|
Eduard
Otto Ludwig Hermann von Goff is the fourth son of Walther and
Elisabeth von Goff, of Goffhausen. Although Walther, as
one of the landed gentry of Nineteenth Century Prussia, was
the stereotypical jack-booted Junker, Otto was not, for Otto
dealt with life with a humour, geniality, and a generosity of
soul that was not understood by those around him.
As the youngest son, Otto was without prospects of land or
title, destined instead to a military life, a life for which
Otto was particularly unsuited.
Humour and impertinent wit have never been regarded as assets
by the military.
Otto
believed he has found the road to everlasting bliss when he
and an heiress, Hildegard von Puttkamer, fell in love with one
another. However, the old maxim, “marry in haste,
repent at leisure,” has rarely held more truth. Not
only were Otto and Hildegard incompatible, but they only ever
manage to have one child, in a time and place that prided
itself on large families. Worse, their one child was a
girl, in a society that placed a premium on sons.
There
were those who believed Otto only married Hildegard to obtain
an estate he had no right to. Those opponents are
relentless in their efforts to thwart Otto, and even to push
him off the estate, Schönwald (“the beautiful forest”),
altogether. The opponents include Hildegard’s family,
and the von Puttkamer faithful family retainers living under
Otto’s own roof, so that after 14 years of marriage Otto was
still not fully master of his own estate. Even though
Otto’s frustration led to bursts of temper now and then, he
handled his struggles for the most part with geniality,
tenacity, and keen intelligence, aided by those who were loyal
to him.
Because
Otto was basically a decent, kind hearted man, he engendered
great loyalty in those who were close to him. Those who
were determined to be rid of him were unmindful of the
consequences to Hildegard, or to Otto and Hildegard’s 10
year old daughter, Luise.
The
relationship between Otto and Luise was gleeful and
light-hearted, even though he did expect her to be responsible
about her duties to family, friends, and her pets. Luise
became the companion Otto didn't have in his wife and the son
he did not have, as well as being his daughter and his
heir. Through Luise Otto lived vicariously the life he
wished he could have lived as a child, ignoring the
consequences of teaching a child to break all of the rules of
society.
To
achieve security for his little family and for the people who
depend on them, Otto did everything he could, even going
against the conventions of the time when he thought “the way
things are done” stood in the way of his family’s
needs. Otto believed Hildegard’s and Luise’s needs
were more important than social niceties. Otto loved his
daughter deeply, and felt guilty that he didn’t love his
wife with the same intensity. There were times when he
could hardly bear the sight of Hildegard. Even though
the attraction Otto felt for Hildegard in the beginning turned
out to have been a temporary infatuation, he did not end up
hating her, nor did he mistreat her, but strove always to do
the best he could for her. Although Otto loved Schönwald
and only felt truly happy and fulfilled when he was tending
and caring for his estate, his fight to prevent Hildegard’s
male relatives from taking over Schönwald was not only for
himself, but also because Schönwald was Hildegard’s and
Luise’s birthright. Otto would do anything to protect
his child’s future, and his wife’s rights, even if that
meant going to court against his wife’s family.
|
