Book Analysis: Demian by Hermann Hesse
Demian Questions
Demian is the story of a boy, Emil Sinclair, and his search for himself. Emil was raised in a good traditional home at the turn of the century in the nation of Germany. His family is very wealthy and they have a reputation as a principled, religious family. As a boy, Sinclair views the world within the walls of his home as representing all that is good, pure, and innocent. But starting at a young age, he feels an inner conflict between his own little world, the "world of light," and the outside world, or "forbidden realm" which represents sin and loneliness. Even though his mother, father, and two sisters remain within the "world of light", he constantly feels attracted to the outside realm. He ends up feeling uncertain between both of his little worlds, and not belonging to either one of them. Within these two realms that Sinclair experienced, one can think of applying the idea of two realms to one's own life. In my own life, within realms that I may have experienced, I understood the value system that my parents taught to me to be very different from the value system that I acquired while I was growing up.
My parents taught me values that stressed to be in accordance with my culture. I was taught that girls were responsible for the cooking and cleaning within the household and the boys had the freedom to go out if they pleased, which created a double standard. My parents taught me that the values of a girl are very different from the values of a boy. While I was growing up, I experienced many changes within me that allowed me to change some of the values that I was taught. For example, I learned the value of equality between boys and girls. I learned that men have a good amount of responsibilities just as women do. I learned this while growing up and living on my own. I noticed that in some other cultures, men are not always seen as the dominant one. This realization allowed me to have better relationships with men. I think that this
Demian is the story of a boy, Emil Sinclair, and his search for himself. Emil was raised in a good traditional home at the turn of the century in the nation of Germany. His family is very wealthy and they have a reputation as a principled, religious family. As a boy, Sinclair views the world within the walls of his home as representing all that is good, pure, and innocent. But starting at a young age, he feels an inner conflict between his own little world, the "world of light," and the outside world, or "forbidden realm" which represents sin and loneliness. Even though his mother, father, and two sisters remain within the "world of light", he constantly feels attracted to the outside realm. He ends up feeling uncertain between both of his little worlds, and not belonging to either one of them. Within these two realms that Sinclair experienced, one can think of applying the idea of two realms to one's own life. In my own life, within realms that I may have experienced, I understood the value system that my parents taught to me to be very different from the value system that I acquired while I was growing up.
My parents taught me values that stressed to be in accordance with my culture. I was taught that girls were responsible for the cooking and cleaning within the household and the boys had the freedom to go out if they pleased, which created a double standard. My parents taught me that the values of a girl are very different from the values of a boy. While I was growing up, I experienced many changes within me that allowed me to change some of the values that I was taught. For example, I learned the value of equality between boys and girls. I learned that men have a good amount of responsibilities just as women do. I learned this while growing up and living on my own. I noticed that in some other cultures, men are not always seen as the dominant one. This realization allowed me to have better relationships with men. I think that this