Part of Berman’s text explores the story of Goethe’s Faust and the ‘Tragedy of Development’ and its links to modern society and culture. Reading it ignited thoughts and feelings that I didn’t realise were even bloody there!
Although I was familiar with the story of Faust and its underlying plotline I didn’t necessarily have a tremendous understanding of it. I think it’s important that I give a brief synopsis before continuing with this entry.
Taking almost his entire life to write (the completion year being the year of his death) Goethe’s Faust tells story of a young Doctor (Faust) who strives to know and experience everything that one possibly can. Considered one of ‘God’s favourites,’ the devil (Mephistopheles) makes a wager that he can turn Faust to lay down his righteous pursuits and make a pact with the devil in return for everything he has ever desired. Faust makes the deal, under a condition that as soon as he declares that he is ultimately happy and contented with everything he has and has achieved, Mephistopheles will carry his soul down to hell. Despite grand visions and warnings from Mephistopheles that in creating these visions people may be dragged down along the way, Faust achieves virtually nothing and is ultimately forever damned.
There is a Faust in me and a Faust in you. Now, of course I’m not saying that we’d all be so easily corrupted by the devil, but Faust’s visionary desire to succeed and achieve something in life is one that we all nurture somewhere inside. After all, if we didn’t, our very reason for living would only be to exist (and with the gift of conscious thought, this, in my view is almost criminal).
In this chapter, Berman dives into this desire and shows us how we all have this perceived want or need for something and yet, when we finally get hold of it we lose interest, and go in search of yet more. In the story of Faust this is reflected in Faust’s pursuit of Gretchen. Once together, Gretchen attempts to better herself and changes her life to narrow what she believes to be an ever widening gap between the two of them. Fairly soon, Faust tires of Gretchen and she is cast aside into a social wilderness, (ultimately being saved by God) while Faust moves on in pursuit of a new dream and a ‘vision for humanity.’
The ‘tragedy of development’ that Faust experiences, is one that starts off with a vision. In modern society, visions fly about all over the place, while most have good intentions and are often admirable ideas, once they begin to get rolling they can become victims of their own success.
Berman refers to desperate development and the way we strive to be better in capitalist society, citing the rapid development across California asking ‘just how many orange groves are still left in Orange County.’ Just as when Faust orders Mephistopheles to ‘get rid’ of the elderly couple (the very essence of the old ways) so his vision for humanity can continue to grow. Only after, when he looks back and finally sees that he has been blinded by his own vision does he realise the extent of what he has done.
We are all guilty of it. Even on the smallest scale. The perceived need for what somebody else has or what you could possibly have often blinds us from seeing the damage that is left in our very pursuit. Is this not what got us into the financial situation we are in today. Corporations and multi nationals respond to our wants and our needs and in turn the banks (Mephistopheles/the devil) fund them.
Often we cast off the old, and it is only when our grand vision of the world is collapsing around our ears that we stand back, take off our visionary blindfold and realise just what we’ve done.
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