Steppenwolf

It has been decades since I have read any of Hermann Hesse's books. I majored in English in college and taught high school English for years before entering the business world and then reentering the educational arena as a college instructor. I remember reading many of Hesse's books, such as Siddartha, Demian, Beneath the Wheel, and Steppenwolf. I taught Siddartha to my high school honor students. Hesse spoke to me in the 60s and 70s. What surprises me now is how much Hesse in his novel Steppenwolf continues to present my views and express the thoughts and doubts I struggle with even today.

I don't know why I sometimes forget how powerful literature has been in my life. I haven't read as many novels in the past years as I did when I was teaching. Business demands and interests superceded. But we are who we were in our twenties. I have read that before and believe it more as I mature. The big questions I asked then, I am asking now and I have continued to ask. The answers change and grow.

The novel Steppenwolf seems especially powerful today because it speaks to an issue I have been thinking about -- that duality in us, the part of us we call human and the part the novel describes as "wolf". This other side of us is the "shadow" side we try to hide. This wolf or less than human side is not a part we can disown. I struggle with how to describe it. But today I am only part-way through the novel. I read it as if it were my first entry into the world of the steppenwolf. I hope I enjoy the rest of the journey as much as I am fascinated with the first part. If memory holds true, I believe I will.