Aufklärung By Rouhlingserwachen

In Frühlingserwachen. Wedekind expresses his skepticism of the oppressive “Moral” of Prussian society in Germany at the time. Children and adults were expected to behave in a certain way and they were shunned if they did not conform to the norm. The German schooling system represented this “Moral”, together with strict discipline, allowing no one to be different. The Gymnasium Moritz and Melchior attend, like other schools at the time, does not cater for individual learning needs nor foster critical thinking. The students’ lack of understanding – beyond regurgitating facts - is evident through their nonsensical ramblings about the world and it becomes clear to the reader how young and innocent the boys truly are, as they discuss things they

When he eventually commits suicide, Melchior’s “Aufklärung” is seen as one causes for Mortiz’ distress. Moritz and Melchior discuss at an earlier stage in Act 1 how their sense of shame is a product of their education. This is a direct comment on morality, as it questions why we make people feel ashamed for feelings they cannot control. As Thorton (2014) mentions key theorists such as Freud believe sexuality is needed as a “normal part of human development”. Wendla’s mother and the doctor are ashamed to speak to Wendla about the consequences of her sexual adventure with Melchior and it seems so much easier to explain Wendla’s pregnancy with “Bleichsucht”. Unmarried motherhood is not only a stigma for Wendla but her parents feel guilt and shame, fearing the immoral behaviour of their daughter might become public. An abortion is organised, despite the risks it involves for Wendla. The girl dies in the course of the procedure and Melchior is blamed. He is sent to a “Korrektionsanstalt” – the moral failure attributed to the boy rather than the society itself. Even Melchior blames himself as a “Mörder”, indoctrinated by the morality of the society he lives

However Reittinger (2009) highlights a key issue, which is that the characters have not learned what moral or immoral sexual behaviour is. They approach sexuality in an innocent manner. Adults do not seem to talk about the topic. Wendla and Martha only know that one has to be married to be able to have children. Without understanding what moral sexuality is or what behaviour classifies as being sexually deviant, the young people do not know how such behavior can be avoided. Wedekind highlights this when Wendla exclaims “O Mutter, warum hast du mir nicht alles gesagt!” (Wedekind, 1891 p.18). He shows that adolescents sometimes unwillingly become immoral in their sexual behaviours because they have not been taught that these actions are wrong and therefore they cannot protect themselves against what they do not understand. Wendla’s cluelessness was typical for women of that time and “Mädchen waren auf sich alleine gestellt und wurden oft erst von dem späteren Ehegatten in den sexuellen Verkehr eingeführt.” (Reitinger 2009 p. 01). Wendla’s moral turmoil comments on the issues women were facing at the turn of the century. It was the beginning of a period of change in gender roles; women were starting to explore emancipation. However, in questioning their roles and discovering more freedom they