Steppenwolf

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1927

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Preface

Pages 29-75

Pages 75-136

Pages 136-185

Pages 185-248

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Wireless Radios

The idea of wireless transmission was first proposed and accomplished in the late 19th century, and regular broadcasts via wireless radio began in the early 1920s, making it a novel technology in the time in which the story takes place. Even the narrator of the Preface has only just constructed his own wireless radio. For Haller, the radio represents modern technology as a force that clouds or distorts culture. In rejecting the radio, Haller reveals both his anti-Modernism and the inherent contradictions in that anti-Modernist perspective.

Haller feels that the radio transmits good music inaccurately, describing a transmission of Handel as “slime,” but he also feels that the radio is predominantly used for jazz music, which he considers antithetical to “real” art. These perspectives align with Haller’s anti-Modernist sentiments, as he resents the popularity of modern technology and the way it appears to move society farther from the idyllic past which Haller idealizes in the novel. Like the picture of Goethe, Haller feels there is a hubris in transmitting classical music via radio, and he does not think it presents an accurate construction of the music he values so highly. This criticism is an antidemocratic tendency that is always present just under the surface of Haller’s anti-Modernism. Though the radios of the 1920s were in many ways a poor substitute for the sound of a concert hall, they made classical music available to people who could not afford tickets to the symphony. When Haller complains about the degradation of culture, he is also complaining that the doors of his citadel have been thrown open to the masses.

At the novel’s conclusion, Haller imagines Mozart constructing a radio to listen to Handel. Haller is confused, and Mozart explains how the spirit of the music is retained in the radio transmission, even if the music is not perfectly related through this medium. Mozart’s happy acceptance of this imperfect medium is a rebuke to Haller’s purism. The radio, then, symbolizes Haller’s ineffectual and elitist anti-Modernism, with Mozart noting how the spread of radio also means the spread of the spirit of the music Haller claims to love.

The Razor

The razor is a consistent symbol in the novel for suicidal ideation. Haller frequently thinks about the razor, both he and Hermine use the phrase “the razor” as a synonym for suicide. After leaving the professor’s house, Haller fears returning home, knowing that the razor is “waiting” for him. Even as he continues his journey of self-discovery, he is periodically beset by thoughts of the razor, which are often interrupted by pleasant or hopeful events. For example, while thinking of the razor, Haller meets Hermine, then finds Maria in his bed. In each instance, the suicidal ideation is quickly resolved by some element of pleasure in Haller’s life. For Haller, the razor has a mind of its own, just as his suicidal ideation is involuntary, and he fears that he will not be able to stop himself from using it on himself.

The razor, as a symbol, echoes the reflection of the knife in the Magic Theater, as both are scary and threatening objects for Haller. In the Magic Theater, Haller finds the knife while looking for the pieces of himself that he needs to play the “game” of life. He understands in the theater, though, that the knife is not meant for him, but to kill Hermine. In the end, Hermine becomes only another fragment of Haller’s psyche, though, meaning that stabbing Hermine is, in effect, stabbing himself—a suicide by proxy. However, Mozart/Pablo criticizes Haller for using the knife on Hermine, and the court of the theater sentences him to eternal life, subverting the meaning Haller attributed to the razor and suicide. Ultimately, the razor represents Haller’s cowardice, as he fails to banish the razor from his mind and uses the knife without thought or humor.

Music and Poetry

Music and poetry form a motif in the text, as Haller often relies on music and poetry to sustain and explore himself. In the Preface, the narrator notes how Haller seems to go into a trance during a performance of Bach, and Haller later remembers the performance as conjuring a “golden thread.” The golden thread is a symbol of tranquility and happiness, which Haller can only obtain through art or food and drink. Even in the case of food and drink, Haller recaptures the golden thread through memories of art and music. His fascination with poetry and music is used in the text to show how, despite his overall despair and dissatisfaction, Haller finds solace in culture.

In addition to consistent references and allusions to music and poetry, Haller also writes poems in the novel. Haller’s poems in the early portion of the novel express his despair and desperation, dwelling on his perception of himself as a Steppenwolf. Later poems address his feelings of happiness and his admiration for immortals. His perspective on music also develops, as he begins to enjoy jazz music, previously the quintessential representation of his anti-Modernism. As such, the motif of music and poetry runs parallel to Haller’s development as a character, allowing him to revisit his own views on art and culture to see how he can progress within himself. Allusions, as well, serve to remind Haller of the immortals as he tries to become an immortal himself.