Hi, I had been to Tate Britain to see paintings by The Pre-Raphaelites, I did see Beatrice by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
Then awhile later I walked in this second-hand bookstore and I saw this book with a picture of a bird coming out of an egg on the cover that I could not resist, it was Demian. I read the book and one time there is a painting mentioned of a woman in light and it became clear to me it was Beatrice from Rossetti. The story of Demian was fascinating to me and I read it a few times since and I feel happy to have found this book. Muchos saludos.

I was so happy to discover this discussion about Demian. I, too, was deeply moved by the book. It was the first of Hesse's for me. Wow--I accosted everyone I knew afterward with the beautiful, moving quotes that I scribbled down in my journal while reading the novel. Hesse is somehow able to put intelligently and succinctly the ramblings that I hear in my head all the time yet find difficult to articulate. I also read Narcissus and Goldmund immediately afterward and found the two main characters to very poetically express two essential parts of human nature--intellect vs. passion/life as art. The intoxicating perfection of nature, the basic joy of being alive that Goldmund felt, coupled with his frustration at the trappings of "realistic' and "respectable" lifestyles struck me to the core. It's all so simple, yet we make it incredibly complex! I, too, feel little need to analyze this book, as someone wrote earlier in this discussion. I just have to think about it and I feel a flutter, a glow, a buzz at my core--it's hard to explain. It makes me feel gIddy at life, but also calm and glad that another human being (who has been dead for 60 years) was able to transmit all this in his writing. It was a feeling, and he made it words, and now it's a feeling again in me and many others who have read and love his work.

HESSE WAS VERY INFLUENSED BY NIETZSCHE, DOES ANY BODY WANTS TO TAKLK ABOUT THIS?

WELL, I ADVICE YOU TO READ GERTRUDDE, TIS IS AN EXCELLENT BOOK

Demian is a 'bildungsroman' (spelling?), a coming of age story like the 'Sorrows of Young Werther', 'A Catcher in the Rye', etc. Young adulthood is when we search for our identity, look for role models, and when we are at our most receptive. This book was rocket fuel to my psyche and turned me on the occult. It has some of the themes of 'Crime and Punishment', eg the idea of man as superman, but it doesn't cop out. The idea of being a superman is not necessarily a power trip. The message of the Bible was perverted by authorities into a slave religion. The true message is we are gods, meaning we have extraordinary powers. The rest of Hesse I can take or leave. Books also enjoyed 'The Devil's Elixir' ETA Hoffman, Felix Krull by Thomas Mann, 'Jurgen' by James Branch Cabell.

Hermann Hesse probably had his feet off the ground when he wrote this book, What do you think?

Well, the point of the book appears to me to be how one gets his feet back on the ground.

Our book club just read and discussed Demian for the 2nd time after 30 years of our 1st encounter with it. We were, of course, confused and overwhelmed by it. In trying to understand it I came accross your site. This is my attempt to organize my thoughts and reach a coherent interpretation which may evolve further from this discussion page.
In my opinion, all characters are symbols of human aspects and part of Sinclairšs maturing process. Kromer, evil, corruption; Demian, intellect, ego; Pistorius, unsuccesful spiritual search; Knauer, religious fanatism; Eva, nature, love (I thinks here lies his concept of God. She symbolizes man and woman, motherly and passionate love because the godly encompasses all. All other gods are created by man, as he tells Knauer in chapter 7.)
After going through all the phases that lead to self knowledge and realization, in a life or death moment, Sinclair receives a kiss from Demian/Eva -or the fusion of intellect and nature- when he is fully ready to face lifešs many adversities. This is especially true in Hessešs personal life.
In conclusion, Demian is an ode to the true essence and innate talents of the individual. Our God is within, we just have to tap it -an oriental concept.
As to the Demian/Devil relationship, the only thing that I can think of is that official religions for ther own interests have created a devil of our natural human desires.

Many want to give Hesse a religious or philosophical label: I think the man would smile at such attempts. One parallel not mentioned in the posted comments is that which is evident between the first two books of St. Augustine's CONFESSIONS and the first two-three chapters of Hesse's DEMIAN. Look it up, Gonzalo T. Palacios, Ph.D.