Johann Wolfgang Goethe: Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre

6
The solution of the secret
- shortly before her death Mignon plays an angel which has the character of final answers to
all secrets throughout the story (and she finally wears women’s clothes which she has
never done before) � everything becomes clear at the end
- but her secret only becomes clear after her death: Mignon is the daughter of the harpist
(who has become a friend of hers) and his sister � because of this forbidden relationship
the parents had to give Mignon away
Mignon’s function in the novel
- she is at Wilhelm’s side in every decisive and emotional moment, always helps him in
difficult situations (� Mignon as refugee for Wilhem and not the other way round)
- because she influences Wilhelm’s development she is structurally very important
Mignon as a part of the bildungsroman
- besides Wilhelm, Mignon is a prime example of a character in a bildungsroman
- at the beginning of the novel everything concerning Mignon remains mysterious: her
appearance, her character and her past
- throughout the book the reader gets to know more and more about her and at the end her
secret becomes clear to everyone
- as a round character Mignon develops within the story
- furthermore her development can be described as: from abstruseness to clarity, because of
the mysterious beginning and the solution at the end when she dies
bibliography
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang. 1982. Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre. Stuttgart: Philipp Reclam jun.
GmbH & Co.
Hass, Hans-Egon. 1963. “Goethe – Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre.” In: Benno von Wiese, ed.
Der deutsche Roman. Düsseldorf: August Bagel Verlag.
Mahlendorf, Ursula. 1994. “The Mystery of Mignon: Object Relations, Abandonment, Child
Abuse and Narrative Structure.” In: Thomas P. Saine, Ellis Dye, eds. Goethe Year book.
Columbia: Camden House.
Jirku Brigitte E. 2000. “Mignon: Rätsel oder Geheimnis.” Monatshefte für deutschsprachige
Literatur und Kultur. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. 283-301.