Hermann Hesse is one of the masters of fiction writing in the twentieth century. He was far ahead of his times.
Demian is a must read for those who are for comparative soul searching philosophy about life(I hope that makes sense!!!). Demian is proclaimed to be a biographical account about Hermann Hesse. This was originally written in German. Later on translated to English by a good friend of Hesse.
Demian is the story about a young boy’s coming of age. It has so much passion and heart put into it. It is one of the masterpieces of World literature. This was so well written that Hesse received the Nobel Prize for Literature. Like the saying ’’It’s not the quantity that matters, but the quality’’. This great book, albeit being short in size is a masterpiece in explorative biography giving you an enchanted and enthralling philosophy. This book introduced an excellent writer who later on wrote books such as Siddharta et al. A must read for all.
The book speaks to the individual because it is about one person’s journey to try to live according to the dictates of his own conscience. As the protagonist, Emil Sinclair, says, ’I wanted only to live in accord with the promptings that came from my true self. Why was that so very difficult?’
As with our culture, Emil Sinclair’s world does not necessarily appreciate eccentrics or people who simply divergent from the herd. The book echoes the Nietzschean sentiment that in order to become all we can be, we must rise above the mediocrity of the herd, which is often an arduous task: following the herd is easy; following the dictates of our own consciences is hard. As social creatures, we want to be accepted, but sometimes acceptance comes at an expensive price, the denial of our true selves. Sinclair struggles with this issue. Although he never feels like he quite belongs, he engages in the activities popular with his peers such as drinking and reveling. When he finds himself in perpetual misery and dissatisfaction, he decides to embark on a new path that eventually leads him back to Demian.
The novel also echoes the Nietzschean themes of transformation and of creating our own morality. The theme of transformation is illustrated through metaphor in the form of the bird that hatches from its egg. It demonstrates that any type of birth, that is, self-renewal, is difficult. Moreover, it compels us to see that part of transcending the herd has to do with creating our own conceptions of right and wrong. Demian says, ’That is why each of us has to find out for himself what is permitted and what is forbidden ’ forbidden to him. It’s possible for one never to transgress a single law and still be a bastard. And vice versa.
Actually it’s only a question of convenience. Those who are too lazy and comfortable to think for themselves and be their own judges obey the laws’Each person must stand on his own feet.’
Hesse was a good friend of Carl Jung. This book is a sure masterpiece of literature.
Hope that Helps
inquizitor