"Steppenwolf" as Title and Topic Anonymous College

It is rightly said that what a man thinks, he becomes. In light of this, Herman Hesse’s novel Steppenwolf deals with Harry Haller, the protagonist who thinks himself to be divided between his human nature and an animalistic one, considering himself a “wolf of the steppes.” In a time when an essentialized idea of the self began to rise, the character of Steppenwolf becomes a subject of interest. However, the readers might question the reason why the author chooses for his protagonist to find escape in the life of a wolf, instead of choosing other animals such as birds, lions, or some other mystical creatures. The relevance of the title is therefore a subject of debate.

It is not a new idea to find a character identifying himself or herself with an animal rather than living his life like any other human being. This issue has been dealt with care by numerous novelists such as Virginia Woolf and Janet Frame, who seem to pointing out that everyone possesses the freedom to dream what they want and be what they want. There are no restrictions on inner thoughts. There are some people who find their imagination as a way of escape from a life they feel disgusted with. Even if society binds people to behave in a certain way and people are...