate, make this clear to the reader. He is a very sentimental person, and perhaps this is another key problem that lies within him. This feature of his character manifests itself in the form of his unrequited and arguably unhealthy love for Lotte, the unattainable woman of his dreams. Perhaps these are both features of one major problem in Werthers character, because it might be that he is simply a weak-minded person that is unable to deal with the world around him and the situation he has been faced with in life. It is important to note that establishing Werthers problem is in some respects a difficult task because of the books style and form. Werther writes letters to his close friend Wilhelm as a way of communicating the story, yet we do not as the readers see Wilhelms responses. It is left up to us to assume what these responses may be, and this makes it difficult to truly establish who Werther is. We get insight into his character via his letters, and the way in which he talks about himself and his life. However it is difficult to be clear as to how Werther thinks about Wilhelm, which I believe is an important thing to consider. Rarely does Werther show any interest in his friends life and

problems, but rather he tends to talk merely of himself. It is true that this in itself is a problem of Werther; that he is so self-centered and hence is unable to consider other peoples problems and situations. However what is relevant here is simply the reference to the novels form, and how it does cause the reader to have to assume a lot about Werther, because in truth we cant know for sure how Wilhelm is replying to him, which would tell us a lot more about Werther in light of his subsequent replies. One problem that becomes clear from very early on in the story and only strengthens throughout, right up until the tragic climax, is the incessant morbid side of Werthers character, and moreover his thoughts about suicide and death. It is a constant issue, and undoubtedly must be seen as a key feature of the problems in Werthers psyche. He sees the option of suicide as one of freedom, something that can be used to relieve oneself of problems in life or anything for that matter. It is not however merely a general belief for Werther. The nature of who he is manifests itself in an almost fateful belief that he himself will one day take his own life. On August 30 1771 Werther is telling Wilhelm about Lotte and how he feels after having been with her. The first morbid comment in this entry is when he says mirs dster vor den Augen wird, ich kaum was noch hre, und michs an die Gurgel fast, wie ein Meuchelmrder. However it is the final sentence of this entry that provides more of an insight into the suicidal nature of Werthers thoughts. He says Ich she all dieses Elends kein Ende als das Grab. The connotations of such a comment are undoubtedly suicide related. His claims that he cannot deal with the situation around him, whereby he cannot be with Lotte who he so dearly loves, seem to result in an eventual suicide. This is clearly a feature of Werthers mental weakness, and moreover the problem that suicide is incessant in his belief system. This problem further manifests itself further on March 16 1772. Over time the situation has only worsened for Werther in his own mind, and statements with suicidal connotations turn into seriously morbid statements of direct thoughts about suicide. In this instance Werther says Wenn ich Blut she wrde mirs besser werden. Ach ich hab hundertmal ein Messer ergriffen, um diesem gedrngten Herzen Luft zu machen........ich mchte mir eine Ader fnen, die mir die ewige Freyheit schaffte. It is clear from this statement how big a problem Werther possesses in the form of a weak state of mind, manifesting itself in thoughts about suicide. In the years following the publication of Das

Leiden des jungen Werthers suicide rates increased across Europe; in fact it became so fashionable that government action had to be taken against it in St Petersburg and London (Van Abb 1972). What this shows is that perhaps Werthers problems were understandable to an extent, because it would seem from this fact that many members of the younger generation in that era suffered as Werther did and had the same problems in dealing with it. However this does not take focus away from the fact in itself that Werther did have problems, and they were in the form of suicidal feelings and morbid thoughts. It was not only in the form of suicide that Werthers morbid attitude to life was seen. There were instances in the novel when Werther talks about other peoples deaths, or at least the potential of them. One such instance occurs on August 21 1771, when he says Wenn ich mich so in Trumen verliehre, kann ich mich des Gedankens nicht erwehren: Wie, wenn Albert strbe! Werthers relationship throughout the course of the story does fluctuate, though it never seems likely that he would really want the storys antagonist dead. This statement occurs quite late on in the novel however, and by this point Werther is clearly a lot further gone in terms of his emotional downward spiral, so the thought does enter his thoughts. It occurs only because it is possible, in the sense that Werther would not even have thought or moreover have written it down if his mind were not willing to think of such a thing. Hence it is clear that Werther does have problems in terms of his morbid thoughts, and its move to the death of others rather than suicide renders the further emergence of this incessant problem evident. Of course the eventual suicide of Werther is a final insight into this key problem in the psyche of his character. Perhaps what makes it the clearest is that he has no qualms about taking his own life, it just seems to be the natural progression for him. He makes this clear in his suicide note, which is a final stand by Werther, a way of communicating all of his final thoughts with Lotte, whom he finally accepts he cannot be with, at least not in this life. An excerpt from his suicide note which shows his disregard for the confusion usually associated with the process is when he says Hier Lotte! Ich schaudere nicht den kalten schrklichen Kelch zu fassen, aus dem ich den Taumel des Todes trinken soll!. He is clearly not in any way worried about taking his own life, and it seems as if he is largely at ease with it. He talks about trivial things such as his clothes and die Deichelsterne des Wagens, his favourite star. This is final evidence of one of Werthers

