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Title: Demian by Hermann Hesse ISBN: 0-06-093191-4 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 01 July, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.58 (96 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Find your true self
Comment: I have read all of Hesse's novels, but after reading Demian for the third time, it remains my favorite. The book speaks to the individual because it is about one person's journey to try to live according to the dictates of his own conscience. As the protagonist, Emil Sinclair, says, 'I wanted only to live in accord with the promptings that came from my true self. Why was that so very difficult?'
As with our culture, Emil Sinclair's world does not necessarily appreciate eccentrics or people who simply divergent from the herd. The book echoes the Nietzschean sentiment that in order to become all we can be, we must rise above the mediocrity of the herd, which is often an arduous task: following the herd is easy; following the dictates of our own consciences is hard. As social creatures, we want to be accepted, but sometimes acceptance comes at an expensive price, the denial of our true selves. Sinclair struggles with this issue. Although he never feels like he quite belongs, he engages in the activities popular with his peers such as drinking and reveling. When he finds himself in perpetual misery and dissatisfaction, he decides to embark on a new path that eventually leads him back to Demian.
The novel also echoes the Nietzschean themes of transformation and of creating our own morality. The theme of transformation is illustrated through metaphor in the form of the bird that hatches from its egg. It demonstrates that any type of birth, that is, self-renewal, is difficult. Moreover, it compels us to see that part of transcending the herd has to do with creating our own conceptions of right and wrong. Demian says, 'That is why each of us has to find out for himself what is permitted and what is forbidden ' forbidden to him. It's possible for one never to transgress a single law and still be a bastard. And vice versa. Actually it's only a question of convenience. Those who are too lazy and comfortable to think for themselves and be their own judges obey the laws'Each person must stand on his own feet.'
Rating: 5
Summary: Spiritually uplifting!
Comment: This is one of the very few books that gives insight into one's life. I found it to be a book that made me grasp a part of myself that I never fully knew I had. I first read this book after someone recommended it. I truly am grateful I did read it because it opened up a more spiritual side of me. It is a book of self-realization and I truly loved the way Hesse wrote it. It deals with a "connection" between people that everyone is able to have but few seek out. It's a very spiritual book that deals a lot with religion and deep inner-faith, as well as faith in others. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who's seeking themselves or even wants to have more inner-strength.
Rating: 3
Summary: Interesting...for some.
Comment: I first ran across this book last year as a Sophomore. One of my friends had to read it for an English class. I had asked her about it, and she said it was something about a guy liking someone's mom. That struck me as odd, since the cover (of that edition, anyway) picture of a dark figure looking down on a shadowy background looked to me like something where everything was in his (whoever it was) head - like there's nothing going on, really, he just thinks there is.
Now it's a year later, and I decided to give the book a chance after I read some good things about it. Now, I know the saying goes that you should never judge a book by its cover, but I'd say that in this case, the cover that I saw was right on the mark: everything in the book *is* inside Emil's head. The "light" and "dark" worlds, the schoolyard bully who plays a joke on him, Demian's mom (who, yes indeed, is the object of his affection), the whole "Abraxas" deal...
It really is an interesting read - maybe because I like psychology, or maybe just because some of the stuff that goes on does catch your eye - like Sinclair's talk of praying to a painting, of trying to find beauty, and that great conversation with another friend who can't understand his lust for women. I do like the book, but there were times I felt I was reading Walden again: that nothing was going on, the same old "what is it inside me" question being repeated over and over, as Sinclair just seems to care for himself...
I call Demian an introvert book because of the self discovery and the talk of the inner being. There really isn't a whole lot of action, or even interaction with other people. As I said before, Walden is similar in that both narrators are going on and on about mundane issues. Maybe that's because I like action (girls, movies, music, friends) and not sitting around ruminating about a world of hell or the pond my shack is built on. Maybe if Sinclair would just realize that its no good to be so negative all the time, that yes, the world's a scary place; but ONLY if you let it bother you. Don't be active in dreams only - DO SOMETHING!
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Title: Steppenwolf: A Novel by Hermann Hesse, Basil Creighton ISBN: 0312278675 Publisher: Picador USA Pub. Date: 01 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse ISBN: 0553275860 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 February, 1984 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse ISBN: 0553208845 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 December, 1981 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: The Glass Bead Game: (Magister Ludi) by Hermann Hesse, Richard Winston, Clara Winston ISBN: 0312278497 Publisher: Picador USA Pub. Date: 01 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: Beneath the Wheel by Hermann Hesse, Michael Roloff ISBN: 031242230X Publisher: Picador USA Pub. Date: 01 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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