Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
I found myself transcribing large portions of this book into my journal because I cherished it so much. The struggles of the main character resonated with me. Over ten years later I continue to think of Him as a friend. Beautifully written and provides added gems for readers willing to dig deeper.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked the book but it's so focused on Sinclair's development it can be hard to read because not much happens.
Genuinely kind of floored by how good this was? I don't want to get ahead of myself but this might deserve a spot in my all time favorites list. Definitely a book I'll want to read again soon.
The idea that Hesse chooses to explore in Demian is subtle. It's not the first time someone juxtaposed Light and Dark in literature but the metaphor of two realms--the purity and goodness of your parent's house and the darkness that lurks in the alleys outside--is quite exhilarating.
The idea of a warm house being carved among the darkness of the world, a place where the evil stops at the door and you live with a warm bed and full stomach; something your parents worked their whole life for. And then stepping outside the door and not knowing how to navigate the shadows.
I thought a lot about why Hermann Hesse employed "petty" evils to show the darkness and not something that could be more argued into a morally bad category. Why Sinclair experienced darkness by stealing money from his father and not, let's say, beating some other kid? I think Hesse was trying to highlight the presence of darkness within. He didn't need a heavy sin to show that; to him, a sin was a sin. It served as a trigger to show us the internal turmoil of Sinclair and why he thinks he's "bad" now because he committed one sin.
The internal turmoil of Sinclair and his stepping into bad habits seemed more evil because of his preconceived notions of good and bad, rather than being comparatively bad.
All in all, it was an interesting read.
Though the plot and character development become stagnant towards the end of the book.
The idea of a warm house being carved among the darkness of the world, a place where the evil stops at the door and you live with a warm bed and full stomach; something your parents worked their whole life for. And then stepping outside the door and not knowing how to navigate the shadows.
I thought a lot about why Hermann Hesse employed "petty" evils to show the darkness and not something that could be more argued into a morally bad category. Why Sinclair experienced darkness by stealing money from his father and not, let's say, beating some other kid? I think Hesse was trying to highlight the presence of darkness within. He didn't need a heavy sin to show that; to him, a sin was a sin. It served as a trigger to show us the internal turmoil of Sinclair and why he thinks he's "bad" now because he committed one sin.
The internal turmoil of Sinclair and his stepping into bad habits seemed more evil because of his preconceived notions of good and bad, rather than being comparatively bad.
All in all, it was an interesting read.
Though the plot and character development become stagnant towards the end of the book.
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It was...an interesting read. I agree with other comments; it lost me a bit in the second part. I'm not sure why I'm even writing a review on it lol. It is definitely one of those books that you have to read twice at least like one year apart to fully process them. Very philosophical.
I read it because one of my favorite pieces of media is inspried by it. I like the way it plays with religion and what it might mean. First I was curious about the questions against religion it raises nothing surprising but then found out this was released more than a century ago.......this is very ahead of it's time lol.
(Spoiler alert-ish)
I can't help but feel like that their new religion and all of them having the "mark of cain" was an innuendo for queerness. I hadn't meant to but I was reading it partly with a queer lense and I feel like any queer person would be able to see queer elements in the book.
Great book, probably would've liked the plot to be more smooth than choppy. It kind of jumps from one section of life to other, one scene to other.
I read it because one of my favorite pieces of media is inspried by it. I like the way it plays with religion and what it might mean. First I was curious about the questions against religion it raises nothing surprising but then found out this was released more than a century ago.......this is very ahead of it's time lol.
(Spoiler alert-ish)
I can't help but feel like that their new religion and all of them having the "mark of cain" was an innuendo for queerness. I hadn't meant to but I was reading it partly with a queer lense and I feel like any queer person would be able to see queer elements in the book.
Great book, probably would've liked the plot to be more smooth than choppy. It kind of jumps from one section of life to other, one scene to other.
Breaking out of the egg shell can be hard even later in life.
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
kind of interesting but not the least bit relatable on any level for me