major problems. Morbidity and suicide any else relating to death does not faze him, rather it is a feature of his personality. This can only be viewed as a problem with his character, and a major one at that, given that it leads directly to his tragic death. There is another key character feature that can be viewed as a problem of Werther. It begins with the fact that he is a hopeless romantic. It is true that this need not necessarily be a character flaw, and in the majority of cases it is often a positive thing. However Werther struggles to deal with this, and particularly the manner in which it manifests itself when it comes to Lotte. Werther meets Lotte by chance, but instantaneously falls in love with her. She too likes him, however it seems that her feelings are not quite as strong as his are. At any rate she is engaged to Albert, so it is unlikely to result in any official return of the feelings. This process perpetuates itself throughout the story until the point where Werthers feelings for Lotte can indeed be interpreted a problem. He seems unable to get over these feelings, no matter what he does. A perfect opportunity was there when he took the job as an envoy, however issues with his bourgeois background prevent this from being a success. Ultimately he commits suicide, in response to a failed final attempt to be with Lotte. This can only be seen as a signal of exactly how big a problem this unrequited love is. The concept of love is one that is clearly very important to Werther. Naturally the extent he goes to for Lotte and love shows how important it is to him, but it is his general demeanor that shows this. On August 15 1771 Werther says Es ist doch gewiss, dass in der Welt den Menschen nichts nothwendig macht als die Liebe. This is a clear indication of how he feels about romanticism and love. He models everything on this strong belief in the power and importance of love. It many people it would be an admirable quality, though in Werther it seems to bring about his downfall. He feels this way about Lotte, and that she does not feel the same way about him is destined to have only negative effects on him. It is indeed Werthers problem, not only that he feels his way about her, but that he cannot move on and forget about her and his feelings. Surely he is simply weak minded in some respects, and this is in the more general sense where the problems in the psyche of his character exist. The two problems which have been outlined are those of Werthers morbid outlook on life and his inability to give up his unrequited feelings for Lotte. These

problems are a feature of a larger, more general problem, that has already been mentioned a couple of times. Werther has a weak mind, and he cannot deal with problems that many other people have been able to deal with not only at the time of the novels writing, but in any period of time before or after Goethe wrote it. This is relevant because Die Leiden des jungen Werthers is a literary classic and its effect on Europe at the time of its writing and even across the world post-1800 was undoubtedly widespread. Many people followed Werthers lead, as mentioned earlier, however many more would have simply viewed the character of Werther as a weak minded one. It is unlikely that Werther is the only person ever to have loved someone who did not feel the same way. The fact that he cannot deal with this is specific to his character and accompanied with an ever-present morbid attitude to himself and those around him results in his tragic ending. It occurs because he is weak to deal with problems that a stronger minded person could have much more aptly dealt with. Hence in direct response to the question of what Werthers problem is, the most general yet specific answer that can be given is that he is a person with a weak minded character, and is hence unable to deal with the unfortunate situation that he finds himself in. It stands to reason that the literary classic that Die Leiden des jungen Werthers is, is one of the great works of the post-Enlightenment era. It details a complicated yet fascinating character in Werther, who the reader becomes involved with via his letters to Wilhelm. It is a story written by a writer whose own life heavily influenced the plot of this story, in Goethe. And we are left to ponder upon what happened to Werther when he takes his own life at the end, as a seemingly talented individual was brought down by an unfortunate chain of events that he was unable to deal with. He was certainly morbid from the outset, and this is clear through several things he writes. As time progresses, it becomes clear that his morbid outlook on life also takes the form of suicidal behaviour. He then takes his own life, and it becomes clear that this problem was indeed a fatal one. His love for Lotte is undying, but since it is also unrequited, he struggles to really deal with the emotional anguish it provides. This is the direct trigger for his suicide, so it cannot be doubted that these feelings are a problem. It can all be summarized in my opinion with the statement that Werther is merely a weak minded person. He is unable to deal with his situation because of this, and eventually commits suicide. It is tragic, and

the average reader would likely feel for him. At any rate one thing about this literary classic is clear; the protagonist in Werther is a fascinating character, but his problem lies in the tragic fact that he is an emotionally weak character that is unable to deal with his unfortunate situation.

References
Goethe, J.W. 1774. Die Leiden des jungen Werthers. Deutcher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co, KG, Mnchen 1997. Van Abb, D. 1972. Goethe: New Perspectives on a Write and his Time. London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd. Wagner, I. 1999. Goethe: Zugnge zum Werk. Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH, Reinbek bei Hamburg. Wahler, B. 2001. Goethe: The Sorrows of Young Werther. Literature at Werthers World, in: http://www.fortunecity.de/lindenpark/goethe/1/werthere.htm.