Magic theatre and its semantic role in Hermann Hesse’s novel “Steppe wolf”

Abstract

The article attempts to explain the significance of individual scenes in which the protagonist of the novel in the so-called «Magic Theater» participates and the compositional role of events in the theater for the work in general and for understanding the author’s concept of personality in particular. The novel «Steppe Wolf», like all later novels by Hermann Hesse, can be considered a «biography of the soul», i.e. the basis of the work is to reveal all the complexities of the inner world of the protagonist and trace his worldview evolution (successful or unsuccessful) from one level of internal development to another. This inner development of the main character is depicted in accordance with the so-called individuation (a term in the analytical psychology of Carl Jung, whose influence on the late work of the writer is undeniable). To better understand the contradictions of the inner world of the main character, the article draws attention to the specifics of the novel’s conflict, which is twofold: the first, “external” is to contrast the tastes and values of the creative personality with the tastes and values of burghers; the second, “inner,” is revealed in the opposition of Harry Haller and the Steppe Wolf as two antagonistic forces of the protagonist’s inner world. After all, the plot of the novel is based on Harry Haller’s attempt to raise to the higher level of internal development – the level of harmonious personality, or, in the terminology of C. Jung, “Self”. The main character tries to reach it under the guidance of a beautiful woman Hermine (who in the terminology C. Jung is the archetype of Anima, as Harry himself as a creative person is the archetype of the Person, and the Steppe Wolf – the archetype of his Shadow). On this path of self-understanding he must learn not to oppose himself to the masses of citizens and their values and tastes, because it leads to condemning himself to dissatisfaction with the world, loneliness and uselessness, which ultimately pushes him to suicide. Thus, he must learn how to reconcile with them without giving up his personal intellectual tastes and values trying to unite the oppositions. An attempt to break free from this shell of selfishness is depicted in the gallery of scenes in the so-called “Magic Theater”. Therefore, the article attempts to explain the semantics of all the scenes in which the protagonist participates, and their significance for a deeper understanding of both the inner world of Harry Haller and the author’s concept of personality.