Demian Essay Research Paper

Demian Essay, Research Paper

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.

This struggle between Sinclair.s two worlds is evident when

Sinclair is about 10 years old. While playing one day with some fellow

schoolmates, Franz Kromer, an older kid, joins them. In an effort to

impress the older boy and his schoolmates, Sinclair makes up a story in which he and another unnamed accomplice stole a bag of apples from a fellow neighbor. Although the story is untrue, Kromer threatens Sinclair with exposure if Sinclair does not pay him off. Unable to pay the full amount, Sinclair is forced to become Kromer.s slave, ultimately sending Sinclair into depression and paranoia. Sinclair feels trapped by Kromer, forced to live within the "forbidden realm", which in turn exiles him from the "world of light" because he has defiled himself by lying and committing sinful acts for Kromer. This experience is traumatic for Sinclair and he is often haunted by nightmares, he is unable to eat, and he becomes withdrawn and sullen. His personality alters as he tries to cope with the bondage of his slavery to this lower-class, troublesome kid, but he sees no escape and reluctantly succumbs to what he believes to be his fate. The arrival of a new kid in town, Max Demian, is noticed by everyone due to the strange aura that surrounds him and his recently widowed mother. From the start, Sinclair feels a type of fascination for

Demian, a confusing feeling filled with both love and hate. "He was in

every respect different from all the others, was entirely himself, with a personality all his own which made him noticeable even though he did his best not to be noticed; his manner and bearing was that of a prince disguised among farm boys, taking great pains to appear one of them."

The first encounter between Sinclair and Demian occurs one day

after school as the two boys are walking home. Sinclair had learned the biblical story of Cain and Abel from the book of Genesis that day in class. Demian starts a conversation about the story and challenges

Sinclair to look at the story from a different perspective. Demian

proposes that Cain carried a mark of distinction because he was feared

by others due to his strength and that Abel had been killed simply

because he was the weaker one of the two. Sinclair is impressed and at

the same time overwhelmed by this radical perspective which in fact

challenges all the traditions and teachings with which he had been

raised. He therefore denounces the idea as absurd, as a means to protect himself and all that he knows to be true.

It is not for some time later that Sinclair once again comes in contact with Demian. It is on a rainy day in the town square after

Sinclair had a troublesome meeting with Kromer, who still plagues his

life, making him constantly miserable. Through mere observation, Demian assesses the situation between Kromer and Sinclair, and Demian confronts Sinclair about his fear of Kromer. Angered by Demian.s accurate insight, Sinclair rudely brushes Demian off out of fear and frustration, but within the next couple of days Sinclair is freed from his terrifying bondage to Kromer when Demian intervenes without Sinclair.s knowledge, causing Kromer to leave Sinclair alone for good. Sinclair feels an immense sense of gratitude and indebtedness towards Demian for saving him, but due to his immaturity and fear he is unable to express this to Demian. Instead, Sinclair confesses everything to his parents and regresses into a childlike state within the "world of light" which provides comfort and security. But due to the severity of the experience and consequent loss of innocence, Sinclair realizes that he can never really be a part of the "world of light". "So, in the blindness of my heart, I chose to be dependent on my father and mother, on the old, cherished .world of light., though I knew by now that it was not the only one."

Several years pass before Demian and Sinclair have any more

contact. Then, due to odd circumstances, Demian is placed in Sinclair.s confirmation class even though he is two years older. At this time,Sinclair is dealing, to an even greater extent, with the conflict between his two worlds, but no longer is Franz Kromer the outside threat, rather his own sexual maturity and desires, now constantly plaguing him. A bond is re-established between the two boys one day in class when the teacher recounts the story of Cain and Abel, bri

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