In Buchner's 'Lenz' the protagonist is portrayed as a fallen man, separated from society and mentally unstable. Buchner's portrayals of Lenz's descent into madness can be seen strongly in his narrative style but also in the use of realization and nature. From this one can evaluate whether narration is the most effective technique for illustrating Lenz's descent into madness. Examining Buchner's narrative style, one can see that it is dissimilar to other German Romantics. Where Von Kleist seems journalistic in 'The Marquise of O..', the narrative in 'Lenz' appears as if it has been interrupted by the protagonist. For example, when the narrator states "but at this time he found it annoying that he could not walk on his head", it can be hinted that Lenz distorts the narrative with his madness. Helmut argues that "madness cannot be contained in the straitjacket of traditional narrative" and believes that "to represent in all its fury is to shift the fundamental criteria of realistic representation." This suggests that Buchner ignored classical narrative style to make Lenz's madness more believable. Helmut sees this as the "erasure of all differences between the perspective of the narrator and the protagonist". Therefore, it can be inferred that the protagonist and the narrator have become confused, which makes the narrative more ambiguous. This makes the reader consider the reliability of the narrator but also makes Lenz seem realistically troubled. Helmut goes on to say that Buchner has “a contempt for the linearity of time and the three-dimensionality of space.” This can be seen in the fragmented style of the narrative, which highlights Lenz's experiences as patches of time. Furthermore, you can also see Lenz's inability...... middle of paper ...... creative method in depicting Lenz's madness is his unique and distorted narrative. Using non-traditional techniques that include dissolving the boundary between narrator and protagonist, Buchner is able to create an unconventional character who is clearly crazy at the beginning of the story and is maintained throughout the story. His use of religious fulfillment is not as effective because we are unsure of Buchner's religious motivations. However, this technique allows us to analyze Lenz's behavior in relation to social norms thus allowing us to see his behaviors that hint at his madness. Finally, the use of nature is quite effective as the pathetic fallacy allows the audience to analyze Lenz's emotions through figurative language. Therefore, it is the collaboration of these three techniques, of which narrative is the most effective, that allows us to see Lenz's descent into madness.