There is such a sentence that impressed Youshujun very deeply:
It is only at the turn of the ages, the intersection of two cultures and two religions, that life truly becomes suffering, hell. And the only thing that can portray this pain to the fullest is "Steppenwolf".
Steppenwolf is undoubtedly a huge work, it has caused a sensation in Europe and the United States as soon as it was published, and it is also known as the German "Ulysses".
What kind of story does Steppenwolf tell?
The protagonist, Harry Harrell, is a writer in his fifties who suffers from gout. He moved into a house with two boxes and a large wooden box full of books.
He does not like to go out, and his daily range of activities is basically his own room; his living habits are very bad, he likes to smoke and drink, but he does not burn his head, and his room is often full of smoke and bottles;
Many times, Harry's diet is also not so regular, sometimes drinking only one cup of coffee a day, and sometimes running to high-end restaurants in the suburbs to eat and drink. It's like a person who lives forever only in his own little world.
Just as many people will encounter a midlife crisis, Harry inevitably encounters this problem, and he encounters a more elegant, we can call it the spiritual crisis of a middle-aged artist.
In Harry's own words, "an elderly man who is dissatisfied with life has a bad life, lukewarm, tolerable and makeshift days", but Harry is about to be tormented by these muddy days.
Like many people who want a plain life, at first Harry chose to come to this city full of urban atmosphere, but now, he hates this life form.
Harry felt at odds with this kind of city life.
In the small rented room, on the damp road, in the ordinary tavern, he was tormented by the entanglements, contradictions and conflicts in his mind, and he began to doubt life, doubt life.
Desperate, Harry couldn't find any exit until one day, while walking around the old town, he came across the magic theater.
The slogan "Designed for the Madman, Strictly Forbidden entry for Ordinary People" written on the door of the Magic Theater captivated Harry.
Here he was given a pamphlet called On Steppenwolf.
After opening the pamphlet and taking a closer look, Harry suddenly found the crux of the mental crisis, because he felt that he was, as the pamphlet said, a "human nature" and a "wolf nature" - Steppenwolf.
The two natures of "human nature" and "wolf nature" are completely opposite, and they tear each other apart, making Harry's spiritual world unable to be at peace.
Although this crux of the problem is found, but do not know how to solve, you say that the heart is not disturbed, so Harry feels more and more incompatible with the world, as if he was born in the wrong era.
This pain finally exploded at a party!
One day, Harry was invited to a party. He found that most of the people at the party had narrow nationalist views and supported the war.
Harry, who has always been "valued by peace", immediately made his anti-war remarks, and the result can be imagined, he was reprimanded by everyone, which made Harry feel more and more lonely, he had a terrible idea, wanted to commit suicide, a hundred.
Harry, who was about to execute himself, was on his way home, passing by a tavern, so he ghostly walked inside, where he met the bar girl Hermina.
Harry was surprised to find that the Hermina in front of him, although she had little education, could understand her own thoughts about the world, and Harry felt that he had finally met the so-called "soulmate".
Harry and Hermina talk about faith, religion, war, death, almost all the topics That Harry mentioned, Hermina can understand, and because of Hermina's appearance, Harry's thoughts of suicide have been indefinitely postponed.
Harry, introduced by Hermina, met the musician Pablo.
One day, Harry accompanies Pablo to the Magic Theater, where he discovers a whole new world.
In every door of the magic theater, there is a split Harry, or a split "Steppenwolf".
He is either cruel, cowardly, crazy, wise, kind, mediocre... Thousands of different Harrys staged a complex life drama in a miniature world.
But the situation behind one of the doors shocked Harry, who saw Hermina sleeping naked with Pablo, and an angry Harry did not hesitate to kill her with a knife. Immediately after, however, Mozart appeared.
A character that could not have appeared in real life, Harry realized that everything that happened in the magic theater was a fantasy, a reflection of his personal thoughts.
Harry's life story continues, and the entanglements, conflicts, and even divisions in his spiritual world have never stopped.
At this point, the story is over. In a way, this somewhat neurotic Harry is also the author of Steppenwolf, Hesse.
Hesse experienced two serious mental crises in his life and was sent to an insane asylum. Like Harry in the story, he lacks family warmth and socializing.
But with a deep and independent mind, he is in the struggle and balance between reality and thought again and again.
At that time, Germany was under the influence and control of military and industrial forces, and was moving step by step towards war.
Hesse stepped forward against the war, only to be declared a traitor, reprinting articles attacking him in large newspapers and even losing his house, family, and property.
Therefore, Hesse is miserable, he clashes with harsh realities, conflicts with the external world, and is in a state of imbalance with the inner world.
But that's why he wrote steppenwolf, which we now know.