Søren Kierkegaard once said, “Be that self which one truly is.” Who truly was Søren Kierkegaard? Today, Kierkegaard is known as the “father of existentialism.” His work crosses lines from philosophy to theology and from psychology to literary criticism. Kierkegaard is most known for his critiques of Hegel and of the German romantics, his contributions to the development of modernism, his representation of Biblical figures to bring out their modern relevance, and his persistent attempts to revitalize the Christian faith as a whole.
Søren Aabye Kierkegaard was born on May 5, 1813 in Copenhagen. Kierkegaard’s father was Michael Pederson Kierkegaard, shepherd boy turned businessman. Michael did so well that he was able to retire by the age of 40 and live comfortably until his passing in 1838 at 82 years old. Søren’s mother was Ane Lund, Michael’s second wife, distant cousin, and former servant. She passed away in 1834 when Søren was 21 years old. Søren had six siblings at one point in his life, but because of a curse that was thought to be thrust upon the family in accordance to Michael Kierkegaard’s cursing of God as a young boy, only Søren and his older brother, Peter, lived past the age of 33 (the age of Jesus Christ at his crucifixion). As a young boy, Søren was educated at a boys’ school called Borgerdydskolen. He then attended Copenhagen University where he studied philosophy and theology.
In 1837, he met Regine Olsen, but she was too young to pursue at this time. In 1840, Søren proposed to Regine and she accepted at 18 years old. They were engaged for a year, but Søren broke off the engagement after returning Regine’s ring. Why he broke the engagement is unknown, but it is thought to be because he felt that he was unsuitable for Regine due to his go-around with melancholia and because of his poor health. Years before, Søren had been rejected by the military because his health was seen as unfit. Søren tried to make Regine think that he was a scoundrel so...