cosmichippo
Apr 19, 2011
Book Reports / A Comparison of Nietszche's Birth of Tragedy with Herman Hesse's Steppenwolf. [4]
This is my final paper for my English major as an undergraduate. it must be 25-30 pages. I am comparing dichotmies of Apollo, the spirit of the individual, intellectual, and god of form and illusion, verus Dionysius, the got of drunkenss and destruction of the self. I am applying Nietzsche's theory to the character Harry Haller in Steppenwolf who makes the transformation from a solely intellectual mind, tormented by his mediocracy and lack of sense stimulation to complete indulgence in the Dionysiac spirit. Here is the beginings of my paper:
Human beings are extraordinary creatures with a great potential to create and destroy. Our minds are highly evolved, able to conjure up fantastic ideas of existence and hypothesize the physical make-up of our world. With this great gift of thought and so-called "free will" man is blessed and cursed, forever asking oneself, "What is my purpose? What is the meaning of my existence?" This question is common in all who call themselves human beings. Many describe man's existence in no less than two words. Buddhism describes it as dukkha meaning suffering, Thoreau calls it man's "quiet desperation," Sartre describes it as a nausea, Nietzsche believes human existence is a tragedy, and Herman Hesse creates the term "Steppenwolf" to underline the torment of human existence. Although these descriptions of reality may seem abhorrent, glum, and utterly depressing, it is in fact a blessed and beautiful realization that all should welcome with open arms and a heap of laughter. To deny this truth would abolish our mortality and make us a demi-god, one with the immortals; but we are not. We are sad, depressed, clueless, but beautiful creatures trying to survive life and reach death.
In order to extrapolate these ideas further in greater detail, I will use Nietzsche's work The Birth of Tragedy and Herman Hesse's Steppenwolf to dive deeper into the crevasses of existentialism. In The Birth of Tragedy, Nietzsche uses Greek culture, art, and philosophy as the catalyst for analyzing man and his relationship to the universe. The entire work is based on the dichotomy of the Greek gods Dionysius and Apollo. Apollo is the symbol of dreams, god of illusion and form, and keeper of the principium individuationis, which protects man from chaos, preserving his identity. Dionysius is in opposition, known as the god of drunkenness and destroyer of the self. When under the influence of Dionysius man breaks the barrier between himself and nature, distorting the idea of society and individuality, and brings about a communal primordial consciousness. Throughout most of the work, Nietzsche struggles to synthesize the art of Apollo and Dionysius, putting high emphasis on music, art, and theater, specifically tragedy and comedy. It is impossible dub either absolute as superior or obsolete because no one thing is perfect or imperfect. All things are interdependent. This is the eternal paradox of human thought that Nietzsche suffered and struggled with each day of his life.
In comparison to Nietzsche, Hesse parallels identical ideas and philosophies in Steppenwolf, for he too struggled to find a balance between intellectual consciousness and individuality, and self-indulgence-intoxication of the body and soul. In Steppenwolf, the character Harry Haller, who is essentially Herman Hesse, views his personality in two dichotomies: Man and wolf. When overcome by his human personality, Harry connects with the Apollonian spirit becoming another piston in the machine of society. When in this state, his wolf facade snarls at his man mask disgusted by his submission and preservation of his human identity as a member of the stale bourgeoisie class. The wolf is obviously the symbol of the Dionysian spirit, scoffing at form and the illusion that is society.
Both authors, German born, established identical dichotomies and looked towards their love for art and music as possible solutions to the seemingly unsolvable paradoxical equation of life. It is quite clear that both minds published these books not for public acclaim, or fame. No, these works were a means of confronting their ideas, coming face to face with their mortality in attempts to find equilibrium between the Apollonian and Dionysian spirits, man and wolf, and everything in between. By the end of each work, no great question is answered and no final truth solved. After experiencing these works, we the readers are left with an unlimited supply of ideas to brood upon, and are urged to place our presupposed ideas of ourselves in check. Both Hesse and Nietzsche would agree that the only means of dealing with our emotions, happiness and sadness and everything in between, is to view the tragedy of human life and all its absurdities as the immortals do; a universal comedy.
