strange headache
Banned
Dear reader,
I'm sorry to disappoint. This is not a thread about the comic book villain, but since you're here allow me to ask you this. Have you ever felt societal norms and conventions restricting your chest, the shallowness of life wrapping itself around your mind like a soporific haze that is slowly lulling you into apathy and dullness? Did you ever feel the need to break out of the mold, deeply longing for the certain something that gives your existence meaning? Did your quiet existence turn into the inevitable flatline so devoid of ontological change that the monotony of life has become an almost unbearable noise? Are you sometimes feeling lonely and depressed or unable to connect with people?
If so, then why not read through this thread anyway, it might be worth your while. Because you, my dear reader, might be a Steppenwolf, a soul divided between the deadening comforts of society and the exciting unknowns of the world outside.
The novel's protagonist is Harry Haller, a 47 years old man living in wolfish isolation after losing his job, family and home. Brooding over classical literature and music in his empty apartment by day, Harry is haunting the taverns and city streets by night drunkenly searching for existential meaning. Harry longs to kill himself, yet clings stubbornly to his own morbid emptiness and despair while drowning his sorrows in alcohol. Reflective of Hesse's own experiences with psychotherapy, the book is a painfully accurate description of depression, one that is rarely matched by comparative literature.
When Hesse's book was published, it did not find critical acclaim in the strictly conventional and bourgeois atmosphere of the 1920s. His novel would later on become a cornerstone of the counter-cultural revolution in the 1960s, especially in Europe. Now, before you write off this book as "hippie literature", rest assured that such is not the case. Hesse himself was a deeply divided person, his outside appearance perfectly adjusted to the societal norms of his day and age, but his tumultuous inner life would often see him at odds with his own lifestyle, lending him a permanent sense of self-alienation.
Steppenwolf is about Haller's spiritual journey towards self-knowledge. The central message of Hesse's book is evident, exploring your inner self is a human obligation lest we become ourselves a living death. The book's main focus lies on the unsolvable paradox between man as a social being and the individual who can only find meaning by himself alone. We human beings long for love and social acceptance, but at the same time we also seek to set ourselves apart from the masses.
The wolf is an animal that we fear and admire at the same time. A wild beast with sharp fangs that could easily rip you apart, but also a majestic being without fear that roams free without concern. Our modern society has the same relation with the free-thinkers that reside within it. We admire the artists and intellectuals that push the boundaries of human thought outwards, but at the same time we are deeply worried about their nonconformism. The outside boundaries of society are full of unknowns, incertitude and danger, hence why our society likes to admire these people from afar, keeping a safe distance from the things that wait in hiding outside.
As Aristotle would say, man himself is a zoon politicon, a social being that relies on the formative structures of his surrounding community. After all, life is safe within the boundaries of civilization, but it is also incredibly boring. Man cannot find meaning in that, lest he transforms himself into a hollow drone, prone to group-think and societal pressure. The individuals outside of these boundaries are either animals or gods and the Steppenwolf is constantly walking that fine line.
Unable to solve that paradox, to quench his thirst for meaning while finding social acceptance, the Steppenwolf grows to despise his fellow humans and society itself. Harry Haller does not know what it is that he is looking for, the destination of his journey remaining unknown. Unable to fulfill his life through meaning, he is driven by contempt, especially towards those who do not share his burden. He wants to be happy too you know, but having rejected happiness as a shallow bourgeois pipe-dream, he seeks refuge in the burning passion of despair. This "flat, normal and sterile life", he wants to smash it, rage against it, as he despises with the intensity of a thousand burning suns the revered hollow idols of his society.
But you see, the Steppenwolf is a fool. He only seeks the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. He only sees the extremes, but not the myriad of things in between. He either sees himself as wolf or man, never both. Thus he becomes blind to the little things in life. There is no one thing that will make you happy, no single thought that will give answer to your questions, no single fruit that renders all other tasteful delights meaningless. But the Steppenwolf does not know that and in doing so he rejects all the simple pleasures of life that he deems unworthy.
Hesse's work is so multifaceted it's hard to express in words. To the bourgeois his novel is a declaration of war to societal order, and to the social outcasts it is a mere call to rebellion and blind activism. Coming back to Hesse's novel throughout my life, I've often found myself coming down on either side of the fence. It is often this quality that I consider the hallmark of not only good but exceptional fiction. Reading the same story but coming to vastly different conclusions at different points in your life is what makes the Steppenwolf a timeless work of art. The sort of story that changes along with you.
