Who Is Responsible For Wolfgang's Downfall

In the “Adventure of a German Student”, Wolfgang’s downfall is ultimately caused by himself. This is due to his own actions which led to his illness and then his demise. The reader can infer that once Wolfgang lived a “secluded life” (Irving 2), he will be ill. This loneliness caused Wolfgang to see visions in his head, this will be a detrimental later in the story for him. Wolfgang’s loneliness ultimately made him have visions in real life also. Before Wolfgang met up with the strange woman, he saw her face in one of his vision. While this may seem like the work of satan; it is not. The author stated that Wolfgang’s imagination is “diseased” (Irving 2) which imply Wolfgang is losing his mind. Everything that happens thereafter is the fault
of Wolfgang himself, or more likely, his ill mind. Because Wolfgang is sick and seems to be going crazy, he viewed the woman’s corpse in a different way. His mind is playing tricks on him making him think that the woman was actually alive. Lastly, Wolfgang’s downfall was Wolfgang’s fault because it is he who chose to wander “into those wild and speculative doctrines” (Irving 2). His choice to study such complicated matter made him obsessed and caused him to be ill. His choice to try and apply himself to his studies led him to seclude himself from civilization made him sick and led to him going crazy. Ultimately Wolfgang’s demise is caused by himself.