well , frankly i m not a big reader , but after reading demian ( i bought the book cause the picture ressembled to me : o ) and identifying with one of it characters i wanted to know everythin about hesse and his novels . That was a week or 2 ago , and till now i read demian , steppenwolf and siddharta ....
while reading them i noticed that the 3 books have a lot of similarity , i m not saying that hesse had a lack of creativity , but that the message passed in these 3 novels is the same .
In demian as in steppenwolf as in siddharta , hesse encourages us to discover oursleves and our many faces , that we should learn from others but not be dependent of them , that we should always experiment new stuff .. i could go deeper and farther in my description of the connection , but i m out of time , if anyone think the same or have an opinion why not discussin
Hazem

Demian is the best booki've ever read, i think it's a great story

what i meant by the topic ( excuse me for my poor english ) is that there s a lot of similarities in these 3 books , it s the main idea but seen from different prospective ......

I too had a similar thought. Add in Narcissus and Goldmund to your interconnected philosophy ... there's something to further investigate ...

I think three books share a common notion of what it is like to be an outsider whilst seeking community with some spiritual unknown, a thing only felt as an instinct. All three are profound spiritual insights which in the end tie in because they originate from a cohesive and searching ideology. There are moments when reading them one feels as thought ones own life were being described, whilst they are also detached and personal to the writer. All three seek to balance our multifarious personalities.

of course, i don.t know you and apparently it would seem that you definitly do not consider a possiblility that i exist ...
so in my book, this is a good start: total obilivious contact.
in any case, i have originally read demain and steppenwolf, two book that contain the benefit of my existence on this mortal coil... instantly, as most do, i feel deeply lethargic and even more severly in love with the concepts of SELF that hesse contains. now, though, i have began reading a series of works from hesse, ranging from 1906 to 1950(or so) and have realized, as you have, the simularity between hesse's works... however i believe that hesse wrote not, as you said, with lack of creativity, but posed his words in parallel to his life and philosphy... naturally it is assumed that any writer parodies his life to his works and vice versa, yet hesse's works refuse the form of parody. his works though synomous to his life in many ways, actually show what thoughts and ideas he, himself grappled with... hesse, yes, is extraordinary, and simularities will inevitably be found, but i believe in my firend's diagnosis....
" hess's works in singular are meant to be spectacular, not only to the avid reader, but also to the soul of every autonomious human... but to revel in his genious, one must undertake the whole of his works in order to prepare one's self to the philosphy that hesse spent his life preparing for and recieving..." to read hesse is to read a soul.... one of many... to read hesse's works in complete form... one deals not with hesse's ideal SELF but the growth and stability that was the living hesse. throughout his works, indeed, his theme followed almost unaltered.... yet we know humans change like seasons... we thrive in spring, breathing new-born blossoms and interpreting the chirps of passing birds, we grow lush and luminious in summer protraying every bit of photosynthesis... every bit self made nurishment .... fall allows a harvest of the previous gains.... we pluck the autonomy from our minds, reap the ideas and understanding and beauty that incased us during the warm months, and winter stews in reflection, remembrance, and retraced steps long rued and heartily looked forward to, again and renewed as soon as the weather and soul permits...
hesse shall be no different than that ...
hesse is human .... and his books example his life...
his life ... is the theme that you find so similiar in the three aforementioned books....
shinikaru
mlemieux1@comcast.net

I didnt mean by anyway to underestimate Hesse s creativity or work , i only thought that this connection might be a interesting way to explore Hesse s mind , i dunno , if we read the books in the right chronology , we might see how Hesse s point of view on a certain point changed .......... Even though there s a common line of thoughts in his books , each and everyone of the four i read ( demian , steppenwolf, siddharta , le jeu de perle de verres ) are very interesting and gives new stuff and a new way to see stuff ........
i m startin to read hesse s work with more attention and take note to see the evolution of the thought and his way to see stuff , once i ll finish i ll post my stuff up and read your opinions with interest

I agree, Hesse depicts his struggle through the development of a life philosophy, a living force which he tries to unite with. I don't think the similarities end with only one theme, as you put it "his life". The books are not just his life. We already know that he is telling his own life story. He opens in the prologue of 'Demain' stating that his story is most important to him because it is his story, his history, the way he has chronologically reconstructed his life.
More than this; Hesse's ideas are never giving any final 'truth', he states that this is my perception and leaves the ideas with the reader to think for themselves. This is a common theme of his books.
He goes further than this, in 'Demain' he links anthropology, Darwinism, Freud's concept of the ego and the id, pagan religion, bhuddhism, christianity, 'ubermensch' and the discovery of the self. In Siddhartha he makes himslef an Indian world to give his interpretation of the learnings of that culture. Hesse reworks old stories and tells them to his modern readers, whom he hopes will heed his message and think for themselves. The bird struggles out of the egg.
He does all this in the 'stranger at the edge of town' framework. The stranger wants not to be alone, yet realises that conformity would compromise his personal freedom and so struggles to find a community of his own.
He has little to say about the mindless drones out there and says enough in the brevity of references to them. Demain is the presager of a new dawn for mankind he spreads the idea, and after he is gone there is only the word left to spread. In the hope that one day the horror is bearable.

You do not have to read all his books to get the complete picture, what is the complete picture? Do you know it? The only person who could say would be Hesse himself and he's not here. Hesse gives a complete picture in each book he writes, he gives a fully formed idea which can stand on its own, there is no cerial thing going on here, I mean there is no 'Demain part 2' Thank God.
There is a common theme present and part of this draws on previous sentiments from another book. Like Haller mentions a sheltered upbrinking in Steppenwolf, this harks back to Sinclair's home in 'Demian'.
I would be interested to read your thoughts on this...

well hazen you're opinions are rubbish because they are lacking any knowledge about yourself, you seem to talk without really knowing what you are saying, it is just people like you who hesse hated so much, the ones whi think they are clever and just talk alot but actuallt say nothing, like many people. so carry on, in blissful ignorance because you will just never know. will you?