book review

Werther's tragedy is not only the tragedy of personal emotion, but also the epitome of the conflict between social norms and individual freedom. Werther falls in love with Charlotte, who is married, but his morals and the social norms of the time prevent him from crossing the line. The novel deeply reveals the contradiction between personal emotion and social expectation, as well as the destructive effect of this contradiction on the individual's mind. Witt's final choice is an extreme resistance to this constraint, but also a helpless expression of the desire for personal freedom.