Interpretation of “Faust” by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

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Faust by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe is not just the discussion of a simple story about a man who has decided to sell his soul to the devil and has managed to save at the end, it is the expression of the whole time period and the reflection of the attitude to life and people.

It is possible to consider Faust and his actions as the ideas and beliefs of some people of the whole epoch. “Let’s plunge ourselves into the torrents of time, into the whirl of eventful experience! There, as chance wills, let pain and pleasure, success and frustration, alternate; unceasing activity alone reveals our earth” (Goethe, 45). Thus, all the actions held by Faust are just the reflections of the actions which do the whole society. Considering the whole play, it is possible to remember the periods when Faust was in love and when he decided to go into profligacy.

All these features are inherent to those people who do not have faith in this world, who do not trust into the goodness and who are sure that there is nothing either in life or after its death, still, after some particular event happens, when people do not have an opportunity to change anything they appear in the situation when the hope arouses and people understand that life deserves living, that here are people who need our attention, but it is too late to change anything; however, there are some particular cases when people are given another chance and they are just to use it.

The story of Faust is simple and remembered by everyone, however, different interpretations of the story take place. Goethe’s Faust is saved at the end. Acting in accordance with the inner intentions, Faust understands that the surrounding world is not that cruel, he is sure that life deserves to be lived.

However, when Faust bet with Mephistopheles he is sure that here is nothing worthier than to live a long life without any goal. “If you should ever find me lolling on a bed of ease, let me done for on the spot! If you ever lure me with your lying flatteries, and I find satisfaction in myself, if you bamboozle me with pleasure, / then let this be my final day! This bet I offer you! (Goethe 313)” are the lines which reflect the most critical moment is the play, when Faust is sure that life is useless and nothing can be changed.

Another quote which appears almost at the end of the story is also important as is shows that the world deserves leaving, that people are given lives with some purposes and despair and other negative feelings are intruded into the life just to show people how great love and other feelings may be, “Fill your heart to overflowing, and when you feel profoundest bliss, then call it what you will: Good fortune! Heart! Love! or God! I have no name for it! Feeling is all; the name is sound and smoke, beclouding Heaven’s glow” (Goethe 311).

The understanding that feelings are important make Faust pity for the decision he has made. Having lad the life free from any prejudice and responsibilities, Faust falls in love and understand that life deserves leaving. At the end of the story Faust is given another chance. Right when the situation is about to finish, when the contract is about to end and Faust is to appear in the hell, he is given another chance.

The play may be considered as the moral one as it shows the inner world of many people who have lost faith in anything good in this life. Such situation usually considered as the most devastating, people lose faith and do not believe in God and other benefits of this life.

Trying to get rid of bad feelings and thoughts, people in despair act absolutely differently from what they got used to do. Reading Faust, it is impossible to disagree that people are ruled by feelings, not by reasoning. Most of the actions are based on human intentions, they are usually directed by the impulses and when people appear in the situations when they do not see the way out, they are not to use reasoning, they should be directed by their actions.

Faust and his life is the good example when the lack of interest brought him on the edge of life and death. Then, when he found the interest in life, when he understood that his existence might be purposeful, he also got to know that nothing could be changed. These feelings deepened the depression.

Still, the final safety from hell shows that only the true feelings and the sincere desire to life may help people if not to correct their mistakes, but to change their destiny, to change their future life and behavior. People deserve being forgiven if they really regret and if they are ready to make amendments for their sins.

Works Cited

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. Faust I & II. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994. Print.

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