Date of Award

8-1970

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Department of German

First Advisor

Hans Jorg Nagelschmied

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis was to establish the pattern of guilt and redemption of the protagonists in the following novels of Stefan Andres : Der Mann von Asteri (Gratian), Das Grab des Neides (Abel), and Ritter der Gerechtigkeit (Count di Alma and Dino).

The first step in the pattern was the attainment of the guilt. Guilt, according to Stefan Andres, can be attained through either sins of commission or sins of omission. The sins which resulted in guilt within the protagonists were the desertion of a son and the murder of Dimitri by Gratian, murder of his brother by Abel, the failure to trust his fellow man by the Count, and senseless pride by Dino . All of the protagonists shared some common characteristics which were partially responsible for the perpetration of their sins. Some of these characteristics are poor father-son relationships, wealth, unsuccessful love relationships, and the failure to place trust in God. Although these traits were partially responsible for the commitment of their sins, the ultimate responsibility for their sins lies with the protagonists them selves.

Acknowledgement of guilt and the desire to undergo redemption were the second and third steps in this pattern . The primary reason for the protagonists to undergo redemption was to ease their guilt and to attain forgiveness for their sins. The protagonists' redemptions also shared some parallels. The most important parallel shared by the protagonists was that the decision to undergo redemption came from their own volition. Other similarities were the withdrawal from society to undergo redemption and the eventual attainment of their forgiveness.

Forgiveness was the final step in the pattern. Stefan Andres, in reconstructing order at the conclusion of his novels, led his protagonists back to God and to a more stable life than they had prior to the perpetration of their sins and the attainment of their guilt.

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