The Sorrows of Young Werther by Goethe
Tiffany Xue, 9th Grade
TW: Mention of suicide.
As a Hunter student with a busy schedule, I tend to cherish every moment of freedom I get, but Werther, the titular character of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther, happens to disagree: "Most people spend the greatest part of their time working in order to live, and what little freedom remains so fills them with fear that they seek out any and every means to be rid of it." Whether or not this is true is left to the reader's interpretation, but Werther's attitude undoubtedly sets the stage for an exhilarating tale.
Werther's character is the driving force behind a wonderful novel, which I would fully recommend to anyone looking for an unconventional historical drama. His story is a sorrowful one that details the implications of an infatuation taken too far. With morally grey characters and emotions that trump logic, Goethe craftily weaves a delightful twist to the common trope of forbidden love.
The novel is framed as Werther's diary from 1771-1772, and Werther journals his life in a dramatic fashion, with lots of exclamations, rhetorical questions, and pauses. He is a free-spirited character who sees no harm in following one's heart, even if it means defying common sense. From the beginning, it is obvious that this nature is his fatal flaw. His philosophical way of thinking helps him not. Goethe beautifully illustrates how Werther's emotions dictate his actions through vivid descriptions of his thoughts: "I am proud of my heart alone, it is the sole source of everything, all our strength, happiness and misery. All the knowledge I possess everyone else can acquire, but my heart is all my own."
By stark contrast, Lottie, the married girl whom Werther falls for, is propelled by her wits. She does not allow the beginning of her affair with Werther to escalate. Upon seeing such drastically different characters, I did not know which one to sympathize with more: the pining Werther, or the self-restrained Lottie. At a certain point, the characters step out of Goethe's world-they become real-life, relatable people. However, while the characters are enticing and well-formed on their own, what makes The Sorrows of Young Werther so worthy of being called a classic is the unconventional drive of the story.
Much of the book deals with Werther's deteriorating mental health, and given the first person perspective, the reader gets a first-hand account of his onsetting insanity. Goethe effectively documents the lack of mental care during the eighteenth century. Werther, if he had been transparent about his rapidly failing health, would have been labeled a "lunatic." Care for the mentally ill consisted of prisons and other medical treatments that we now consider outdated, including bloodletting and purgatives. As an individual with a strong sense of freedom and self-expression, Werther cannot possibly fit into this environment. While he seems all right on the outside, he is unable to identify with anyone in particular-resulting in immense internal angst. Interestingly, Goethe wrote this book around the same time the events are set-evidently, societal prejudice did not imprint on him, as his thinking about mental health was massively ahead of his time.
Goethe shines further as he conveys the angst-ridden character of Werther; when I read the book, I was astounded at the depth in which Werther's descent into suicidal depression was described. Goethe's use of foreshadowing made Werther's downfall no surprise, but it was shocking nonetheless. The line between sanity and insanity increasingly blurred as I read, feeling as if I was Werther himself-Goethe manages to make each description so heartfelt that it is impossible not to experience Werther's emotions.
Due to his voicing of ideas and content considered radical at the time, it's no wonder why Goethe's novel instantly turned him into a celebrity. Published in 1774, the book went on to influence the Romanticism movement, a direct reflection of Werther's values: emotional expression and individuality. Prior to the publishing of The Sorrows of Young Werther, society was very hard-set in formality and homogeneity; individuals like Werther, who did not align with societal values, were often driven to madness. Given its monumental position in transitioning between artistic periods and bringing awareness to self-expression, Goethe's novel most definitely deserves its acclaim.
Werther's story is one that would be utterly inconsequential if not shared with others-Goethe's purpose was to shine light on the need for self-expression as a societal issue. As Werther says, "Nothing is more dangerous than solitude."