Hesse himself often said that his book was often misunderstood as a romantic depiction of societal rebellion and despair. What is often overlooked is the protagonist's return from that journey when he finds his love for Hermine. This beautiful young woman enjoys life to its fullest without falling into the trap of dulling and shallow normality. The second half of the novel is basically about their developing relationship, with the Steppenwolf being confronted to several artistic people from Hermine's circle of friends. All of them finding blissful happiness in their craft, caring very little about Harry's self-destructive pondering. One of them in particular, the mysterious saxophonist called Pablo, appears to be the very opposite of what Harry would consider a serious, thoughtful man. Contrary to Harry, Pablo and Hermine both found something that the Steppenwolf is desperately lacking, the ability to find happiness in what they are doing.
Hermine herself is not any less intriguing than the Steppenwolf. Despite her joyful appearance she is capable of deep reflection and is able to perfectly understand Harry's inner turmoil. Like an onion, there are many layers to her, from serious to lighthearted, she is able to taste from every fruit in the human garden. Hermine's enigmatic character is hard to analyze, constantly shifting appearance, personality and tone, sometimes a boy and sometimes a woman. Hermine is showing Harry that there are millions and billions of options for himself, if only he weren't so stuck in his own personality. The fact that she can be a boy or a girl, act old or young, and is unabashedly bisexual, means that she has embraced all of the opportunities life has to offer. This should come to no surprise as Hermine is both, human and animal and everything in between.
Much could be said about the theme of love in Hesse's novel, but from my personal perspective it all boils down to a very simple yet powerful message: love is the best cure for the depressed. Which isn't surprising, considering Hesse's grief over his wife when he wrote this book. Now if you're afraid that the novel degrades into some kind of mushy romance, fear not, it's nothing like that. While the central message might sound corny, it is not presented that way. If you really think about it though, depression is the inability to find happiness, so what's better than being surrounded by people willing to spread and share their own happiness?
Hermine quickly takes a liking to Harry, maybe out of pity, maybe out of passion, it's difficult to tell really. But before Harry is allowed to fall in love with her, she tells him that she has but one request, that he must fulfill her last command:
This unusual request is a perfect example of the extreme and multifaceted way that Hermine acts half of the time with Harry. It reveals her to be a dangerous presence in the novel because she's asking Harry to do something really out of the ordinary and violent. However, she's also got a light side. She loves music and she loves to dance. Hermine is quite the dancer, and can't believe that Harry doesn't know how to boogie with all of his studies and smarts. So she takes it upon herself to get him to dance. After all, dancing is silly, dancing is not profound, it is the little pleasure in life that the Steppenwolf is frowning upon...
There is a solution to the Steppenwolf paradox, it is to not go exploring the outer boundaries of society and the deepest depths of despair on your own, but to be accompanied by a loved one. Do not concern yourself too much with what society thinks about you, instead narrow your societal needs down to a handful of good friends who care about you because only then will you truly be able to find yourself. Because in the end, as Hesse acknowledges, the Steppenwolf is an untenable solution, a narrow-minded path that ultimately leads into self-destruction. Man or wolf, black or white, it is the shades in between that make life worth living.
I'm sorry for not delving into the story much further, I don't want to spoil it for you. But if what you read above piques your interest, you won't be disappointed jumping head first into this marvelous novel. If anything, the ending will blow your mind, you'll just have to trust me on that.
Reading Hesse's Steppenwolf was a deeply transformative experience in my younger years and I just felt like sharing my love and passion for this particular book.
Thank you for reading this overly long post.
I'm sorry to disappoint. This is not a thread about the comic book villain, but since you're here allow me to ask you this. Have you ever felt societal norms and conventions restricting your chest, the shallowness of life wrapping itself around your mind like a soporific haze that is slowly lulling you into apathy and dullness? Did you ever feel the need to break out of the mold, deeply longing for the certain something that gives your existence meaning? Did your quiet existence turn into the inevitable flatline so devoid of ontological change that the monotony of life has become an almost unbearable noise? Are you sometimes feeling lonely and depressed or unable to connect with people?
If so, then why not read through this thread anyway, it might be worth your while. Because you, my dear reader, might be a Steppenwolf, a soul divided between the deadening comforts of society and the exciting unknowns of the world outside.
“I am in truth the Steppenwolf that I often call myself; that beast astray that finds neither home nor joy nor nourishment in a world that is strange and incomprehensible to him.” - Hermann Hesse: Steppenwolf
"Steppenwolf" is Hermann Hesse's seminal novel, a darkly romantic tale about urban isolation and a vicious attack on the materialistic bourgeois lifestyle. Hesse wrote the book in 1927 when he was in a period of deep depression and social recession after a turbulent breakup with his wife, who herself suffered from schizophrenia and was later on hospitalized in a mental asylum. In writing Steppenwolf, Hesse drew inspiration from his own spiritual crisis.The novel's protagonist is Harry Haller, a 47 years old man living in wolfish isolation after losing his job, family and home. Brooding over classical literature and music in his empty apartment by day, Harry is haunting the taverns and city streets by night drunkenly searching for existential meaning. Harry longs to kill himself, yet clings stubbornly to his own morbid emptiness and despair while drowning his sorrows in alcohol. Reflective of Hesse's own experiences with psychotherapy, the book is a painfully accurate description of depression, one that is rarely matched by comparative literature.
