Steppenwolf (novel)
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| Steppenwolf | |
| Author | Hermann Hesse |
|---|---|
| Original title | Der Steppenwolf |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Language | German |
| Genre(s) | Autobiographical, Novel, Existential |
| Publisher | Fischer Verlag (Ger) |
| Publication date | 1928 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| ISBN | 3-518-36675-0 |
Der Steppenwolf is the tenth novel by Hermann Hesse, combining autobiographical and fantastic elements. Released in 1927 and named after the lonesome wolf of the steppes, or coyote, the book in large part reflects a profound crisis in Hesse's spiritual world in the 1920s.
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[edit] Plot introduction and history
At the beginning of 1924 Hesse married his second wife, singer Ruth Wenger. However, after several weeks he left Basel, only returning closer to the end of the year, and then renting a separate apartment. After a short trip to Germany, together with Ruth, Hesse stopped seeing her almost completely. The resulting feeling of isolation and inability to make lasting contact with the outside world, led to increasing despair and thoughts of suicide.
Hesse started working on the book in Basel, and continued it in Zürich. The publication in 1926 a precursor to it - a book of poems titled The Crisis. From Hermann Hesse's Diary. The novel itself was published in 1927.
[edit] Plot summary
The book is presented as a manuscript by its protagonist, a middle-aged man named Harry Haller (who has the same initials as Hesse himself, a recurring device in his books), who leaves it to a chance acquaintance, the nephew of his landlady. The acquaintance adds a short preface of his own and then has the manuscript published. The title of this "real" book-in-the-book is Harry Haller's Records (For Madmen Only).
As it begins, the hero is beset with reflections on his being ill-suited for the world of "everybody", the regular people. In his aimless wanderings about the city he encounters a person carrying an advertisement for a "magic theater", who gives him a small book, Treatise on the Steppenwolf. This treatise is cited in full in the novel's text (another level of self-reference) as Harry reads it. The pamphlet addresses Harry by name and seems to describe him perfectly, as a man who believes himself to be of two natures: one "high", spiritual and "human"; while the other is "low", animal-like, a "wolf of the Steppes". This man is entangled in an irresolvable struggle, never content with either nature because he cannot see beyond this self made construct. The pamphlet gives an explanation of the multifaceted and indefinable nature of every man's soul, which Harry is either unable or unwilling to recognize.
The next day Harry meets a former academic friend who invites Harry to his home. While there Harry both becomes disgusted by the nationalistic mentality of his friend, and offends the man by criticizing his wife's picture of Goethe (a figure Harry later dreams about), thus cementing his belief that he is not fit for the society of other men. Trying to postpone returning home where he plans to commit suicide, Harry chances upon a young woman in a dance hall, Hermine, who recognizes his desperate condition very quickly. They talk at length, with Hermine alternately mocking his self-pity and indulging his view of life, all to his astonished relief. By promising another meeting, Hermine provides Harry with a reason to start "learning to live", as he eagerly embraces her every command. Over the next few weeks Hermine introduces Harry to the indulgences of what he calls the "bourgeois": she teaches Harry to dance, introduces him to the casual use of narcotics, finds him a lover, and forces him to accept these as legitimate and worthy aspects of a full life.
Hermine also introduces Harry to a mysterious saxophonist named Pablo, who appears to be the very opposite of what Harry considers a serious, thoughtful man. After attending a lavish masquerade ball, Pablo leads Harry to his "magic theater", where conservative notions about his soul disintegrate, and Harry participates in several fantastic episodes, culminating with him killing Hermine with a knife, apparently fulfilling her own earlier request but really showing his continuing ignorance. Harry is consequently judged by Mozart, who condemns him to "listen to the radio music of life", challenging him at the same time to "reverence the spirit behind it".
[edit] Discussion
A paperback edition from the 1960's begins with a brief note from the author, dated 1961. In this note, Hesse states that Steppenwolf was "more often and more violently misunderstood" than any of his other books. Hesse felt that his readers focussed only on the suffering and despair that are depicted in Harry Haller's life, thereby missing the possibility of transcendence and healing. This might be due to the fact that most Western readers at that time were not very familiar with Buddhist philosophy. The notion of a human being consisting of myriad fragments of different souls completely contradicts Judeo-Christian theologies. Also in the novel, Pablo instructs Harry Haller to relinquish his personality--at least for the duration of his journey through the corridors of the Magic Theater. Harry needs to learn to use laughter to overcome the tight grip of his personality, to literally laugh at his personality until it falls away into many small pieces. Again, this concept runs counter to the ego-based culture of the West.
