Through Night to Light: A Novel

"Through Night to Light" by Friedrich Spielhagen is a story set in 19th-century Germany, where two young men named Oswald and Doctor Braun travel throughout the beautiful German countryside as they battle with their own problems and ideas about happiness. The book examines ideas about love, sorrow, and the difficult search to understand life through a character named Berger, who despite his challenges, also has deep wisdom. At the beginning, Oswald and Doctor Braun hike through the mountains and talk about nature and their inner feelings. Doctor Braun hopes that nature can bring comfort, while Oswald reveals his sadness about past relationships and a meeting with his friend Berger, who lives in an institution. Their different views on life highlight the book's themes of thinking about life and the weight of emotional pain, as Oswald moves toward a meeting that may change how he sees himself and others.