Resumo de Existentialism, German Angst And Steppenwolf

The term Existentialism, which was first used by the German philosopher Martin Heidegger in the 19th century, defines the philosophy that man is not part of an ordered universe but a creation of his reality and that individual choice and freedom is the highest goal for a vibrant life.

The German philosopher Martin Heidegger first used the world angst to explain a person's experience of confronting meaninglessness in one's life. This philosophy of confrontation demands commitment and the courage to follow individual conviction wherever this conviction may lead, even if it is against the moral majority. Angst can also describe a feeling of dread or apphrehension that comes with the action of confrontation.

These themes are played over and over again in Herman Hesse's Steppenwolf. The protagonist, Harry Haller, is a melancholy man, a man who possesses great intelligence and sensitivity, who has long ago left the comforts of a bourgeoisie life to live alone and beyond the influences of a society that he feels is meaningless and morally bankrupt. Harry has made a moral choice, one that he feels is right for him and so he extricates himself from the ideals and expectations of a corrupt German bourgeoise society. He refuses to be a cog in the machinery of capitalism, like so many other men who are unhappy and don't even know it. His conclusions are not drawn from a detached bystander level but on the painful experiences of life that have taught Harry valuable lessons. Harry is the master of his own soul, no one steers his ship but himself. And yet it is this insight and obedience to its truth that separates Harry from others and c auses him to be miserable. He identifies himself with the lonely wolf of the Steppes, a creature who runs alone in search of food and an existence.

Harry's ideals create a great anxiety within him for he has to confront and defend his ideals at every turn. Here is where German angst comes in, that terrible anxiety of living by one's convictions. Harry is opposed to the War, but everywhere he looks he sees misguided patriots who are not afraid to aggressively express their patriotism. Another example of angst in Harry's life is when friends invite him over to dinner and he sees a picture of his mentor, Goethe, in their hallway. Because of the way that Goethe is portrayed in the picture; Harry experiences a feeling of forboding which is to foreshadow the events of the evening. The evening bears out his deepest fears and suspiscions and he is forced to confront his friends about their own slanted views.

Hesse's Steppenwolf is a novel that is essentially eternal; the themes that he expresses in the novel are as ageless as time. Hesse has created a character that is an every man; that is, it is the profile of any person who struggles with personal convictions in the face of a morally, politically, or spiritually corrupt society. It is any person who struggles with the dilemma of when to stand up for one's own convictions or be silent; to stand counted as one who is willing to voice an opinion that stands for integrity and honesty, even if that voice is rejected by all.

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