Spring Awakening Lesson Plan

What do you make of the doctor’s and Mrs. Bergmann’s treatment of Wendla in Scene 5?

Students will probably agree that the doctor’s and Mrs. Bergmann’s choice to lie to Wendla about her own health is deeply immoral. From a contemporary standpoint, and likely from Wedekind's perspective as well, Wendla has the right to know basic facts about her body, and she was denied this right. Keeping Wendla’s health a mystery leads Wendla to worry that she is dying of anemia; the fact that Wendla did not understand how people get pregnant, and thus cannot process the fact that she herself is pregnant, shows Wedekind's judgment of Mrs. Bergmann's choices.

What is implied instead of...