Analysis Of Controvercial Issues About Goethe’S Faust Part 1
Johannes Wolfgang Von Goethe’s Faust Part 1 is one of the most critically acclaimed works of literature, and rightfully so. Goethe wrestles with difficult philosophical and religious concepts in a transitioning world, making his work modern for its time. Goethe creates a world of constant action and, even today, one can see the modernity of the ideas represented in the work itself. Goethe presents these difficult issues, such as ideas about human nature and mankind’s relationship with the natural and spiritual worlds, through Faust himself and has Faust struggle with these ideas and wrestle with them in his mind. Faust’s dilemmas and struggles in Goethe’s poem are still issues debated among philosophical and religious thinkers alike today.
In Faust Part 1, Goethe creates a beginning like the book of Job, allows Faust to be tested by the devil himself, and creates a character that is representative of Goethe’s view of human nature. The combination of these three elements raises a few questions. Is Goethe’s “Prologue in Heaven” really like chapter one in the book of Job? Is part of human nature to continually strive for something better? And why does God allow Mephistopheles to tempt Faust? Many sources compare the beginning of Faust to the beginning of the book of Job in the Bible, but are the stories similar? To argue that there are no similarities between the book of Job and Goethe’s “Prologue in Heaven” would be a farce. Readers can clearly see similarities in both texts. For instance, in both texts, there is a conversation between God and the devil about a specific one of God’s creations. In the book of Job, the archangels and Satan approach God and have a conversation. God and Satan have a conversation about Job and how he is a devout follower of God. Job chapter 1, verse 8 says, “Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. ” God specifically points out Job because he is a devout follower and God has faith that his devout follower will not stray from his teachings. Goethe paints a similar picture in his story of Faust. The three archangels are praising God’s creation (Earth) except for Mephistopheles, who is degrading his creation. God then specifically names Faust to Mephistopheles after his comment about pitying humans. The Lord says, “He serves me, but still serves me in confusion; I will soon lead him into clarity. A gardener knows, one day this young green tree will blossom and bear fruit in rich profusion. ”
Something should be said about Goethe’s modern approach to the concept presented in the book of Job. In the book of Job, Job himself is portrayed as a devout follower of God and that is why he agrees to allow Satan to tempt Job. Goethe takes a different approach in Faust. Adrian Anderson explains Goethe’s modern approach to the story in the beginning of Job when they wrote in Good and Evil in Faust, “…Faust is not a religious person devoted to God, but rather a person ceaselessly striving for the highest level of meaningful activity. ” Goethe approaches the story in a non-religious fashion which clearly differs from the story in the book of Job. Goethe, instead, creates a world of constant action and Faust is no exception in this world. He embodies the concept of how humans are constantly becoming dissatisfied and moving on to the next thing.
Goethe’s main character, Faust, embodies his view of human nature. Goethe exemplifies this in the deal Faust makes with Mephistopheles. Many interpret this scene as Faust “selling his soul to the devil, ” but, what Goethe does is creates a deal that becomes essential to the story. Goethe’s views on human nature are mirrored in Faust’s requests in the deal with Mephistopheles. The deal itself is quite interesting, especially what Faust asks for. Goethe writes, “But have you food that leaves one still unsatisfied, quicksilver gold that breaks up in one’s very hands? Can you provide a game that I can never win, procure a girl whose roving eye invites the next man even as I lie in her embrace?” These things reveal Faust’s nature as a human: the nature of striving. Goethe creates a world of constant action, as mentioned before, and the character of Faust is no different. Faust wants food he cannot taste, gold that dissolves in his hands, and a woman who is thinking of the next man. Faust is a dynamic spirit that is constantly moving onto the next best thing. Goethe believes that humans can never experience a moment in which they truly want it to continue into eternity, that is why Faust makes the deal with Mephistopheles. In this world Goethe has created, the constant action is what drives humans to function, the idea that we can never be satisfied with anything. Because of this fact, God chooses Faust to be Mephistopheles’ prey.
Another common question about Goethe’s Faust is why does God allow Mephistopheles to tempt Faust in the first place? The main reason God allow Mephistopheles to go after Faust is because Faust is God’s servant. As mentioned before, the main difference in the book of Job and Faust was Goethe’s modern approach to the story. Faust, while not seen as a devout follower, is seen in God’s eyes as his servant who has served him well thus far. While Faust may not be a devout, religious follower, he still does God’s work to his standards in Goethe’s world. When the Lord proposes the bet, he says, “He lives on Earth, and while he is alive, you have my leave for the attempt; man errs till he has ceased to strive. ” God allows Mephistopheles to tempt Faust because God knows Faust’s nature and he knows that Faust will not lose this bet. God also limits Mephistopheles to Faust’s time living on Earth. Once Faust dies, he belongs to God unless he loses the bet with Mephistopheles, then he belongs to him. The reader gets some comfort in the beginning of Faust when they are making the bet, as B. W. Wells wrote in his article titled, Goethe’s Faust, “The reader of auditor is assured at the very outset that Faust will be saved. ” Readers being assured that Faust will be saved comforts readers and they see, in the end, God will save Faust. God does not choose Faust for no reason, he has seen his heart and he knows that Faust is one of his creations that can withstand the temptation of living eternally in a moment, so he chooses Faust. Goethe creates a world of constant action in the story of Faust.
Goethe addresses many concepts and ideas in the story. The first marvel of the story is Goethe’s modern approach to the story at the beginning of the book of Job. He approaches the story in a non-religious context and puts his own twist on the story to create something new and modern. Next, Faust creates a character that embodies his views of humans and human nature: Faust. Goethe, through Faust, imposes the idea that it is within human nature to constantly strive for the highest level of meaning in our world. Faust does this constantly throughout the story and his energetic spirit reveals itself repeatedly throughout the text.
Finally, Goethe allows Faust to be tempted by Mephistopheles because God knows that Faust will be able to resist the type of temptation Goethe presents through the characters. Goethe does a wonderful job of combining these three ideas to create a powerful piece about the raw characteristics of human nature and how we view our world.
