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Faust: Faust's Study (1): Difference between revisions
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Faust's Study 1 is important to the rest of the story because this is where he invokes Mephisto into his home. Mephisto is disguised as a poodle, a black poodle. The meeting of the dog forshadows the rest of the story when Faust says "I think I see him winding a magic snare, quietly, around our feet, a noose which he'll pull tight in the future, when the time is right" (543 l.935-938). | Faust's Study 1 is important to the rest of the story because this is where he invokes Mephisto into his home. Mephisto is disguised as a poodle, a black poodle. The meeting of the dog forshadows the rest of the story when Faust says "I think I see him winding a magic snare, quietly, around our feet, a noose which he'll pull tight in the future, when the time is right" (543 l.935-938). | ||
Faust refers to Mephisto as "Lord of the Flies, Destroyer, Liar" after the demon changes from a black poodle into its human form (l.1116). All of these names are references to the Devil. However, it is Lord of the Flies that stands out the most. This refers to the Biblical name for the Devil, Beelzebub. Perhaps, the name is more easily recognized in conjunction with William Golding's novel, ''The Lord of the Flies'', which took its name from this passage (Rosenfield). When Simon discovers the fly-ridden pig's head that the children have erected in Golding's novel to pay homage to the outside forces at work around them, he becomes ill and goes through a spell. This represents an internal journey for the sole purpose of understanding oneself (Rosenfield). When Faust pressures Mephisto into staying with him, and ultimately signs a contract for his soul in the next section, he is embarking on the same journey that Simon undertakes. Faust must come to terms with the life that provides no stimulation for him in the course of his journey. Though the reader at this point does not know if Faust will become involved with Mephisto for certain, Faust's eagerness to have dealings with the demon forshadows this journey. He says: "So even in Hell there's law and order! I'm glad, for then a man might sign a contract with you gentlemen" (l.1197-1199). We are left with the question: Can Faust find a meaning to life that will satisfy both his life and himself through his dealings with Mephisto? | |||
==Study Questions== | ==Study Questions== | ||