Reflection of the literary work "The tribulations of the student Törless"
The taboos have existed in our society regardless of the place of origin, being results of human morals and the perfectionist ideologies of the dominant social classes. These themes involve religion a lot, having each dogma a different type of code, which limits the behavior of believers, but even these regulations being a regulator of societies, not all people fully comply with the moral codes imposed, givingas a result of obstacles and even contradictions, being considered as a fault and being "sins of the flesh".
The taboo most present in society and that has been a very important issue in recent years, is sexuality, but not only referring to the sexual act as such, but to the identification of the human being, as a man or woman, this being thisMental and biological process of the human species, which evolves in one of the most conflictive times of the human being, adolescence.
"You don’t have to suffer to be a poet. Adolescence is sufficient suffering for all ”John Ciardi.
Youth sexuality allows adolescents to discover themselves and define their sexual identity and space in society. The sexual identification of young people has been an issue of controversy, since, the simple mention of the word sexuality is linked as sex. In the family circle it is preferred to avoid the issue by considering it improper, being a consequence of religious beliefs. In male nature, the issue of sexuality has evolved, according to the thought of social classes. In the era of the colony, the social status of a man represented not only his economic power and the faculty of work;Also his manhood, he was in the ability to have how many women would like, without formalizing a relationship, unlike the middle and low class who tried to have a couple for a lifetime, these last two are identified with love, exceptthe promiscuous cases of infidelity, being part of sexuality and the principles of the person, the same that are governed by beliefs and "morally correct".
The novel created by the Austrian Robert Musil: "The tribulations of the student Törless" represents philosophically the progress of the protagonist’s virility and how this is discovered his libido aspect as the story progresses, but not only that, the work conveysMusil’s own feeling, regardmentioned in their books, such as "Three Women" or "The Man Without Attributes", these being an issue of controversy for the clear criticism of the taboos that were seen through literary works in the German and Austro-Hungarian empire, most of their creations have a given inclination, criticizing the sexual approach and eroticism of the youth of that time. Therefore, a question is presented: how does the protagonist’s sexual evolution reflect his psychological development in the work "The tribulations of the Törless student"?
The narrative begins with a young bourgeois named Törless, who enters a boarding school under the incessant support of his parents, in this place the young man begins to have the first indications of his sexual development and faces the reality of a world where moralityChristian is disrupted by the wealthy society of the imperial era, and even more related to sex;The descriptions of somewhat dreary scenarios for their sight and the philosophical thinking used by Törless give an idea of what they are experiencing, from its level of sexual attraction to hormonal excitement, the references about its body heat and how the environment becomes somethingsuffocating to stop their virile impulses leave a free interpretation of what is happening at that time. Törless at the first instance presents himself as an insecure and indisposed boy, when he moves away from his family, but as the narrative progresses he becomes indifferent to family ties or comes to express very strong feelings for the distance with his parents, feeling helpless, here the permutation of puberty to adolescence is reflected with sudden humor changes, basic stage in which young people develop and define their character, this being an emotional stage, but equally important, for the development of the individual.
Advancing in the plot of history, Törless begins to have his first impressions about sexuality and the world, in the company of his "friends out of necessity" he gets to know Bozena, a prostitute with whom several boys from the boarding school have interacted, andBe, only in word or physical, being a confidant for the first -time who experience new sensations for sexual desire, but Törless, unlike the other boys, does not see it as a sexual objective, only identifies the family figure in BozenaFrom a woman, she does not cause excitation and to some extent, she repudiates her behavior, thus understanding that Törless is discovering her sexual attraction and that she is not yet completely sure if she has become a lascivious being. Later, with the arrival of Basini, a young man of somewhat feminine features and who has economic problems, eroticism and desire are present in Törless. The space where the narration develops is closed and the educated young people are only men, so a man with effeminate characteristics is something new for Törless, to the point, that this is invaded with mental ideas and images, which involve Basininaked, awakening his virility in him, attracts the idea of possessing Basini, even if he is a man and does not consider him morally correct. The influence of the Christian bases is visible and in Törless the question is presented that their status would be in danger of their wishes, since, despite his youth, Törless is an analytical boy and sees beyond his reality, he respondsto his life and his impulsive desires of lasciviousness and immorality;This is a clear example of how his thinking is advancing in reference to his sexual orientation that is not completely defined, Christian morality prevents him from identifying what he feels for Basini;However, it allows Beineberg and Reiting Humilen to Basini and that he himself considers that the abuse are for his own good, this being an example of sexual submission and masochism. Beineberg and Reiting are a symbol of youthful sexual evolution and how possible sexual fetishes in the era of adolescence. At the moment when Törless presence one of the attacks against Basini, this is excited to hear his groans and cannot avoid feeling even more attracted to him, but Törless’s fantasies were not limited to Basini, because his excitement even comesBy imagining Beineberg without a shirt, clearly waking up in Torless a possible desire for the boys instead of the girls. At the end of the story, he understands that he suffered a sexual evolution and that Basini’s charm was nothing more than the proven of knowing, about different sexual interests, discovering his sexual orientation and defining himself as heterosexual.
"Youth knows what he doesn’t want before knowing what he wants". Jean Cocteau
In conclusion, the work presents Törless as a young man who by his social class and his sexual inexperience is mired in a range of feelings and new erotic experiences that allow him to know more about the world, even at closed doors of reality outside the instituteAnd the atmosphere of Austrian society, even after considering the possibility of being homosexual, understanding that what happened in the boarding school was a possible trick of destiny to define its sexual orientation, taking morality as a superficial element, as to preventThat he committed what at first glance, according to Christian education is, a sin, when the sexual act with Basini completes, this event is the most relevant, since in the literary and critical thinking of Musil, a direct criticism is evident toChristian and double moral beliefs. The protagonist corrupted his moral for sexual attempt, in addition that this event helped discover his true sexual orientation, precisely in the adolescence stage, revealing that adolescence, without guidance can commit excesses with serious consequences such as Basini’s situation, theAbrupt reiting submission, Beineberg’s false religiosity or tribulation in Törless’s thoughts.
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