"What consumes my heart is the corrosive force that hides in the natural universe - in Nature, which has produced nothing that he does not destroy both his neighbor and himself." (Goethe, 66) Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe's short story, The Sorrows of Young Werther, a romanticized concept of nature is used to illustrate the internal state of the protagonist, Werther. As the story begins, Werther is a young, optimistic artist who finds beauty and wonder in all of nature. Ultimately, however, Werther is distressed and suicidal; he comes to see nature as a wild and destructive force. As he transforms from optimistic to deeply depressed, his perception of nature as a tangible manifestation of God is destroyed and replaced by the dark vision that nature is simply a sadistic monster. Recognizing nature as a “corrosive force,” as stated in the quote above, Werther sets himself on a path of self-destruction that ultimately leads to his death. Werther's artistic nature, his devotion to nature, and his passion are the self-destructive qualities that cause his suicide. Werther's artistic nature leads him to look at the world in terms of art and provides him with a romanticized concept of nature; both have the ability to influence it greatly. As his view of nature changes and he becomes more and more involved with Charlotte, Werther loses the ability to participate in art and can no longer see the world in artistic terms. The loss of nature's artistic beauty ultimately leads Werther to his death. As the story begins, Werther describes a lush country paradise as his new home and loses himself in the infinite wonders of nature. This picturesque environment brings with it an unfailing optimism and a deep appreciation for the artistic value of nature. The combination of the two, art and nature, exerts a powerful influence on Werther's emotions. Looking out over a rain-swept countryside, Charlotte's poetic reference makes Werther cry. "Immediately I remembered the glorious ode he had in mind, and I lost myself in the sensations that flooded me upon hearing the name. It was more than I could bear; I bent down to his hand and kissed it, shedding tears of great joy...."(Goethe, 43). Here, Werther allows his emotions to overwhelm him and this plays a role in his self-destruction at the end of the novel. As he becomes more deeply involved with Charlotte and becomes increasingly depressed and hopeless, Werther can no longer appreciate such scenes. . As the situation evolves, Werther loses the possibility of participating in the art. This becomes evident in his diary for July 24, when he states: "I do not know how to express myself; my imagination is so weak and everything slips and shifts before my soul, so that I cannot grasp its outlines" (55). At the end of the novel, nature is seen as "a monster"; a destructive machine that “…has produced nothing that does not destroy both its neighbor and itself” (66). Now Werther is influenced by the dark and demonic tendencies of nature and it is this influence, combined with his tragically strong devotion to nature, that helps drive him to suicide. Werther's devotion to nature causes him to be profoundly affected by the state of nature, which, going from being seen as stimulating to being seen as destructive, leads Werther onto a path of self-destruction. From the beginning we see that nature influences many of Werther's thoughts and actions; It connects all aspects of lifewith nature. Nature is often linked to the purity of children and their separation from the rational world of adults, the same world of adults from which Werther would like to escape. In a diary entry, he confesses, "those who, like children, live in the present moment are the happiest" (31). And so Werther decides to live in the present moment and allows nature to dictate his actions and feelings. This supreme power that nature holds is justified by the citation of God in nature; nature becomes a deity and a force that controls Werther's destiny. When surrounded by nature, Werther can "feel the presence of the Almighty who created us in his own image, the breath of the Loving One who carries us aloft in perpetual joy and holds us there" (27). In this way, nature essentially plays God. Thus, when, in his deep state of depression, Werther's perception of nature changes, nature comes to have an adverse and powerful effect on Werther. He realizes this in a letter to Wilhelm, stating: "The immense and ardent feeling of my heart for living Nature, which has overwhelmed me with such great joy and made the world around me a true paradise, is now become an unbearable torment, a demon that accompanies me everywhere, torturing me" (65). Ultimately, this demon manifests itself in a violent storm that drives Werther to put an end to his "sufferings and pains by diving, crashing through like the waves!" (112). These morbid feelings are fueled by his uncontrollable passion, the driving force behind his rash decisions. With Werther's devotion to nature evoking extreme emotional states and his passion driving him to act on these waves of emotion, Werther is thrown onto a deadly path that results in his self-destruction. Werther's passion is a driving force in his self-destruction because it dictates his beliefs and decisions and, combined with the influences of nature, provides suicide as the answer to his woes. Throughout the novel, Werther's passion is a source of contention between Charlotte, Albert, and himself. When an argument arises, Werther lets his passion drive him to become passionately involved in the dispute. Metaphorically, a battle between reason and passion rages in the subtext of the book; the one personified in Alberto, Carlotta's worthy betrothed, and the other in Werther. In the end, reason prevails over passion and Albert remains with Charlotte. In a moral debate with Albert over the justification of suicide, Werther invites us to "consider a man, confined within his limits, influenced by impressions, besieged by ideas, until one day a growing passion overthrows his contemplative composure and destroys him" (62 ). He goes on to argue that it is senseless for a rational man to try to reason with the broken man, because reason cannot change or evoke emotion. Werther was able to describe his dilemma; he is a man influenced by impressions, overwhelmed by his growing passions and destroyed. Reason and logic are of no use to him; all his acts arise from a wild passion and a force of nature. The all-consuming, self-destructive monster that nature has become evokes the self-destructive nature found in Werther. His artistic nature, devotion to nature, and passion are all simply integral, ever-existing character traits, the self-destructive properties of which lie dormant within him, waiting to explode like a time bomb. These lethal traits lead to Werther's suicide: a complete and final action and the culmination of his self-destruction. It has been argued, however, that the change in nature is merely a metaphorical reflection of Werther's frenetic mind and does not actively contribute to his suicide. It is true that at.