First published in 1914, Walter Hasenclever's 'The Son' is a landmark of German Expressionist drama. It arrived right as Europe was about to tear itself apart, and you can feel the tension crackling on every page. It’s not a long read, but it packs a serious punch.

The Story

The plot is straightforward but incredibly tense. A nameless Son, around twenty years old, lives under the total control of his authoritarian Father. The Father sees his son as a failure—he's been expelled from school—and plans to send him to a strict military academy to 'fix' him. The Son feels trapped, humiliated, and spiritually dead. His only ally is his kind but powerless governess, who secretly arranges for him to meet a mysterious Friend. This Friend becomes the Son's radical new mentor, preaching a philosophy of total individual freedom and rebellion against all authority. As the Father's ultimatum looms, the Son’s despair turns to defiance. The play builds to a shocking, violent confrontation in the Father's study, where years of suppressed fury finally explode.

Why You Should Read It

What grabbed me wasn't just the story, but the raw emotion behind it. Hasenclever isn't writing a polite family drama; he's screaming about the soul-crushing weight of tradition and expectation. The characters feel less like real people and more like forces of nature—the Father is pure, cold authority, the Son is bottled-up passion, and the Friend is chaotic, liberating energy. Reading it, you completely understand the Son's desperation. It’s a play about the moment a person decides they would rather shatter the world than let the world break them. Even though it’s over a century old, the core conflict—kids vs. parents, individuality vs. conformity—feels timeless. It’s the ultimate 'you don't understand me!' cranked up to an existential crisis.

Final Verdict

This is a perfect pick for anyone interested in the roots of modern drama, the turbulent mindset before WWI, or just a powerfully short, emotional read. It's for fans of intense, character-driven plays where the real action is psychological. If you liked the rebellious spirit in something like 'The Catcher in the Rye' or the claustrophobic family battles in 'Long Day's Journey Into Night,' you'll find a kindred, explosive spirit here. Fair warning: it's bleak, intense, and doesn't offer easy answers. But if you're ready for a play that reads like a fever dream of rebellion, 'The Son' is a forgotten classic that still shouts loudly today.