How Does Faust View The Problem Of Evil

Faust and An Essay on Man view the problem of evil differently because in An Essay on Man, Alexander Pope proclaims that God created our world as the “best of all possible worlds” and that he also created what humans consider evil to them for ulterior reasons that we, as humans, should not intrude upon to know. We should simply accept it for what it is. Pope ends the first epistle with the statement “Whatever is, is right,” meaning that everything is the best and happens according to God’s plan, even though man may not be able to understand it.
However, Faust views the problem of evil as the devil (also called Mephistopheles) and says how he was consumed, partially attributed to his dissatisfactions with life, even though he has mastered numerous
academic disciplines. Faust is not afraid of the devil or Hell, but he is displeased and believes himself trapped by the limitations of human understanding and strives to attain ultimate knowledge, because he thinks that his achievements are nothing materialistically and do not contribute to the betterment of humanity. Mephistopheles is dressed first like a scholar and then a nobleman to make Faust feel more comfortable talking to him. This shows how evil can reside in all humans, despite the disguise. Faust also keeps evil as his companion in his life, because the devil is the fulfiller of Faust’s desires, although with the catch that Faust must serve the devil in his afterlife. This only goes to show that Faust is giving up on his already-dissatisfied life. Faust’s desire itself is not evil. In regard to religion, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the author of Faust, believes that movement, action, and striving are virtuous, while nonmovement, passivity, and resignation are sinful.
In addition, Faust views the problem of evil differently than An Essay on Man because Gretchen becomes tainted with evil actions, not intentions, slowly. She begins by finding jewels from her admirer, Faust; however, although she tells her mother of the jewels the first time, she does not mention them to her mother the second time she finds jewels because they will be given away to the Church like they were the first time. This is significant in the problem of evil, because Gretchen heeds Martha’s worldly and materialistic advice. Gretchen does not have evil intentions, but her actions of sin have begun in this scene. Although her sins progress throughout the story, Gretchen’s innocence remains intact as she does not realize the impact of what she is doing. Gretchen becomes pregnant and tarnishes her pure reputation as a result of the evil that Faust has implemented in her life, which leads to Faust eventually leaving her and only returning when he wants to satisfy his thirst for his lust for her. This scene is particularly evil and viewed as such because Faust is completely inconsiderate of Gretchen’s feelings and does not seem to love her as he once did. Gretchen endures many evils within the journey with Faust, such as the killing of her mother and brother, and her impregnation, and this evil is not the same as the evil portrayed in An Essay on Man.
Another reason of proof that each does not view the problem of evil the same, is when Gretchen fears damnation due to her sins whereas in An Essay on Man there is complete acceptance of evil. Gretchen’s feelings about her afterlife are so prominent, because it shows how Goethe viewed religion as too strict to be able to console a sinner. The problem of evil is that decisions cannot be revoked, and Faust was initially the one who caused evil to occur to Gretchen. Additionally, the problem of evil in Faust is Faust’s constant dependency on the devil to achieve his plans. This is a different perception of evil in An Essay on Man as well. There is also a difference in these two works, because of the answers offered about the problem of evil.
In An Essay on Man, the answers offered about the problem of evil are to just accept it because it is God’s creation and all that God has created has purpose. However, Faust gives the answer of being loyal to God and not submitting oneself to the devil in order to attain salvation and be saved. Mephistopheles’s gives advice in Faust which is important for understanding God's attitude toward Faust's moral mistakes — one knows good partly through knowing evil, and one cannot know God without it. Additionally, true knowledge comes from experience. However, while the answer to the problem of evil seems to be loyalty to God through the Church, Goethe makes it clear through Faust that there is no need for the Church to be an intermediary because of the corrupt, worldly, and materialistic core of its religious façade. One instance of when an answer is offered, although not taken, is the scene where Faust does not want to pretend that Martha’s husband died but the devil convinces him to follow his instincts and accept Mephistopheles’ plan. Another “answer” to the problem of evil is when Faust is with Gretchen in the garden and seeing and listening to her allows him to regain some of his non-materialism, because he finds that he truly loves her, not just lusts for her. This is an answer to the problem of evil, because it shows how true love and spirituality tie together and could solve the problem of evil. However, because of their unselfish, newfound love and specifically Gretchen’s love for Faust, she is willing to do anything for him, which is could lead to other issues. In the end, despite the amount of sin she has committed, Gretchen is redeemed and proceeds to Heaven, because of her obvious guilt for the situations she caused, like drowning her baby. She is redeemed because her guilt is a result of her knowledge between right and wrong and due to her pure
intentions. This answer to the problem of evil highlights how by repenting, rejecting sin, and choosing to be loyal to the Lord, she has liberated herself. This answer also correlates to Mephistopheles losing his bet with the Lord and not being able to have Faust’s soul. Faust eventually develops true love for Gretchen, which saves him from the sin of lust. This results in a triumph of good over evil. This is a stark contrast to An Essay on Man’s perception that there is no triumph of good over evil, but rather just good and evil, both of which are necessary because God created it to be so.
Although the problems and answers are different, they are not compatible. This is because while both discuss how to live with evil, they view how to deal with it differently. Faust inherently discusses how evil should be dispelled by being loyal to God and being content. This is evident by Faust as a character, because he is the opposite of this message: he is an unsatisfied and unfulfilled man. An Essay on Man however says to live with evil, because it is the product of God’s work and one should not dispel what God intends. In An Essay on Man, Pope claims that attempting to increase knowledge and strive for perfection is the root of man’s misery, because man is trying to act like the creator. This contrasts with Goethe's belief that striving for knowledge is associated with virtue. An Essay on Man also says that that which causes some kind of harm to men are called “evil.” While nature can be good or evil, we can also be good or evil. God created illnesses and natural disasters, but it is not our business to know what for. We are forbidden to blame God for such things. Pope shows that despite being flawed and partly evil, the universe is a complicated system created by God and that we must accept our middle position in the Great Chain of Being. Despite the similarities that both discuss humanity, the methodology and train of thought for each piece of literature differ in regards to the problem of evil and how to solve it, resulting in a noncompatible conclusion.