Sorrow of Young Werther

Death has been the consequent for the main characters in each of the first four novels read for the course. The protagonist in each of the first four novels; Werther, Rafael, Ivan Ilyich, and K., respectively; met their demise on the final page of their respective novels. All four directly or indirectly were the cause of their painful demise. Werther chose suicide over conforming to the ways of adulthood, and moving further away from nature. Rafael chose to live a life of possessions, and in turn, his inner-self dwindled. Ivan Ilyich alienated himself from those around him, and hid behind the aristocratic social mask. Finally, Joseph K. causes his won demise by being a puppet of society, conforming to all rules, and to his own sense of guilt. Ivan Ilyich was the only character to somewhat remedy the situation before slipping into the darkness of death. In all cases, the actions of the lives of all four protagonists very clearly displayed their weaknesses as characters.
In Goethe 's novel, Werther died a very slow, excruciatingly painful death. He refused to conform to life as it was; refused to move further away from the nature he so cherished. By doing so, Werther was in denial of adulthood. Werther saw suicide as the only escape from adulthood, and his only chance at eternal happiness. Anything was worth happiness, "certainly, whoever is sick…will not refuse the bitterest medicines, in order to restore the health he longs for."(July 1) Werther uses this analogy to prove his point that a person will go far to rid themselves of unpleasantness. Werther 's source of unpleasantness is Lotte, for he cannot have a claim to her. To be an adult is to be able to say no to oneself. Werther was incapable coming to an understanding that Lotte will never be his. Feeling closer to adulthood, Werther begins to sense himself being torn from nature, and losing part of himself. "I have no feeling for nature…when we have lost ourselves, we have lost everything."(Aug. 22) To keep himself intact, he sought isolation.
Werther shut him self out from society. He purposely confined himself to a small place within the society in which he lived, and was cast out because of it. However, even he admits that "happiness or misery lies within the objects we associate ourselves with, and in this there is nothing more dangerous than solitude."(Oct. 20) Werther 's solitude makes his suicidal thoughts only grow stronger. "I would like to open one of my veins, to bring me eternal freedom."(Mar. 16) The only way to keep from conforming is suicide. Werther hoped that by doing so, he would "lose himself in the fullness of the infinite." (Dec. 6) However, just as he fails in life, Werther fails in death. He shoots himself, but remains alive, dieing for hours. Finally, when he falls into the darkness, his body is confined within a wooden coffin, just as he was confined within his own box in society. Werther 's isolation from the society around him was even more apparent as his coffin was being carried at his funeral, described in the last three lines of the novel. "The old man follow the coffin and his sons, Albert was not able to. Lotte 's life was feared for. Artisan 's carried him. No clergymen attended." Werther disappears into the nothingness that consumed his life.
Rafael Valentine, in "The Wild Ass 's Skin," dies of consumption, in a life driven by a need for material possessions. Every want in his life is based upon social standing.
The infernal pact is concluded when Rafael realizes that "to be is to have."(48) With the skin, Rafael possessed all material goods he wanted. However, as one begins to possess more things, ones inner-self dwindles. The skin warned that "THY WISHES WILL BE MEASURED AGAINST THY LIFE," (51) but Rafael took that chance. However, Rafael failed to take into account the fact that the more one has, the more one can lose. Rafael died long before his physical death, for he was living for possessions, and therefore living in the life of an object. He describes human will as a "material force similar to steam power."(124) Even Foedora is an object for she stands for Rafael 's desire, for what he wants her to be, rather than what she actually is. Rafael 's importance of objects become even more apparent when alludes to his worldly belonging as "flesh of my flesh."(183)
Rafael seemed to want as if there was scarcity, when actually it was a society of abundance for which he lived in. However, as Rafael keeps wanting, his life begins to diminish, just as the Talisman had said. The skin was the symbol for the industrialism that was gobbling up nature and everything within it. It cannot be stopped, just as the skin was indestructible. "The chemist broke several razors in an attempt to cut it."(238) Rafael finally dies from his last want; to be with Pauline. The battle between subjectivity and objectivity came to an end, and objectivity won. Rafael died because he could not keep an ecological balance between himself, and the world around him.
Ivan Ilyich died a very painful death, which he spent most of the time with people around him who cared very little, or in solitude. The reasons for his isolation in death were caused by alienating himself from others in life, hiding behind a social mask, and believing that he had lived rightly all along. Ivan Ilyich lived life in accordance with the aristocratic values of his time. His belief was that by adopting the values of the aristocratic society for which he existed in, he would live a life of fulfillment. He takes a wife, not completely for his own pleasures, but because "it was the right thing to do."(56) Ivan furnishes his house with only the finest furniture and tapestries; satisfying the aristocratic need for material symbols of wealth. However, he quickly realizes that married life can be difficult. As Ivan became to see married life as a disruption to the "pleasures and proprieties of life…Ivan increasingly made work the center of gravity in his life."(57) Ivan distanced himself from his wife and family in favor of his work. The courts gave him a sense of pride and stability, but most importantly, control.
Control was very important to Ivan Ilyich. He wanted to be in complete control of all affairs within, and outside of the courts. If Ilyich saw it fit, a defendant "would be forced to stand and answer his questions."(53) Ivan also took pride in being able to simplify a large and intensive court case, into mere paper. He suppressed his emotions, for they would get in the way and cause change in his life. In doing so, Ivan robbed himself of a spiritual existence. However, "everything went on without change, and everything was fine."(71) That was until Ivan became ill. "Something new and dreadful was happening to him," (80) something he had no control over.
Ivan expected that others would be compassionate towards him, but this was unfair for he never showed compassion for others in life. The people of his household did not sympathize with him, for they were caught up in the society that consumed him earlier. Ivan fenced others out in life, and in turn, as Werther had done, fenced himself in. Ivan 's work "could not rescue him from It."(95) He did not live life as he should, and "nothing did more to poison his last days, as this falseness in himself and the people around him."(105) Ivan feels better only at times when the caring Gerasim is with him, and finally when he realizes that his entire life was "simply not the real thing."(126) His death was prolonged, as well as his agony, throughout this ordeal. In the final minutes of life, Ivan was able to feel emotion (be an individual) for those around him. It took death for Ivan Ilyich to feel life. Joseph K., in Kafka 's "The Trial," dies in conformity with his own guilt. K. is torn between the two realities of his well-ordered official post at the bank, and the disorderly, chaotic world of the court of law. In the physical world, K. is very much in charge of his existence. However, the court calls upon spiritual urges within Joseph K. for which he has no answer. K. refuses to accept the burden of the world, or his soul. Working at his post at the bank, all that needed to be remembered was who owed what to whom. He contemplates writing a written explanation to the courts as "for what reason he acted as he did," (113) when it came to a certain part in his life. K had the choice to follow the social order, or to create himself, and transcend the given. He chose to follow the social order. Society says that he is guilty, and he does not go against this thought. He was free to grab the knife that was to execute him; however he did not do so. "He merely turned his head, which was still free to move, and gazed around him."(228) K. had a chance to take control of his own destiny, but instead he chose to conform. His final words were "I 'm like a Dog."(229) K feels that he was guilty all along, and now this is the punishment for him.
All four protagonists died at the end of their stories, and all were guilty in their own right. Life was commonplace for Werther, Rafael Valentine, Ivan Ilyich, and Joseph K. until their lives began to change. Each character was ill equipped for such changes, and therefore suffered greatly because of them. If only they were able to transcend themselves, they could have averted the impending disaster of death that was about to be bestowed upon them.

Bibliography
Quotes cited in text.

Bibliography: Quotes cited in text.