Hermann Hesse's 'Under the Wheel' explores the tumultuous journey of adolescence through the eyes of Hans, a young student in a German village. The narrative delves into themes of societal pressure, individual struggle, and the quest for personal identity. As Hans navigates the demands of academic excellence and societal expectations, he grapples with inner conflicts and existential crises. Through vivid symbolism and poignant storytelling, Hesse offers readers a profound reflection on the pains and challenges of youth, making 'Under the Wheel' a compelling exploration of the human experience.
Intro
I found myself delving into another masterpiece by Hermann Hesse, renowned for "Demian" - "Beneath the Wheel." Initially encountering the title as peculiar, I never delved into it, bewildered by the profound philosophical musings of "Demian," avoiding Hesse's other works. However, spurred by a friend's recommendation, I approached it with a sense of tackling unfinished business.
Hermann Hesse, a lover of peace and a rebel at heart, fled his homeland of Germany for Switzerland during World War I. His works reflect his sentiments, exuding warmth and compassion towards humanity. This novel, known for its autobiographical nature, embodies Hesse's experiences. It portrays a young boy's struggle against the suffocating conventions of home and school, the religious traditions, and the pervasive hypocrisy and monotony of authority, offering a reflection of today's youth.
Characters
The protagonist of this work is a boy named Hans Giebenrath. He is a studious student living in a rural village in Germany. He is intelligent and handsome, raising high expectations among the villagers. However, his childhood hobbies such as fishing, swimming, and raising rabbits have been set aside due to his studies. He lives with his father after his mother's passing. Shy and sensitive, Hans meets his friend, Haller, at the theological school, marking a turning point in his life.
At the theological school Hans attends, there is a friend named Hermann Haller. Haller, unlike Hans, is carefree and has a personality opposite to his. He doesn't care much about school grades and finds it pathetic to see kids striving to be top of the class.
And then, there is Emma, the girl Hans falls in love with.
Plot summary
Hans is a boy living in a rural village in Germany. His father, a nouveau riche middleman, is envious and resentful of the upper class. Hans excels in his studies, leading his father to have high expectations of him. His father, suffering from a complex of not being from the traditional aristocracy, hopes even more for his son's success.
Hans takes the entrance exam for a theological school and is accepted with excellent grades. While he lives as a model student at the theological school, his friend, Haller, whom he meets there, is a completely different person from Hans. Although Hans starts to distance himself from Haller, labeled as a troublemaker, he cannot abandon their friendship. Hans, constrained by rules and discipline, is drawn to Haller's desire for freedom.
As Hans spends time with Haller, his academic performance deteriorates, and teachers urge him to focus on his studies. However, Hans's heart is already far from his studies.
After numerous escapades, Haller eventually gets expelled from the boarding school. Hans, too, overwhelmed by poor grades and stress, eventually drops out and returns to his hometown. Back home, he wanders through a period of lethargy and depression, befriending people from the slums and experiencing various hardships. He meets a girl named Emma and falls deeply in love with her. However, hesitating to kiss her, Hans is left heartbroken when Emma suddenly disappears one day.
Feeling defeated, Hans tries to start a new life by working as a mechanic, but after a week of arduous labor and mental turmoil, he attends a party hosted by a friend. After drinking and returning home, he accidentally falls into the water and drowns.
Review
In the novel, Hans often dreams, with the backdrop of his childhood. Despite being at an age where he should be dreaming of the future, young Hans longs for his childhood days. Unable to move forward and stuck in the past, Hans fails to mature mentally as his body grows, inadvertently rejecting Emma and idolizing the self-driven Haller. It's like boys wanting to become adults. Most boys overcome such growing pains and become adults, but Hans couldn't.
After reading, I found it strange that the protagonist dies at the end, despite following the format of a Bildungsroman. Typically, Bildungsroman stories depict protagonists overcoming crises and pain to mature further, but this novel ends with death. Rather than overcoming pain and growth, it depicts the inability to overcome them. Although the novel doesn't explicitly state whether Hans's drowning is suicide or homicide, the atmosphere strongly suggests suicide. Hans's death resonated deeply, akin to the feeling of adolescence we've all experienced.
There's a famous saying, "Youth is wasted on the young." Like flowers blooming without wavering, all youths should overcome pain and grow. However, nowadays, youths face unbearable pain. Considering this, do we have the right to say it's okay when we're not experiencing pain ourselves? If someone else is in pain, should we just dismiss it with "You'll understand when you're older"? If they're truly in pain, shouldn't we help alleviate it, especially if that pain is caused by relics created by existing privileges?
I expected someone with a carriage-related profession or episode to appear in the story based on the title. However, carriages do not appear in this novel; instead, they are used symbolically. This expression arises when the headmaster of the theological school tells Hans that if he doesn't dedicate himself to his studies, he'll end up crushed beneath the carriage wheel. The carriage wheel symbolizes life and society, constantly turning and progressing. Studying hard means moving forward like a carriage wheel, while neglecting studies leads to being crushed beneath it, symbolizing decline.
Following this expression, Hans ultimately gives up studying, returns to his hometown, and meets his death. Hans is pulled down instead of riding the carriage wheel. Let's consider Haller, who appears as the opposite of Hans. Haller can be seen as someone who jumped off the carriage wheel himself. He didn't adhere to the system created by the headmaster or the school's carriage wheel; instead, he jumped off and forged his own path. Although the novel doesn't illuminate Haller's life after this point, in contrast to Hans's death, it's reasonable to speculate that he led a happy life. Being self-directed, Haller broke free from the societal system and paved his own way.
Final thoughts
As I delved into the pains of the boys in the story, memories of my own adolescence resurfaced. In doing so, I couldn't help but ponder the sentiments of Hermann Hesse, the author of the work. Did the pain that drove Hesse to write the character Hans to his demise reflect his own desire to die at that time? What thoughts occupied his mind as he endured that pain and went on to become a renowned author, crafting this very work? Although not extensive in length, it was a profound piece. I hope that many young people, who, like me, are navigating through adolescence, will read it.
