Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's novel, The Sufferings of Young Werther portrays a young man coming to terms with his position in society, his views on life, and more importantly, his affections for Lötte. In reading the novel, and trying to reach a greater understanding of its meanings, it is important to distinguish that this is a middle-class novel, dealing with a young middle-class man in late eighteenth century Germany. Though the novel is middle-class in substance, it should be noted that it did enjoy a wide readership, which included the aristocracy. Goethe expressed these middle-class themes in the character of Werther, his social interactions with individuals in and out of his class, and in his examination of the young protagonist's sufferings.

It is clear in the novel that Werther is a young, educated middle-class German. In understanding this characterization of Werther, it should be noted that at...