We are happiest under the influence of innocent delusions.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, The Sorrows of Young Werther
Author: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
I once heard one commented upon knowing Werther’s fate: “what an epic whining of an inexperienced youngster!” It then dawned on me if I didn’t read the book before I feel too old or too embarrassed to appreciate the sentiment of young love, I might never want to read it.
This little piece of Goethe’s self-disguised confession probably resonates most with young adults (me, although I wouldn’t say I have related to anything!). Werther’s letters are basically what being ‘young’ seems to be about: feeling that strong pang of love, thinking one’s world views are the best views, and experiencing a lot of intense emotions. On top of it the young also laughs and cries for the world, reprimands injustice, and appreciates fair summer nights…my oh my! Everything is so enlarged and dramatised. For older, experienced readers, I certainly see this a book to mock at, especially if they are cynical. What’s the point of all these outcry and frustration for unrequited love? The sorrow of goodbyes could have been easily saved from adopting a more realistic approach to life.
However, the contradiction between a rational and a romantic mind is what makes the book somehow fun to read. For example, in debating the suicide of a girl who died for a heartbreak, Werther defended her in passion. “Human nature,” he said, “has its limits. It is able to endure a certain degree of joy, sorrow, and pain, but becomes annihilated as soon as this measure is exceeded.” He thought that love is something indispensable: when it brings nothing but desperation, it becomes something worth sacrificing one’s life for. While in stark contrast, Albert dismissed this idea, chastising, “the foolish girl, she should have waited; she should have allowed time to wear off the impression; her despair would have been softened, and she would have found another lover to comfort her…The fool, to die of a fever? Why did he not wait till his strength was restored, till his blood became calm? all would then have gone well, and he would have been alive now.”
In my opinion, we have to be Albert in real life. But this story is not meant to preach a moral. In teasing Albert’s rationality, Goethe cemented a spirit that values an emotive appreciation of life, something we all need.
Siming Lan 