Kay's Bookshelf

I think Hesse described Harry’s two conflicting sides (man and wolf) very well, very convincing, to the point of fascinating at times. Nevertheless while I (partly?) understood the way Harry saw life, his inability of enjoying (or bearing) the monotony of daily events, the duality of his character (the way he saw it), and so on, I couldn’t say I managed to identify myself with him – I’m probably too much a member of the bourgeoisie for that. I did find Hermione a very interesting character though, especially as described by Harry at one time – as life itself, one never knows what to expect the next moment. On the outside Hermione is the very opposite of Harry, as she seems to take pleasure in the minutest aspects of life, while everything mundane usually makes Harry feel like a misfit – but deep down both of them are exactly alike, and that’s probably what brought them together in the first place.

I have found quite interesting the part about the treatise on the steppenwolf – both because of the weirdness of the situation (Harry receiving from a random stranger a book about him), and because of its being a book in a book in a book (the treatise is quoted in Harry’s diary which in turn is quoted in the actual book)).

As a bit of fun trivia, I couldn’t help noticing that Harry’s initials (H.H.) are the same as the author’s. Also, Hermine is the feminine version of the name Herman. I wonder if this means that in a way the author identified himself with both of them, rather than with Harry alone (after all Hermine herself wishes to die one day, same as Harry, possibly same as the author)(I must say I don’t know very much about Hesse himself). Speaking of the author, there are some autobiographical elements in this book, most noticing the fact that at the time the book was written Hesse was himself separated fro his wife. He has also taken dance lessons from a woman (Julia Laubi-Honegger) and participated with her at a masked ball in the winter of 1926 (the book was published in 1928).

What I liked most:

When I see one of those sweet and silly Saviors or St. Francises and see how other people find them beautiful and edifying, I feel it is an insult to the real Savior and it makes me think: Why did He live and suffer so terribly if people find a picture as silly as that satisfactory to them! But in spite of this I know that my own picture of the Savior or St. Francis is only a human picture and falls short of the original, and that the Savior Himself would find the picture I have of Him within me just as stupid as I do those sickly reproductions.

It does make a lot more sense in the context – especially as the very same idea was also presented as referring to Goethe, with a lot more detail too. However I cannot say I relate as well to the Goethe part, as I must confess I have never given much thought about what he looked like and/or how he should be portrayed. That’s why I chose the above mentioned part because that is the one I can relate to a lot better.
I have also liked what Pablo said about there being no use in only talking about music, no matter how passionate one might be on the topic; playing the music is the thing to do. I have found interesting the part where Harry decided to go home and commit suicide, but at the same time he kept avoiding his place and roaming the streets because he actually feared death. I was absolutely captivated by everything that happened in the magic theater – the favorite part being the one where Harry is allowed to relive all his missed love occasions, this time setting things right and acting the way he should have been.
My most favorite quote of all was this:

You are to live and to learn to laugh. You are to learn to listen to the cursed radio music of life and to reverence the spirit behind it and to laugh at its distortions.

What I liked least: There were too many words at times, especially in the first half. Well, to be honest it might be my fault, it might be that I have a too short attention span. Perhaps it’s 50/50 :)

Recommend it? Yes.

Quotes on Harry:
Said by landlady’s nephew:

As for others and the world around him he never ceased in his heroic and earnest endeavor to love them, to be just to them, to do them no harm, for the love of his neighbor was as deeply in him as the hatred of himself, and so his whole life was an example that love of one’s neighbor is not possible without love of oneself, and that self-hate is really the same thing as sheer egoism, and in the long run breeds the same cruel isolation and despair.

Said by himself:

I am in truth the Steppenwolf that I often call myself; that beast astray who finds neither home nor joy nor nourishment in a world that is strange and incomprehensible to him.

From the treatise:

What he had not learned, however, was this: to find contentment in himself and his own life. The cause of this apparently was that at the bottom of his heart he knew all the time (or thought he knew) that he was in reality not a man, but a wolf of the Steppes.

Written by the same author:
Siddhartha

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According to Wikipedia, the name Siddhartha means “he who has attained his goals” or “every wish fulfilled”, so it was sort of clear from the beginning that he would find what he was looking for. It was an interesting read though, especially as Siddhartha himself went through a lot of changes, some quite unexpected.

I was very intrigued by the part where Siddhartha finds and leaves Gotama (Buddha). This Gotama is an interesting character too, it is clear that he has reached enlightenment just by looking at him, as calmness and happiness are oozing from his every pore. Nevertheless Siddhartha refuses to become his follower as he believes that one cannot reach anything via teachings, one needs to find whatever there is to find by one’s self. I don’t know whether I should agree with this or not, as I definitely feel that one might need some guidance (what else is teaching but guidance?) even on the path to Nirvana.

I really envied Siddhartha when he first took up being a merchant. The way he looked at people not understanding why they worry so much for, the way he didn’t feel any loss too hard, the way he never had trouble socializing with all kinds of people.

What I liked most: I had fun identifying what different parts of the story reminded me of. For example, the part when Siddhartha first sees Kamala and abandons his former holy life in order to be with her reminded me of one of our poems (Luceafarul), where a princess asks a star up in the sky to come to her and he actually comes, leaving the immensity of the skies behind him only to be with that girl. The part where Siddhartha becomes a wealthy merchant, leading a life of pleasures and then ends up despising himself, reminded me of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible – a book where the writer says he had tried a lot of stuff in life and has found them to be nothing more than thin air. Perhaps Siddhartha just had to try that life of leisure, only to see for himself there is nothing to it, that everything, even wealth, is only thin air. There was even a part in the book that reminded me of Slaughterhouse Five, the part where Siddhartha realizes that time is not running and all the moments coexist :)

What I liked least: I must confess I know very little things about the Eastern Religions, and that I understand very little of them too. As such I was a bit confused when Om was mentioned, especially in the river scene when Siddhartha lets go of the tree he was holding onto and his mind is filled with Om. I do understand its purpose and the reactions it gets but I cannot properly resonate with it.

Recommend it? Yes – especially if you’re into Eastern Philosophy.

Written by the same author:
Steppenwolf

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