Steppenwolf : The Disintegration of Harry Haller as it Relates to Music
Among the many themes present in Hermann Hesse's 1927 novel Steppenwolf, two stand out as
basic threads around which the story is constructed: the isolated nature of the artist and the duality of
existence (Benét 471). Harry Haller, the protagonist of the novel, is portrayed as an outsider to society and
to modern life; he must struggle with his own outmoded ideals and bestiality to embrace humanity and
reality. His Zerrissenheit, or disintegration (literally translated, "the state of being torn apart" [Benét
1142]), culminates in the Magic Theater at the finish of the novel. Here, he finds himself a changed man,
with a clearer understanding of human and social relations. Harry Haller's progress to this point can be
traced through his changing perception of music and the role it plays in his life: as he becomes increasingly
disenchanted with his former lifestyle and actively interested in his new one, his understanding and
acceptance of new and old music undergoes a significant change.
The preface to the novel establishes Harry Haller as a great lover of music. In it, Haller's landlord
remarks on his habits and characteristics. One of the most striking encounters he has with Haller takes
place at a symphony one night:
First some Handel was played, noble and lovely music. But the Steppenwolf sat absorbed in his
own thoughts...After the Handel came a little symphony of Friedemann Bach, and I saw with surprise
how after a few bars my stranger began to smile and abandon himself to the music...for about ten
minutes [he was] so happily lost and rapt in pleasant dreams...
... middle of paper ...
... the seriousness and spirituality of the
piece.
Haller's Zerrissenheit culminates in an understanding that humor, love of life and passion with a
sense of restraint are essential to spiritual health. To live comfortably and yet fully need not be an
unattainable standard of life. One may be original without pretense, whole with many parts; it is certainly
possible to understand the holy pain of a long, complex movement and yet still take pleasure in the fast step
of a fox trot.
Works Cited
Benét, William Rose. "Hermann Hesse." Benét's Reader's Encyclopedia. 4th ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1996.
Benét, William Rose. "Zerrissenheit." Benét's Reader's Encyclopedia. 4th ed. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1996.
Hesse, Hermann. Steppenwolf. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1927.
Boynick, Matt. "Georg Friedric Handel." Classical Music Pages. 1 Feb. 1996. 13 July 2005 .
How Handel Schieves a Sense of Majesty in his Setting of The King Shall Rejoice
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 2189.
Hassan’s most significant characteristic is his utter devotion and loyalty to Amir. Even though Amir is his master, Hassan views Amir as his best friend and spends most of his free time with him. He frequently tells Amir, “For you a
Harmon, William, and C. Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999.
..., not only will we acknowledge the needs of others by redeeming ourselves from sensuality, but avoid being prideful by acknowledging how unessential material wealth is in our own lives. When we do this we will break out of the the “competitive rat-race without meaning”, or the “vicious circle” (Arrupe 10), by choosing God’s love and the love for others.
Art has always been a way in which humans have shared stories with one another. From the ancient stone age cave drawings chronicling great hunts to modern contemporary paintings such as that of Francis Bacon’s, depicting the turmoil and grief suffered by the troubled mind through the grotesque and haunting creatures that reside within his paintings, us humans have always found a way to describe the world around us and the fascinating and often disturbing stories that lurk around each dark corner, around each shimmering ray of light.
...me and the Structure of Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha." Symposium 11.2 (Fall 1957): 204-224. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Thomas J. Schoenberg and Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 196. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
His pursuit of knowledge became even more important when he entered the university of Ingolstadt. He "read with ardour" (35) and soon become "so ardent and eager that the stars often disappeared in the light of the morning whilst I was yet engaged in my laboratory" (35). He was a proud product of the Enlightenment...
Baba also focused on being an exceptional father to Hassan without others detecting the truth. For instance, Baba paid for Hassan’s harelip to be removed as a birthday present. Hassan was well provided for and even though he was Hazara, he was invited to attend events and gatherings with Baba and Amir. Overall, Baba redeemed himself by proving to others he was a decent man in society.
“ I know, he said , breaking our embrace” Inshaalah we’ll celebrate later. Right now , I’m going to run that blue kite for you “ Hassan always shows loyalty and devotion to Amir, but eventhough the mutuality was not in the same level. Amir eventually fixed his mistakes .
Harmon, William, and C. Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1996.
George Handel thrived during the Baroque Period, and was arguable one of the best composers at the time. Handel produced many great oratorios, operas, and concertos; but most of them go unrecognized, and lye under the shadows of his most famous pieces: Water Music and Messiah. These two pieces are both fantastic pieces of music, and gave Handel great fame during the early seventeen hundreds, and still do today. The Hallelujah chorus from Messiah can be easily associated with Christmas time, because of how popular it is during the holiday season. George Handel was an amazing composer of the Baroque period, and he sure gave Bach a run for his money.
In the Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce creates a deeply personal and emotional portrait to every man. Joyce’s main character, Stephen Dedalus, encounters universal feelings of detachment, guilt, and awakening. Rather than stepping back and remembering the characteristics of infancy and childhood from and adult perspective, Joyce uses the language the infant was enveloped in. Joyce also uses baby Stephen’s viewpoint to reproduce features of infancy.
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, by James Joyce, exemplifies the model of art it proposes as it also offers the reader on how to read that very art. Following the main character, Stephen Dedalus, through life, Joyce uses Stephen’s immediate perception to convey how an artist views the world. The reader witnesses Stephen encountering everyday aspects of life as art—the words of a language lesson as poetry or the colors of a rose as beautiful. Through Stephen’s voyage and words, Joyce introduces the theory that “beauty” as a label for an object is not born from the actual physical object itself, but rather lies within the process one goes through when encountering the object. Joyce’s theory is also experienced by the reader as he or she encounters Stephen’s perceptions as well as the beauty of the poetic language and vivid description within Joyce’s narrative. The rhythmic patterns and stylistic sentences create a multitude of authorial voices that blend at various points in the novel involving Joyce, Stephen, and the reader.