Hesse is a master at blurring the distinction between "reality" and fantasy. In the moment of climax, it's debatable whether Haller actually kills Hermine or whether the "murder" is another hallucination in the Magic Theater. One could argue that Hesse does not define reality based on what occurs in physical time and space; rather, reality is a function of metaphysical cause and effect. What matters is not whether the murder actually occurred, but rather that at that moment it was Haller's intention to kill Hermine. In that sense, Haller's psychological states are of more significance than his actions. It's also notable that Hermine does not have an independent existence in the novel. The "manuscript" left in Harry Haller's room truly reflects a story that completely revolves around his personal experiences. Interestingly, when Harry asks Hermine what her name is, she turns the question around. Now challenged to guess her name, he tells her that she reminds him of a childhood friend named Hermann. Therefore, he concludes, her name must be Hermine. Essentially, Harry has just created Hermine. It's as if a fragment of his own soul has broken off and created Hermine to orbit around him.
The underlying theme of transcendence is shown via group interaction and dynamics. Through the novel Harry concerns himself with being separate from those he is around. Harry believes he is better than his surroundings and cannot understand why he cannot be recognized as such. This raises the idea that in order to rise above (a group), one must first become one with (a part of the group).
[edit] Characters in "Steppenwolf"
- Harry Haller – the protagonist, a middle-aged man
- Pablo – a saxophonist
- Hermine – a young woman Haller meets at a dance
- Maria – Hermine's friend
[edit] Major themes
The duality of human nature is a major theme in the novel, and the two main characters, Harry Haller and Hermine, illustrate the duality. Harry illustrates the duality through an inner conflict and an outer conflict. Inwardly, he believes two natures battle within him, a man and a wolf. While he longs to live as a wolf free of social convention, he continually lives as a bourgeois bachelor, but his opposing wolfish nature isolates him from interaction with others until he meets Hermine. Hermine illustrates the duality of human nature through an outer conflict. Hermine is a socialite, a foil to the isolated bachelor, and she coerces Harry to subject himself to a social admission of her design in exchange for her murder. As Harry struggles through social interaction, his isolation diminishes as he and Hermine grow closer to one another. The ultimate goal of Harry's internal struggle is revealed in the gallery title "Marvelous Taming of the Steppenwolf". Another of Nietzsche's themes is present as the Steppenwolf versus the Societally acceptable version of Harry is relatable as a modern bourgeois translation of the Apollonian Complex and the Dionysian Complex, with the Steppenwolf claiming the latter and Harry the former. And in turn Hesse decides upon a medium in this symbiosis as Harry must "learn to listen to the radio music of life", this means he must accept the lighter Dionysian side, the Steppenwolf, without total commitment to an ascetic seclusion and thus he must not refute the lightheartedness of society.
[edit] Trivia
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- In early 1926 Hesse had several sessions of psychoanalysis with Dr. I. Lang, a student of Carl Jung; Jungian notions of "self", or "the I", as a complex superimposition and not a monolithic whole form the philosophical basis of the book.
- In the winter of the same year Hesse was taking dance lessons with Julia Laubi-Honegger (Hermine's prototype), and attended with her a masked ball at the Baur au Lac hotel in Zürich.
- Hesse's landlady and the apartment he rented from her in the winter of 1924 in Basel are described in the novel as those of Haller.
- The symbol of the Steppenwolf itself can be traced to Nietzsche's "differentiated loner", whom he also termed a "beast" and a "genius".
- A consistent motif in the book is the excellent simplicity of Mozart, particularly in comparison with more weighty, "complex, dense" German composers such as Johannes Brahms.
- In his book Big Sur Jack Kerouac describes Steppenwolf as "stupid and senseless" having read it "with a shrug".
[edit] Film version
In 1974 a film version was released. It starred Max Von Sydow and Dominique Sanda, and was directed by Fred Haines.
[edit] Allusions/references from other works
- see also Steppenwolf for more
- Hesse's 1928 short story "Harry, the Steppenwolf" forms a companion piece to the novel. The story is about a wolf named Harry kept in a zoo, who entertains crowds by destroying images of German cultural icons like Goethe and Mozart.
- In 1967, the band Steppenwolf, headed by German-born singer John Kay, took their name from the novel. Several songs by others are also named Steppenwolf. The Belgian band DAAU (die Anarchistische Abendunterhaltung) is named after one of the advertising slogans of the magical theatre in the book.
- The German movie series Heimat has a scene which makes a point out of the fact that one of the characters, Hermann Simon, has been influenced by the novel.
- Aunt Astrid (Katja Riemann) in the movie Blood and Chocolate (2007) quotes Steppenwolf: "I had the taste of blood and chocolate in my mouth, the one as hateful as the other." This is also quoted in the book, on the opening page.
- The "Club Silencio" in David Lynch's Mulholland Drive shares some similarities with the Magic Theater.[citation needed]
- In the Harry Bosch series of crimes novels, LAPD Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch is the illegitimate son of criminal defense lawyer J. Michael Haller. It is pointed out that, in addition to being named for a famous painter, he could be thought of as "Harry Haller."
[edit] Notes
[edit] External links
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