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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Herman Hesse has a way with writing that it makes you feel like he is telling you the secrets of the world. The book is mainly insight driven. You experience a person's struggle as he grows up and experiences the world outside the safety of his home. There are many allusions of good vs evil and I feel Herman Hesse does a good job showing that it is not as easy to define as some would think. The protagonist meets many "guides" along the way that help him with his journey, which only we could all be so lucky. But it served as a good way of detailing the ups and downs of life, growth and experiences, but mainly that you really have to work on yourself to figure out who you are and where you would like to fit in the world. While this book is good, if you are looking to start a Herman Hesse book I would recommend starting with his other books as they are much stronger reads.
'All I wanted was to try and realise whatever was in me. Why was that so difficult?'
Demian is an odd one. It is about a boy named Emil Sinclair, who is caught between these two 'worlds', the world of his family and the world of 'danger and mystery'.
In essence it's like any novel where the protagonist meets a new and fantastic person, like Gatsby, or like Dean Moriarty in 'On the Road' or like Tyler Durden in 'Fight Club'. Demian is that character here: the philosophical, intelligent and bold Demian. In the end, this book is about self-discovery, as Hesse's usually are, and finding oneself and what one wants to be. It is about falling into ruts of being and becoming pub crawlers, it is about forgetting what one truly wants and most importantly, rushing to the end of the novel, it is about destiny - and our fates.
Here are some quotes from the text which I particularly liked.
'My goal became purity, not pleasure; happiness was replaced by beauty and spirituality.'
'It is good to know that we have within us one who knows everything about us.'
"Come,' he called out after a time, 'we will now practise a little philosophy. That means holding our tongues, lying on our bellies and thinking.'
Demian is an odd one. It is about a boy named Emil Sinclair, who is caught between these two 'worlds', the world of his family and the world of 'danger and mystery'.
In essence it's like any novel where the protagonist meets a new and fantastic person, like Gatsby, or like Dean Moriarty in 'On the Road' or like Tyler Durden in 'Fight Club'. Demian is that character here: the philosophical, intelligent and bold Demian. In the end, this book is about self-discovery, as Hesse's usually are, and finding oneself and what one wants to be. It is about falling into ruts of being and becoming pub crawlers, it is about forgetting what one truly wants and most importantly, rushing to the end of the novel, it is about destiny - and our fates.
Here are some quotes from the text which I particularly liked.
'My goal became purity, not pleasure; happiness was replaced by beauty and spirituality.'
'It is good to know that we have within us one who knows everything about us.'
"Come,' he called out after a time, 'we will now practise a little philosophy. That means holding our tongues, lying on our bellies and thinking.'
probably my favorite psychological coming of age novel
challenging
informative
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"For awakened human beings, there was no obligation—none, none, none at all—except this: to search for yourself, become sure of yourself, feel your way forward along your own path, wherever it led."
A true masterpiece that lives up to every swoon written about it.
A true masterpiece that lives up to every swoon written about it.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
This is my second reading of Demian. Now as well as then, I like the spirituality without relating to the religious. I am not coming of age as I was when I first read this, but there still remains that meaningful quality. I have never quite fit in with society and that I am always on the search for something ineffable. This has not changed in the 20 years since I read this and it's dubious that it will change ever. This is how I relate to the main character and how I would understand the deep connection he feels towards Demian. This book is a thin tendril of a connection to all those like me.
challenging
dark
medium-paced