When Hesse's book was published, it did not find critical acclaim in the strictly conventional and bourgeois atmosphere of the 1920s. His novel would later on become a cornerstone of the counter-cultural revolution in the 1960s, especially in Europe. Now, before you write off this book as "hippie literature", rest assured that such is not the case. Hesse himself was a deeply divided person, his outside appearance perfectly adjusted to the societal norms of his day and age, but his tumultuous inner life would often see him at odds with his own lifestyle, lending him a permanent sense of self-alienation.
“There is no reality except the one contained within us. That is why so many people live such an unreal life. They take the images outside of them for reality and never allow the world within to assert itself.”
Steppenwolf is about Haller's spiritual journey towards self-knowledge. The central message of Hesse's book is evident, exploring your inner self is a human obligation lest we become ourselves a living death. The book's main focus lies on the unsolvable paradox between man as a social being and the individual who can only find meaning by himself alone. We human beings long for love and social acceptance, but at the same time we also seek to set ourselves apart from the masses.
“For what I always hated and detested and cursed above all things was this contentment, this healthiness and comfort, this carefully preserved optimism of the middle classes, this fat and prosperous brood of mediocrity. [...] Solitude is independence. It had been my wish and with the years I had attained it. It was cold. Oh, cold enough! But it was also still, wonderfully still and vast like the cold stillness of space in which the stars revolve.”
Harry Haller, the Steppenwolf, is no different in that regard. Two souls war inside him: "the beast", yearning for savagery and isolation, and "the man" seeking culture, society and love. He can only find meaning in isolation, which is why the Steppenwolf detests the lulling comfort of society, but he also fears the coldness of isolation, desperately longing for a kindred soul able to understand his inner turmoil. It is from this dichotomy that Hesse's novel draws its strength.
The wolf is an animal that we fear and admire at the same time. A wild beast with sharp fangs that could easily rip you apart, but also a majestic being without fear that roams free without concern. Our modern society has the same relation with the free-thinkers that reside within it. We admire the artists and intellectuals that push the boundaries of human thought outwards, but at the same time we are deeply worried about their nonconformism. The outside boundaries of society are full of unknowns, incertitude and danger, hence why our society likes to admire these people from afar, keeping a safe distance from the things that wait in hiding outside.
As Aristotle would say, man himself is a zoon politicon, a social being that relies on the formative structures of his surrounding community. After all, life is safe within the boundaries of civilization, but it is also incredibly boring. Man cannot find meaning in that, lest he transforms himself into a hollow drone, prone to group-think and societal pressure. The individuals outside of these boundaries are either animals or gods and the Steppenwolf is constantly walking that fine line.
“When I have neither pleasure nor pain and have been breathing for a while the lukewarm insipid air of these so called good and tolerable days, I feel so bad in my childish soul that I smash my moldering lyre of thanksgiving in the face of the slumbering god of contentment and would rather feel the very devil burn in me than this warmth of a well-heated room. A wild longing for strong emotions and sensations seethes in me, a rage against this toneless, flat, normal and sterile life. I have a mad impulse to smash something, a warehouse, perhaps, or a cathedral, or myself, to commit outrages, to pull off the wigs of a few revered idols...”
Unable to solve that paradox, to quench his thirst for meaning while finding social acceptance, the Steppenwolf grows to despise his fellow humans and society itself. Harry Haller does not know what it is that he is looking for, the destination of his journey remaining unknown. Unable to fulfill his life through meaning, he is driven by contempt, especially towards those who do not share his burden. He wants to be happy too you know, but having rejected happiness as a shallow bourgeois pipe-dream, he seeks refuge in the burning passion of despair. This "flat, normal and sterile life", he wants to smash it, rage against it, as he despises with the intensity of a thousand burning suns the revered hollow idols of his society.
“Man designs for himself a garden with a hundred kinds of trees, a thousand kinds of flowers, a hundred kinds of fruit and vegetables. Suppose, then, that the gardener of this garden knew no other distinction between edible and inedible, nine-tenths of this garden would be useless to him. He would pull up the most enchanting flowers and hew down the noblest trees and even regard them with a loathing and envious eye. This is what the Steppenwolf does with the thousand flowers of his soul. What does not stand classified as either man or wolf he does not see at all.”
