An Examination of Herman Hesse's Demian
Uploaded by SamSkillz (507) on Feb 22, 2004 |
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Herman Hesse's: Demian, An Examination
An individual often admires another person’s characteristics, thoughts, or actions, and attempts to reflect or imitate these in himself. In psychology, this is known as a defense mechanism that allows the individual to take on such characteristics without being conscious of changes to his own personality. Through Demian, in Herman Hesse’s novel of the same title, Sinclair displays his innermost thoughts about the world, and, in particular, his aspirations for himself. Demian is a projection of the goals Sinclair wishes to achieve, attributes he would like to attain, and thoughts he cannot possess because of the bonds placed on his mind by society.
Demian first emerges as a savior for Sinclair when he has been blackmailed by another character, Kromer. Sinclair describes himself in the short time preceding this, as wanting to be part of the dark world, of which Kromer was a member. When he becomes so far immersed in the dark world and decides that he wants to escape, Demian appears with a “firm, self-confident tone (26),” which was the one thing Sinclair was unable to exhibit towards Kromer. Sinclair also wished that he could tell his parents of his dire situation, but have them accept it, and help relieve him of the pain it caused. Immediately following these thoughts, Demian tells him of his religiously unsanctioned interpretation of the biblical story of Cain and Abel, and what pleased Sinclair “was the ease and grace with which he was able to say such things, as though everything were self-evident (31).” What Demian is able to do is similar to Sinclair’s wish to tell his parents of his plight, caused by actions unsanctioned by religion. He is, however, afraid of the consequences. This leads him to wish he were able to rid himself of Kromer. Demian again embodies these primal wishes, which are directed this time towards Kromer, in saying that Sinclair simply should “kill him (41).” Sinclair, who describes himself as a definite member of the good world, is unable to accept the desires, thoughts, and urges within himself, so he projects them upon the character of Demian.
Sinclair is at a period in his life where he is beginning to think for himself. Rather than memorize ideas given to him by his parents, teachers, and clergymen, he begins to interpret and analyze. He becomes conscious of the dark, evil, world as opposed to the light, righteous one. Sinclair, however, cannot accept his thoughts because throughout his life he had been “warned…most seriously against harboring such ideas (47).” This is when Demian appears and begins rendering various interpretations of biblical works, which greatly interest Sinclair. He “always subscribed with pleasure to the interpretations (60).” It is not before Sinclair begins thinking for himself, but after, that Demian appears. This seems to support the interpretation that Demian was of Sinclair’s own making, an individual created to express his own views freely. Sinclair himself wants to view the world through his own perspective, but this is not allowed by the one sided religious society he lives in, so he projects such thoughts onto the character of Demian.
The societal definitions of what is right and wrong instilled in the mind of Sinclair, cause him to attempt to avoid his newfound thoughts and aspirations, and so he avoids them by avoiding Demian. “For a time I avoided him entirely (53).” At this time, he was again in a world of bliss similar to his younger childhood, when he never had any thoughts that had not been dictated to him. Sinclair was both drawn towards his newfound desires and thoughts, but at the same time they reproached him. He says “Often I felt a great longing for Max Demian, but no less often I hated him, accusing him of having caused the impoverishment of my life (71).” When Sinclair loses himself in drunken binges, Demian is almost no where to be found. Sending mail to Demian receives no response. Sinclair, forgetting all his aspirations and contemplations, finds Demian lost to him. In every instance that Sinclair avoids Demian, he avoids his own interpretation of the world. Conversely, the same holds true. Each time he avoids his goal of understanding, and being, himself, Demian, and his aspirations, are no more than a sliver of hope he must strive to find.
To Sinclair, Demian is the utmost definition of perfection. He exudes all the characteristics, both mental and physical, that Sinclair wishes to somehow attain. He is strong enough to stand up to any boy in the school and Kromer in particular. He has control over every situation and understands what people are thinking. When Sinclair succumbs to his subconscious desires and paints what he sees as his daemon, he finds it to be himself, and everything that was his ambitions. Just as Sinclair finds himself regaining his knowledge, goals, and thoughts, after his drinking binge, he sees Demian in that very painting. “I felt myself coming nearer and nearer to the recognition, the rediscovery, the knowledge…it was Demian’s face (85).” Sinclair also attempted “to imitate Demian (56)” and strove to become what he was. Often, he was “astonished” by Demian’s strength. “Demian looked strikingly handsome with his broad chest, and firm manly features (148).” Sinclair had once thought he had heard a rumor that Demian knew everything in regards to girls. It seems that Sinclair sees Demian as this flawless epitome of success and precision. Subconsciously, Demian became Sinclair’s ideal image.
Sinclair tells the story of his self-discovery. The story, is called Demian, and told almost completely in relation to Demian. This is because Sinclair is wrought with guilt for thoughts and desires that are not accepted by society. He combats his fears with the strength of Demian, blames his thoughts on Demian, and at the same time hopes to become like Demian. Everything that he thinks and wishes to achieve is attributed to the character of Demian. Sinclair is unable to truly accept himself until Demian is gone, but his thoughts and personal interpretations of the world remain.
Text Cited
Hesse, Herman. Trans. By Michael Roloff and Michael Lebeck. Demian. New York: Harper and Row, 1965. |
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