Suicide
"I will not cry again to-day. I will not think of my burial again.--Melchoir will lay a wreath on my coffin. Pastor Kahlbauch will console my parents. Rector Sonnenstich will cite examples from history.-- It is possible that I shall not have a tombstone. I had wanted a snow-white marble urn on a pedestal of black syenite.--Thank God, I shall not miss them. Monuments are for the living, not for the dead." Moritz
(Wedekind The Awakening of Spring)
(Wedekind The Awakening of Spring)
When Moritz Steifal commits suicide in Act II it is a tragic act committed by a desperate teen who sees no hope for his future and fears not only disappointing his family but any punishment that may result from his failure. Moritz’ reaction to his failure of an end of the year examination and his own anxiety over matters of sex may seem extreme. However, while the causes of such a drastic action may be different today, Moritz’ decision is something with which many adolescents can relate, whether it is they fail to see a way out themselves, or they know a friend who has taken their own life. In the case of Spring Awakening, suicide is an extreme reaction to a stifling society. Rather than adolescents ending their life because they cannot fit a prescribed mold set by parents, teachers, and mentors, teens today are more likely commit suicide because they do not fit a standard created by their peers and the media. Most accounts of teen suicide today features some incident of bullying. What drove Moritz to end his life is not all that different from what leads many teens to make the same tragic choice today. Only the group he was trying to please, his parents and the rest of adult society as opposed to his peers, differed.
Unfortunately, in the late 19th century, Moritz’ actions may not have been all that shocking to the German public. Some scholars, like English historian, Thomas Henry felt a rise in suicide was a normal consequence of modernization, and that nothing could be done to prevent such tragedies. However, England did not see a rise in adolescent suicides; this phenomenon was restricted mainly to Germany. While in 1883 sixty-four out of 32,000 German male students committed suicide, other European countries reported only four in 100,000. In Prussia between 1883-1889 there were 289 suicides linked to school in some way. Today, suicide is the third leading cause of death for those between the ages of 10-24. Beyond the fatality rate that can be attributed to suicide, 149,000 youths 10-24 receive treatment for self-inflicted wounds every year, and 15% of students polled in a nationwide survey of public and private schools reported seriously considering suicide. Boys are more likely to die of suicide, while girls are more likely to report themselves if they have made a suicide attempt. Even the way in which Moritz kills himself lines up with the norm at the time. It was concluded that boys tended to plan their suicides more, tending to kill themselves through shooting or hanging. Moritz’ use of a firearm to take his life remains the most widespread form of suicide today.
It was mainly middle class students, those in the Gymnasium like Moritz and his friends, that were that were taking their lives in 19th century Germany. Herr Knochenbruch expresses fear of being “perceived as one of those institutions afflicted by the veritable epidemic of adolescent suicide.” At the time, this was a legitimate concern. When one German Gymnasium director was informed a student had committed suicide the director simply gave thanks it hadn’t occurred in the school, a reaction one could expect from the teachers in Spring Awakening.
One half of male suicides during the era were caused by school stress (one third for females). Fear of punishment played into this as well. In an account hauntingly similar to that of Moritz’ one boy’s suicide note simply read, “Because I didn’t pass my exams.” Suicides tended to increase in the spring when promotions were happening in schools. In addition to all the fear related directly to school, staying in school for longer increments of a student’s life also contributed to this stress. Students were being expected to act like children, although their bodies and minds were not those of a child. This also meant students faced longer periods of dependence. Many reformers felt that reevaluating the way the German schools operated would drastically help solve the suicide problem. Scholar Gustav Siegert believed a restructuring of the German home, church, and school could prevent many suicides. Siegert believed the stress put on students in school was a major factor in the high suicide rates. Critics denied the connection between schools and the suicides.
One thing is for sure: the idea of adolescent suicides caught the attention and interest of the German public. The topic began to become featured more in German plays, like Spring Awakening, and novels. New genres began to be associated with works dealing with the topic of suicide. Accounts of adolescent suicides were invariably featured in local newspapers. The media response to youth suicides today are not all that different from in 19th century Germany. Often, they receive a lot of attention, and many are still linked to school. Regardless of if suicide is considered an epidemic as it was in the late 19th century, by the media or society at large, it remains a serious issue that touches the lives of many teenagers.
