Handbook of German - Literature review Example

Theme in Manon Lescaut, The Sorrows of Young Werther & Silas Marner Roll No: Teacher: 21st October 2008 University  Theme of Class in Manon Lescaut, The Sorrows of Young Werther and Silas Marner Manon Lescaut, The Sorrows of Young Werther and Silas Marner are influential novels by three great writers, Antoine Francois Prevost, Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe and George Eliot. All the three novels can be judged by the theme of class that is quite understandable and clear in all the three works. Class is dealt as a phenomenon that is predominant in all kinds of societies by the three authors. “Manon Lescaut” describes class as the most important theme that destructs the lives of two lovers who are unable to marry each other on the basis of their class differences. The story of their destruction started from their elopement, which was decided because Manon was not accepted by Des Grieux’s father. On the other hand, “The Sorrows of young Werther” indicate class as a burden for Werther, who is unable to endure the difficulties of class. Werther develops a love for simplicity for peasants and likes their class. He is unable to endure the snobbishness of his own and upper classes. As far as “Silas Marner” is concerned, class is depicted by means of physical locations. The home of Silas Marner is the lowliest place while the home of Godfrey Cass is the highest place of the locality but in spite of all the riches, the wife of Godfrey is jealous of Silas and Eppie because she is unable to bear a child. All the three novels take class with a different perspective but all their perspectives are persuasive and influential in different places. The theme of class id dealt differently in each writing. Class is a reality that is considered differently by all the three writers. The novel, Manon Lescaut, takes the theme of love and combines it to the theme of class. The example of class based society can be taken from the incident when Des Grieux has to make a decision to elope in order to marry his beloved, who belongs to a lower class family. Manon Lescaut is a story of a lover who leaves his noble and landed family because of his beloved. The protagonist of the novel le Chevalier Des Grieux belongs to a noble and rich family and his father keeps higher hopes with his son but with the passage of time, Des Grieux’s father is disappointed as Des Grieux elopes with her beloved, Manon Lescaut. At various occasions in the novel, there are indications of Manon Lescaut’s intention of leaving Des Grieux because of his lack of money (Arnold 1981). He belonged to a noble class but with the passage of time, he is unable to maintain his social status because he has left his hereditary wealth for his beloved, who was unacceptable by Des Grieux’s father. In their journey towards some peaceful location, they reach New Orleans, where they find some tranquility of mind as ther are no problems of class differences. They do not have to withstand any pressure regarding class and society in New Orleans (Arnold 1981). While living in New Orleans, they reveal their status as unmarried after which, Des Grieux involves in a riot with Manon’s suitor after which, they escape from there due to which, Manon dies because she is unable to endure the difficulties of journeying. Manon has to face death because of the class difference that is considered supreme by Des Grieux’s father. The novel is of 18th century and depicts the way classes behave in that period of time. The end to which, both the main characters reach is only because of class difference (Arnold 1981). If they belonged to the same class, there would have been no problems with their marriage and unity. The novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther indicates the theme of class with the decisions that Werther take. For example, Werther is unable to continue his job as a court official not because of any other reason but because, he is unable to endure the snobbish manner with which, he is dealt. He is happy with his life when he is with peasants and he shows an excitement in his description of his incidents with the peasants that indicate his association to the lower classes of society (Phillips 1895). Werther likes simplicity and naivety of peasants. He considers himself higher than them but he enjoys their company. He also likes a patriarchal society just as the peasants have but he is dependent on his mother for his expenditures, so, he regards himself as parted from wholly patriarchal society. When he is in the parties of higher classes, he is discomforted because of the snobbish attitudes of people (Phillips 1895). His return to Wahlheim not only indicates his overwhelming love for Lotte but his association to a simple life. In Wahlheim, there are no superior class nobles to disturb him and to make him tense because of their presence along with their snobbish behaviors towards life and society (Phillips 1895). He is bored from the snobbish courtly life. It seems that Werther is not only upset because of his belonging to a bourgeois class but also because of his lack of simplicity that he sees in the peasants (Phillips 1895). His sorrows include not only his unrequited love for Lotte but also his belonging to a higher class to which, he appears as an outsider. To get away from Lotte, he adopts a higher society but he is unable to continue with it because of his lack of belonging to this society. He feels himself humiliated at different junctures because he is not considered worthy at all occasions (Phillips 1895). He also considers that he is treated justly everywhere. His suicide not only indicates towards his failure of love but also his adjustment in a class based society. Silas Marner, also indicates towards class but its relation to class is somehow different. In Silas Marner, the class differences are shown clearly. The location where Silas and Eppie live is the stumpiest place while the Raveloe’s residence is in the neighborhood of Silas’s place but it is the richest one. The protagonists around which, the story revolve that are Silas Marner and Godfrey Cass. Silas Marner’s represents the stumpiest class while Godfrey Cass indicates towards the richest class (Holloway 1965). Eppie is a squire’s daughter and gets a chance to live in Godfrey’s noble house as an adopted child but she prefers to live with Silas in place of Godfrey. Godfrey marries a woman from lower class and they are unable to get a child of their own. Godfrey is a person of higher class but he is at the clemency of his lower class wife who is dominant and shows jealousy towards Silas and her daughter, Eppie (Holloway 1965). The jealousy is not because of their class or status but because, Godfrey’s wife is unable to get a child herself (Holloway 1965). At some places in the novel, there are clear indications of class differences such as the church where there are specific seats for different classes. Overall, it is that in spite of the higher class of Raveloes, they are unable to get the happiness of a child, which is enjoyed by Silas Marner who belongs to lower class. In Eliot’s novel, people are not able to buy happiness from their wealth (Holloway 1965). At the end of the story, it is revealed that Godfrey who thinks that he owns Silas Marner’s house is in fact his debtor. After describing the mentioning of the theme of class by the writers, Antoine Francois Prevost, Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe and George Eliot in their works, Manon Lescaut, The Sorrows of Young Werther and Silas Marner, it is quite evident and comprehensive that the theme of class is dealt differently by all of them. Class is a reality that affects the lives of people and its effect on people’s lives is described in a diverse manner by all the three writers. For Antoine Francois Prevost, class difference can bring in destruction in one’s life as is depicted in the novel, Manon Lescaut. For Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, class can pressurize the living pattern of an individual by means of its practitioners, which means that class can affect a person’s life negatively. For George Eliot, class is there and the fact related to existence of class cannot be negated but according to her, class cannot give happiness to a human being. Therefore, every writer analyzed class through his/her own perspective and presented it through his/her stories that are considered significant by readers. Works Cited Arnold, L. Weinstein, Fictions of the self, 1550-1800. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1981. Von Goethe, Johann Wolfgang. The Sorrows of Young Werther. Translated by Carlyle, Thomas and Boylan, R. Dillon. Dover Publications, 2002. Eliot, George. Silas Marner. Virginia: University of Virginia, 1885. Holloway, John. The Victorian Sage: Studies in Argument. New York: Norton and Company, 1965. Mylne, Vivienne. Prevost : Manon Lescaut. London: Edward Arnold, 1972. Phillips, Mary Elizabeth. "A Handbook of German Literature". Chicago: George Bell and Sons, 1895. Read More