Contains spoilers. 

I picked up Demian because I wanted to get into German literature and Hermann Hesse's works but didn't want to read Siddharta. I know that it's a very famous and acclaimed book but something about it didn't sit right with me after a few pages. It seemed too orientalist for my liking so I decided to read Demian instead which from the description alone already seems to be more up my alley. 

Demian follows a young man named Emil Sinclair and his journey towards self-actualization and making peace with his inner self. When we first meet Emil, there's a lot of anxiety within him. He was just a child and being bullied which is when the character of Demian, a boy his age but seemingly mysterious and mature, appears. Throughout the novel, Demian appears at various times when Emil appears to be troubled or riddled with anxiety. More on this later. 

In the beginning of the book, Emil talks about how there's two worlds. One is the bright world his parents and sisters live in which is an orderly world, and the other a dark world riddled with anxiety and chaos. He describes himself as moving between these two worlds, at times firmly in the bright world, at other times in the dark world. I think this represents the turmoil that Emil feels. Outwardly, his life should appear to be set. He's born from a well-to-do family, he has loving parents and siblings, and all he has to do is do reasonably well in school. He's very privileged and has a bright future. However, his inner life isn't so settled. There are times where he seemed content to be alone and times where he desperately craved validation from others- especially in his boarding school days. 

The conflict in the story is mostly about Emil wrestling with himself. Demian, Pistorius, Frau Eva, Beatrice...all of these characters were secondary to Emil's journey, or rather serve as guides to him reaching his destination. Demian is a book that's more about the inner life of its main character. The things that happen to him serve more as a catalyst or a way for him to achieve self-actualization. It doesn't concern itself with a plot but with a character's journey. 

Let's go back to Demian. I really do believe that it's either Demian doesn't exist at all and is more a manifestation of Emil's inner self/subconscious or Demian does exist but he's not exactly as Emil makes him out to be. That is, he is both a real character and someone Emil knows but he's projecting his inner self on him as someone that Emil himself wants to be like. Whenever Demian shows up, it always seems to be at a time when Emil is troubled or riddled with anxiety. He's always in a place where he needs guidance or solace. When Frau Eva showed up, it was also at a time when Emil was realizing his desires or his idea of his ideal partner. I think that she too, is a manifestation of his ideals. There are several passages in the book which led me to this theory but I think that it's also possible that they do exist in the story but Emil is projecting on them a lot. 

I don't want to comment too much on the psychology as I view it to be a little dodgy, more based on philosophy than science, and would get in the way of the story which I enjoyed. However, I will say that the influence of Carl Jung and psychoanalysis is very present in the story and there is an Oedipal element to Frau Eva as the object of Emil's affection. I find psychoanalysis to be a little pseudoscientific and unconvincing but as a storytelling element, it does hook you in and help guide you into the mind of the character.
 

Overall, Demian is an excellent coming-of-age story or a story about a character's journey and education from childhood to adulthood. You really feel like you've accompanied Emil on his journey to self-actualization throughout the book and it's just so well-executed. It's a short book but very meaningful and there's a lot you can take from it. 

I read the 1923 N.H. Priday translation which I found to be an enjoyable read. It's smooth and has a lyricism to it that makes it a pleasure to read. Although, I would still probably try to read the original once my German is good enough. I found it to be a good introduction to Hesse and made me want to read more of his books like The Glass Bead Game and Steppenwolf. Overall, I highly enjoyed this book and recommend it.