Unfortunately, in the late 19th century, Moritz’ actions may not have been all that shocking to the German public. Some scholars, like English historian, Thomas Henry felt a rise in suicide was a normal consequence of modernization, and that nothing could be done to prevent such tragedies. However, England did not see a rise in adolescent suicides; this phenomenon was restricted mainly to Germany. While in 1883 sixty-four out of 32,000 German male students committed suicide, other European countries reported only four in 100,000. In Prussia between 1883-1889 there were 289 suicides linked to school in some way. Today, suicide is the third leading cause of death for those between the ages of 10-24. Beyond the fatality rate that can be attributed to suicide, 149,000 youths 10-24 receive treatment for self-inflicted wounds every year, and 15% of students polled in a nationwide survey of public and private schools reported seriously considering suicide. Boys are more likely to die of suicide, while girls are more likely to report themselves if they have made a suicide attempt. Even the way in which Moritz kills himself lines up with the norm at the time. It was concluded that boys tended to plan their suicides more, tending to kill themselves through shooting or hanging. Moritz’ use of a firearm to take his life remains the most widespread form of suicide today.
It was mainly middle class students, those in the Gymnasium like Moritz and his friends, that were that were taking their lives in 19th century Germany. Herr Knochenbruch expresses fear of being “perceived as one of those institutions afflicted by the veritable epidemic of adolescent suicide.” At the time, this was a legitimate concern. When one German Gymnasium director was informed a student had committed suicide the director simply gave thanks it hadn’t occurred in the school, a reaction one could expect from the teachers in Spring Awakening.
One half of male suicides during the era were caused by school stress (one third for females). Fear of punishment played into this as well. In an account hauntingly similar to that of Moritz’ one boy’s suicide note simply read, “Because I didn’t pass my exams.” Suicides tended to increase in the spring when promotions were happening in schools. In addition to all the fear related directly to school, staying in school for longer increments of a student’s life also contributed to this stress. Students were being expected to act like children, although their bodies and minds were not those of a child. This also meant students faced longer periods of dependence. Many reformers felt that reevaluating the way the German schools operated would drastically help solve the suicide problem. Scholar Gustav Siegert believed a restructuring of the German home, church, and school could prevent many suicides. Siegert believed the stress put on students in school was a major factor in the high suicide rates. Critics denied the connection between schools and the suicides.
One thing is for sure: the idea of adolescent suicides caught the attention and interest of the German public. The topic began to become featured more in German plays, like Spring Awakening, and novels. New genres began to be associated with works dealing with the topic of suicide. Accounts of adolescent suicides were invariably featured in local newspapers. The media response to youth suicides today are not all that different from in 19th century Germany. Often, they receive a lot of attention, and many are still linked to school. Regardless of if suicide is considered an epidemic as it was in the late 19th century, by the media or society at large, it remains a serious issue that touches the lives of many teenagers.
Information Drawn From
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 Oct. 2009. Web. 29 June 2012.
<http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pub/youth_suicide.html>.
Fishman, Sterling. "Suicide, Sex, and the Discovery of the German Adolescent." History of Education
Quarterly 10.2 (1970): 170-88. JSTOR. Web. 30 May 2012.
Hibberd, J.L. "Imaginary Numbers and "Humor": On Wedekind's "Frühlings Erwachen" The Modern
Language Review 74.3 (1979): 633-47. JSTOR. Web. 20 Apr. 2012.
Stark, Rodney, Daniel P. Doyle, and Jesse Lynn Rushing. "Beyond Durkheim: Religion and Suicide."
Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 22.2 (1983): 120-31. JSTOR. Web. 27 May 2012.
Taylor, Tom. "Images of Youth and the Family in Wilhelmine Germany: Toward a Reconsideration of the
German Sonderwag." German Studies Review 15 (1992): 55-73. JSTOR. Web. 31 May 2012.
<http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pub/youth_suicide.html>.
Fishman, Sterling. "Suicide, Sex, and the Discovery of the German Adolescent." History of Education
Quarterly 10.2 (1970): 170-88. JSTOR. Web. 30 May 2012.
Hibberd, J.L. "Imaginary Numbers and "Humor": On Wedekind's "Frühlings Erwachen" The Modern
Language Review 74.3 (1979): 633-47. JSTOR. Web. 20 Apr. 2012.
Stark, Rodney, Daniel P. Doyle, and Jesse Lynn Rushing. "Beyond Durkheim: Religion and Suicide."
Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 22.2 (1983): 120-31. JSTOR. Web. 27 May 2012.
Taylor, Tom. "Images of Youth and the Family in Wilhelmine Germany: Toward a Reconsideration of the
German Sonderwag." German Studies Review 15 (1992): 55-73. JSTOR. Web. 31 May 2012.