"In my chest, there are two souls!" — Faust
The protagonist of the story is named Harry. Haller, he is a "social terrorist", he is solitary, he does not like to socialize. He often felt that he had a "Steppenwolf" inside him, a wolf that set him apart, oscillating between reason and desire every day.
After meeting Hermina, his world was opened, and he began to explore the possibilities of life, learned to return to the crowd, learned to live, and learned to laugh.
Steppenwolf author Herman. When Hesse wrote the book, he suffered from rheumatism, sciatica, depression, anxiety and other diseases recurred, and also experienced a divorce from his second wife, witnessing the decline of European culture.
In desperation, he approached a Jungian psychiatrist for treatment. Therefore, the book "Steppenwolf" can also be seen as Hesse's journey to seek healing.
Therefore, when Hesse wrote Steppenwolf, he was under great physical discomfort and psychological pressure. Knowing this may be helpful for reading this book.
Herman. Hesse was the winner of the 1946 Nobel Prize in Literature, and his works are popular with readers for their sincere dissection of the inner world and the true meaning of life.
Hesse himself commented on Steppenwolf: It was a spiritual crisis that eventually led to healing. So if you have the same questions as Hesse, read Steppenwolf, and maybe you'll find the answers you need in the book.
Harry's appearance made people like him
The book describes Harry as follows: "He, I don't have much to say, but he is polite and even very friendly. "Whoever looks at him at first glance will find that he is indeed a very important, rare, and gifted figure, his face is always radiant, his facial features are particularly distinct, and with his vivid and sharp expression, he vividly reflects the interesting, exciting, incomparably gentle and incomparably sensitive inner world he has."
From this description, it can be seen that Harry's performance matches his image very well, and he is a very popular and cultured person. So, the university professor invited him to dinner at home. So, Hermina would notice him in the bar. So, Mary would fall in love with him.
Although he is already a fifty-year-old man, he still has a charming charm.
Of course, the appearance is only a appearance, although everyone likes Harry like this, but Harry does not like this kind of himself. The book truthfully says that "although he can mercilessly satirize institutions and individuals large and small, he never excludes himself when he satirizes." In fact, he himself will always be the first target to be targeted, and he himself will always be the first individual to be hated and denied by himself..."
Man, in himself, is a complex individual and a contradiction. What others like about them does not determine their own approval of themselves. As Harry with "social fears", he was miserable. Pandering to everyone, but also enduring their own anxious hearts.
Harry's heart made him miserable and conflicted
Harry called himself Steppenwolf, which was a reflection of his inner loneliness. "One is human nature, the other is wolf nature, and this is his destiny." "In this part of the 'man' he takes into it all the sublimation, refinement, or careful cultivation of thought he finds, and in this part of the 'wolf' he contains all that is wild and chaotic, driven by instinctive impulses."
So when the professor's family saw the portrait of Goethe, steppenwolf's nature was exposed, and he expressed his dissatisfaction with the portrait of Goethe in front of his master, and the result was, of course, displeasure.
In fact, it is understandable to truly express our inner feelings, but helplessly, the human feelings of the world affect our words and deeds. It requires our words and actions to be in tune with the circumstances of the moment, but Steppenwolf cannot.
At this moment, wolf nature has triumphed over human nature. Isn't it painful to have two incompatible guys in one body?
"Steppenwolf's eyes have insight into our entire epoch, into all the hustle and bustle, all the sparing efforts, all the vain calculations, and all the superficial tricks in the vain and shallow spiritual world of the masses."
Pretending to be confused is stupid, but pretending to be confused is ripe. But like Steppenwolf, frankly, in fact, such a person, in our real life, is still quite admirable, but also annoying.
"I am obviously a homeless Steppenwolf, a lonely hater in the world of small citizens, but I always live in the house of the small citizens."
Harry hated the life of a small citizen, but he liked the environment, and in his own words, "I live in this kind of place because I like this kind of atmosphere that originated in my childhood." ”
What a contradiction in a man, but it can also be seen that the family life of steppenwolf in childhood was still very rich. I guess Steppenwolf as a kid must have been very happy! Good family, good education. So even steppenwolf, who is already fifty years old, can still have the right to pursue happiness. So he ran into Hermina.
Hermina led Harry to open another door to life
Hermina knew Harry and knew what harry was thinking, so she taught Harry to dance, introduced harry to his girlfriend, took Harry to a masquerade ball... These were all lives that Harry hadn't experienced in the past.
Harry had a new understanding of his current life compared to his past life, as he learned to laugh in the Magic Theater.
At the end of the book it reads, "Oh, I understood everything, I understood Pablo, I understood Mozart, and I heard his terrible laughter somewhere behind me." I knew I had hundreds of life game pieces in my pocket, knew all of their content, and was overwhelmed by the implications. I would like to start the game again, to taste the pain again, to tremble again for its nonsense, to wander in the hell of my heart again, and to go back and forth many times. ”
Steppenwolf is still Steppenwolf, but Steppenwolf, who has experienced the magic theater, has learned to smile, learned to live, learned to face himself, and accept himself.
Steppenwolf will continue to live, continue to experience pain, and endure pain. But unlike in the past, he will face pain positively and accept it. Whether it is human nature or wolf nature, there is no need to be entangled, because the path to healing is to face everything calmly and accept everything.