This is my final paper for my English major as an undergraduate. it must be 25-30 pages. I am comparing dichotmies of Apollo, the spirit of the individual, intellectual, and god of form and illusion, verus Dionysius, the got of drunkenss and destruction of the self. I am applying Nietzsche's theory to the character Harry Haller in Steppenwolf who makes the transformation from a solely intellectual mind, tormented by his mediocracy and lack of sense stimulation to complete indulgence in the Dionysiac spirit. Here is the beginings of my paper:
Human beings are extraordinary creatures with a great potential to create and destroy. Our minds are highly evolved, able to conjure up fantastic ideas of existence and hypothesize the physical make-up of our world. With this great gift of thought and so-called "free will" man is blessed and cursed, forever asking oneself, "What is my purpose? What is the meaning of my existence?" This question is common in all who call themselves human beings. Many describe man's existence in no less than two words. Buddhism describes it as dukkha meaning suffering, Thoreau calls it man's "quiet desperation," Sartre describes it as a nausea, Nietzsche believes human existence is a tragedy, and Herman Hesse creates the term "Steppenwolf" to underline the torment of human existence. Although these descriptions of reality may seem abhorrent, glum, and utterly depressing, it is in fact a blessed and beautiful realization that all should welcome with open arms and a heap of laughter. To deny this truth would abolish our mortality and make us a demi-god, one with the immortals; but we are not. We are sad, depressed, clueless, but beautiful creatures trying to survive life and reach death.
In order to extrapolate these ideas further in greater detail, I will use Nietzsche's work The Birth of Tragedy and Herman Hesse's Steppenwolf to dive deeper into the crevasses of existentialism. In The Birth of Tragedy, Nietzsche uses Greek culture, art, and philosophy as the catalyst for analyzing man and his relationship to the universe. The entire work is based on the dichotomy of the Greek gods Dionysius and Apollo. Apollo is the symbol of dreams, god of illusion and form, and keeper of the principium individuationis, which protects man from chaos, preserving his identity. Dionysius is in opposition, known as the god of drunkenness and destroyer of the self. When under the influence of Dionysius man breaks the barrier between himself and nature, distorting the idea of society and individuality, and brings about a communal primordial consciousness. Throughout most of the work, Nietzsche struggles to synthesize the art of Apollo and Dionysius, putting high emphasis on music, art, and theater, specifically tragedy and comedy. It is impossible dub either absolute as superior or obsolete because no one thing is perfect or imperfect. All things are interdependent. This is the eternal paradox of human thought that Nietzsche suffered and struggled with each day of his life.
In comparison to Nietzsche, Hesse parallels identical ideas and philosophies in Steppenwolf, for he too struggled to find a balance between intellectual consciousness and individuality, and self-indulgence-intoxication of the body and soul. In Steppenwolf, the character Harry Haller, who is essentially Herman Hesse, views his personality in two dichotomies: Man and wolf. When overcome by his human personality, Harry connects with the Apollonian spirit becoming another piston in the machine of society. When in this state, his wolf facade snarls at his man mask disgusted by his submission and preservation of his human identity as a member of the stale bourgeoisie class. The wolf is obviously the symbol of the Dionysian spirit, scoffing at form and the illusion that is society.
Both authors, German born, established identical dichotomies and looked towards their love for art and music as possible solutions to the seemingly unsolvable paradoxical equation of life. It is quite clear that both minds published these books not for public acclaim, or fame. No, these works were a means of confronting their ideas, coming face to face with their mortality in attempts to find equilibrium between the Apollonian and Dionysian spirits, man and wolf, and everything in between. By the end of each work, no great question is answered and no final truth solved. After experiencing these works, we the readers are left with an unlimited supply of ideas to brood upon, and are urged to place our presupposed ideas of ourselves in check. Both Hesse and Nietzsche would agree that the only means of dealing with our emotions, happiness and sadness and everything in between, is to view the tragedy of human life and all its absurdities as the immortals do; a universal comedy.