But you see, the Steppenwolf is a fool. He only seeks the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. He only sees the extremes, but not the myriad of things in between. He either sees himself as wolf or man, never both. Thus he becomes blind to the little things in life. There is no one thing that will make you happy, no single thought that will give answer to your questions, no single fruit that renders all other tasteful delights meaningless. But the Steppenwolf does not know that and in doing so he rejects all the simple pleasures of life that he deems unworthy.
Hesse's work is so multifaceted it's hard to express in words. To the bourgeois his novel is a declaration of war to societal order, and to the social outcasts it is a mere call to rebellion and blind activism. Coming back to Hesse's novel throughout my life, I've often found myself coming down on either side of the fence. It is often this quality that I consider the hallmark of not only good but exceptional fiction. Reading the same story but coming to vastly different conclusions at different points in your life is what makes the Steppenwolf a timeless work of art. The sort of story that changes along with you.
Hesse himself often said that his book was often misunderstood as a romantic depiction of societal rebellion and despair. What is often overlooked is the protagonist's return from that journey when he finds his love for Hermine. This beautiful young woman enjoys life to its fullest without falling into the trap of dulling and shallow normality. The second half of the novel is basically about their developing relationship, with the Steppenwolf being confronted to several artistic people from Hermine's circle of friends. All of them finding blissful happiness in their craft, caring very little about Harry's self-destructive pondering. One of them in particular, the mysterious saxophonist called Pablo, appears to be the very opposite of what Harry would consider a serious, thoughtful man. Contrary to Harry, Pablo and Hermine both found something that the Steppenwolf is desperately lacking, the ability to find happiness in what they are doing.
“Man is an onion made up of a hundred integuments, a texture made up of many threads. The ancient Asiatics knew this well enough, and in the Buddhist Yoga an exact technique was devised for unmasking the illusion of the personality. The human merry-go-round sees many changes: the illusion that cost India the efforts of thousands of years to unmask is the same illusion that the West has labored just as hard to maintain and strengthen.”
Hermine herself is not any less intriguing than the Steppenwolf. Despite her joyful appearance she is capable of deep reflection and is able to perfectly understand Harry's inner turmoil. Like an onion, there are many layers to her, from serious to lighthearted, she is able to taste from every fruit in the human garden. Hermine's enigmatic character is hard to analyze, constantly shifting appearance, personality and tone, sometimes a boy and sometimes a woman. Hermine is showing Harry that there are millions and billions of options for himself, if only he weren't so stuck in his own personality. The fact that she can be a boy or a girl, act old or young, and is unabashedly bisexual, means that she has embraced all of the opportunities life has to offer. This should come to no surprise as Hermine is both, human and animal and everything in between.
Much could be said about the theme of love in Hesse's novel, but from my personal perspective it all boils down to a very simple yet powerful message: love is the best cure for the depressed. Which isn't surprising, considering Hesse's grief over his wife when he wrote this book. Now if you're afraid that the novel degrades into some kind of mushy romance, fear not, it's nothing like that. While the central message might sound corny, it is not presented that way. If you really think about it though, depression is the inability to find happiness, so what's better than being surrounded by people willing to spread and share their own happiness?
Hermine quickly takes a liking to Harry, maybe out of pity, maybe out of passion, it's difficult to tell really. But before Harry is allowed to fall in love with her, she tells him that she has but one request, that he must fulfill her last command:
"You won't find it easy, but you will do it. You will carry out my command and—kill me. There—ask no more."
This unusual request is a perfect example of the extreme and multifaceted way that Hermine acts half of the time with Harry. It reveals her to be a dangerous presence in the novel because she's asking Harry to do something really out of the ordinary and violent. However, she's also got a light side. She loves music and she loves to dance. Hermine is quite the dancer, and can't believe that Harry doesn't know how to boogie with all of his studies and smarts. So she takes it upon herself to get him to dance. After all, dancing is silly, dancing is not profound, it is the little pleasure in life that the Steppenwolf is frowning upon...
There is a solution to the Steppenwolf paradox, it is to not go exploring the outer boundaries of society and the deepest depths of despair on your own, but to be accompanied by a loved one. Do not concern yourself too much with what society thinks about you, instead narrow your societal needs down to a handful of good friends who care about you because only then will you truly be able to find yourself. Because in the end, as Hesse acknowledges, the Steppenwolf is an untenable solution, a narrow-minded path that ultimately leads into self-destruction. Man or wolf, black or white, it is the shades in between that make life worth living.
I'm sorry for not delving into the story much further, I don't want to spoil it for you. But if what you read above piques your interest, you won't be disappointed jumping head first into this marvelous novel. If anything, the ending will blow your mind, you'll just have to trust me on that.
Reading Hesse's Steppenwolf was a deeply transformative experience in my younger years and I just felt like sharing my love and passion for this particular book.
Thank you for reading this overly long post.
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