Religion in the Novel Demian
Uploaded by drinksbeer on Jan 06, 2005
Religion in the Novel Demian
In the novel Demian, religion plays a big role in what goes on throughout the story. As said in the quote, no one religion can provide complete fulfillment and understanding. I do not agree with this quote because I am a Roman Catholic and I have grown up believing that religion is what a life should be based upon. Since I was real young I was brought up believing in that God is great, and he is what we Roman Catholics live our lives by.
In the novel Demian, the main character, has no religion and does not believe in God. He is a character who could care less about what goes on in the world and what happens to other people. Demian knows that in his mind religion serves no purpose and it is a waste of time believing in something that does not exist or will benefit him. Demian when brought up was never taught about such religion, some guessed him as being Jewish, no one truly knows though. Finally Demians mother sends him to a Latin school, he has never been to a school like this before. Demian is never disrespectful to his teachers, but he does not accept everything they teach. His interpretations of religious stories is quite different to theirs. Many times it is quite contrary to their teachings. And sometimes Demian is even critical of religious texts.
Demian points out in one part of the story that neither in the Old Testament nor the New Testament there is no such mention of sexuality. Also in the Bible, Cain is considered a villain who killed his brother Able, but to Demian , he simply feels that it is the case of victory of the strong over the weak. Demian even considers the mark on Cain and his children, to be a mark of distinction rather then anything derogatory. In another story, Demian does not approve of the thief who repented at the cross. Demian says that "such views are too difficult to digest." But even though all this religious stuff, Demian admits his views honestly and does not portray himself as a hypocrite.
In Demian's case I guess we could say that no one religion can provide complete fulfillment and understanding. From my perspective...