Faust was working at his desk late into the night. He wanted to piece together all the pieces he knew about the world. But there was always a part he didn’t learn. what is the meaning of life. Why are people born and judged by God without asking himself? Everything he read in his life said nothing about it. Or he couldn’t know how to make happy people. He knew all medical, mental, or social problems and solutions for people living in harmony and with happiness. But there was still one missing piece: practice. He was not able to save the people in real. He wasn’t a hero. Then, what? Why is he living this meaningless life? This curiosity is the beginning of the story of Goethe’s Faust. Let’s look at in more detail this story.
The process of writing Faust took 60 years. The period in which the book was written is known as the ‘Age of Enlightenment’ when Europe confided itself, freely expressed its thoughts against the church, and left the traditions of the Middle Ages behind. It includes all of Goethe’s experiences: the excitement of youth, the realities of life he confronts in his maturity, and the feelings of old age, his fears … When combined with Goethe’s excellent poetic style and a great story, it makes him one of the world classics. It was the success of the author that made Faust so famous, as well as his involvement in universal issues that enliven the feelings that exist within the human being. Franz Kafka described Goethe as “the perfect writer who says everything that needs to be said about life”. It was inspired by Faust in many famous German philosopher books, especially Nietzche, Freud, and Schopeanaur. Numerous commentaries analyzes, and films were shot about this masterpiece and animated in the theater.
The main character of the book, Faust searched and studied philosophy, medical, natural science and teology. He passed his all life reveal the secrets of the earth. He considered his whole life and as a result realized that that he cannot reach the truth, there is a void that he can never fill and thousands of questions he cannot answer.
Faust
Ah! Now I’ve done Philosophy,
I’ve finished Law and Medicine,
And sadly even Theology:
Taken fierce pains, from end to end.
Now here I am, a fool for sure!
No wiser than I was before:
Master, Doctor’s what they call me,
And I’ve been ten years, already,
Crosswise, arcing, to and fro,
Leading my students by the nose,
And see that we can know - nothing!
It almost sets my heart burning.
In fact, this is a lesson Goethe gave to scientists today. We see that human beings change the world we live in with their positive and negative effects. Especially developing modern technology makes life easier and builds a new society. Yet there are some things that we cannot control. The best example of this is the Coronavirus. Too many people are still dying for this reason and we’re not able to find a solution. Or we cannot find living without eating, sleeping or vital necessities. We need them. Man was created by God as a living being with helplessness and fear. This doesn’t mean that we should stop improving ourselves. On the contrary, we must find new ways to make our lives easier. But we also need to be aware of the limits and capabilities. There is an Indian proverb: There is a bottomless well, a hole in the white man, and this well will not be filled even if it contains the whole world.
At this time, the Manifesto insists that God can lead his faithful servant Faust down the evil path and make him a plaything of the devil. Let’s keep looking at the small details. He makes a deal with evil or sells his soul to evil. But he was sure that evil could not deceive him. However, this is one of the devil’s tricks. Everyone should be afraid of the devil and never trust himself. Whenever the devil finds the person loose and confident. Starts to move like in this example
Faust
Poor devil what can you give? When has ever
A human spirit, in its highest endeavour,
Been understood by such a one as you?
You have a never-satiating food,
You have your restless gold, a slew
Of quicksilver, melting in the hand,
Games whose prize no man can land,
A girl, who while she’s on my arm,
Snares a neighbour, with her eyes:
And Honour’s fine and godlike charm,
That, like a meteor, dies?
Show me fruits then that rot, before they’re ready.
And trees grown green again, each day, too!
Mephistopheles
Such commands don’t frighten me:
With such treasures I can truly serve you.
Still, my good friend, a time may come,
When one prefers to eat what’s good in peace.
Faust
When I lie quiet in bed, at ease.
Then let my time be done!
If you fool me, with flatteries,
Till my own self’s a joy to me,
If you snare me with luxury –
Let that be the last day I see!
That bet I’ll make!
Mephistopheles
Done!
Faust
And quickly!
When, to the Moment then, I say:
‘Ah, stay a while! You are so lovely!’
Then you can grasp me: then you may,
Then, to my ruin, I’ll go gladly!
Then they can ring the passing bell,
Then from your service you are free,
The clocks may halt, the hands be still,
And time be past and done, for me!
Mephistopheles
Consider well, we’ll not forget.
But what is the devil? How can we describe it? Is it the creature or the metaphor or the bad side of god? All religions accept the existence of devil. In fact, it is not some kind of creature as we think. He is always with you, whether you are doing, your religious services or resting under a tree. He can talk to you in a crowd or when you’re alone. From all these examples, we understand that it is our desires, passions and that we have given for the sake of worldly life. An inner voice that plays the role of an enemy in the battle between our soul and body that goes on throughout our lives. Another us inside of us, trying to control us, trying to dominate us, that mysterious evil voice within.
But why did god create the devil? If the god create everything in perfect harmony, why did he create bad desires for humanity ? So many people have suspects about these topics. In my opınıon we should see the big picture. For instance, God created the rain. Now, if a person has built a house by the river, can this man say “The rain is bad” if the house is now flooded by a rain? It is clear that he did not take the necessary measures. How can he blame rain? But the same rain is essential and vital for fruits and vegetables in other man’s farm. So we can say that devil is not bad thing all time. It depends to our choices. On the other hand, Every living thing has some kind of struggle. They fight for hunting or breeding. And the struggle with devil is fight between our conscience and devil. If an empire did not fight and remained peaceful, it would not be an empire. Because it was formed by war. As in this example, Devil is necessary for man to resist his desires and to become a healthier individual. It exists so that it can see the bad and realize its direct difference.
What happened the rest of the story? Faust drank alcohol, casted spell, committed adultery , killed a person, break up a family … As I mentioned above the all bad behaviors started with self-confidence and made compromises. He tried to be person he wouldn’t be. He thought no one could change him but ıt all started with only one concession. These concessions grew, grew, and grew.
End of the story he never said ‘Ah stay a while, You are so lovely!’ . He regretted all his bad behaviors and acts. Whatever happens, There was always one returning point. The whispers in our conscience will one day speak louder to us and we will listen to him.
As you see , Goethe questioned the purpose of life and wrote down the every detail he observed throughout his life. As Kafka said, he said all about life, and there is still a lot we can talk about Faust. There are still a lot of words to write.