catapult magazine

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discussion

Demian

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dan
Mar 06 2003
05:58 am

On the recommendation of a friend, I just read Hermann Hesse’s “Demian.” Has anyone else read this? I’d like to talk to someone about it.

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Norbert
Mar 06 2003
06:51 am

It’s one of my favorite books. Top five for sure. One of my AP students from last year wrote an article on it in a previous issue.

http://www.cultureisnotoptional.com/issues/article.cfm?issue=3&article=29

I’d gladly discuss it with you. Perhaps we could get others to read it as well. Has anybody brought up the topic of a book club? I know a movie thing was in the works for awhile, but I don’t know if that ever panned out.

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kristinmarie
Mar 06 2003
09:47 am

I would LOVE to do a book club, especially since we have so many English teachers on the site. Count me in!

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dan
Mar 19 2003
05:55 am

Norbert, sorry it took me so long to get back to this topic. Tell me why you like it so much.

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Norbert
Mar 19 2003
06:11 am

It’s challenging. It’s a book that really makes me think introspectively on what I believe and why I believe it. I, like many others on this site, grew up in Christian families believing in God because there wasn’t another option. In high school I wanted to personalize my faith, so I looked at other religions and denominations to ensure that my beliefs were my beliefs, not those of my parents. Emil Sinclair goes through the same thing. Unfortunately, his response is different than what I think it should have been (obviously), but I enjoy watching the struggle.
I taught the book in a Christian school because most of my students never thought critically about their faith before, and as a Christian in a Christian school I could help guide them along this difficult process. I won’t teach it in a public school because I’m “officially” not allowed to teach (and oftentimes even share) my personal beliefs.
Ultimately that shouldn’t make much of a difference, but I’m scared. Woe to him that causes one of these to stumble. …or that sort of thing.

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dan
Jun 07 2003
12:08 pm

My understanding is that this book was wildly popular among German young men in the years following its publication (1919). Not coincidentally this was right after the war that was supposed to end all wars, but ended up instead disenchanting an entire generation. A generation that grew up believing one thing decided it was a lie and was looking for something else. That’s Sinclair, isn’t it? A smart, spoiled brat who doesn’t really believe anything and latches onto smart, ultra-perfect people who seem to know everything but won’t share very much of what they know. The answers provided aren’t very compelling in any case.

The main thing I came away with was a dislike for the main character. The more I think about it, the less likely I am to recommend the book. Is this book really worth putting your students through such an unpleasant experience? The answers provided seem so cliched now: look within, reject tradition and organized religion. There must be authors who are dealing with similar questions but manage to provide more interesting answers, or at least the same answers in the context of a more interesting plot.

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Norbert
Jun 28 2003
06:19 pm

I’ve always thought that a good character study is an interesting plot. The book goes beyond German youth of the 1920’s. It, as well as everything else by Hesse, was very popular in the late 60’s in America as well. I enjoyed teaching it (and will teach it again if I am in a Christian school) because Emil’s problems parallel the concerns of pop culture. Personal identity is the good the bad and the ugly in Demian. More students need to learn how to discern what healthy individuality means for Christians as opposed to Buddhists, the media or whatever else they may come across.