Like Hans Gibbenrath, he is a competitor who wants to take this narrow path. The difference is that Hesse himself came from a very religious family. His father and grandfather were missionaries. His future plan also involves inheriting his career. When the author created the image of Hans, he placed him in the home of a small businessman. His father, Gibbonrath, was a common man who "could exchange names and houses with any neighbor without causing any changes." He was a common citizen who could be met everywhere. This removes the specificity of the author's own family and adds universal meaning to the story. The author also arranged the plot that Hans lost his mother when he was young, had only a vain and strict father, and had no family warmth, which laid the groundwork for his tragic ending.
In the first chapter, the author focuses on describing the process of Hans preparing for the exam. Hans was originally a smart, lively child who excelled in Latin school and was appreciated by the principal and teachers. People expected him to be an outstanding figure in the future. But in order to participate in this "state examination" competition, they asked him to go all out to prepare. His father took away his beloved rabbit, forbade him to go fishing on the river, and canceled all the recreational activities he should have as a child. Every afternoon after school, I had to go to the principal's house to study Greek, and then go to the farm teacher's house to review Latin and religious classes. I have to find a teacher for math tutoring two nights a week. The accumulated homework has to be done almost at 11 or 2 o'clock in the middle of the night every day. The teachers kept saying, "Be in moderation!" In fact, they were worried that he would not learn enough and suggested that he read extracurricular books and review grammar on Sundays. As a result of his hard work, Hans passed the seminary school with second place (the author Hesse himself got 28th place at the time), and at the same time he also suffered from a headache that has been bothering him. However, this tight string did not relax. During the summer vacation before entering school, Hans did not get a "natural" rest, but he received a series of advice, advising him to start learning some courses he would take in the seminary first, and not to "sleep on the laurels" and be "sleeped" by others. Leave it behind." So the teacher said, "It only takes one or two hours a day," and the principal also said, "It only takes one or two hours a day." The summer vacation passed, and Hans became like the shoemaker Leforg in the book (this is a very insightful person). (working people) said: “Thin to skin and bones! ”
Through Hans entering the seminary, the author describes to us the environment and various characters of the Maulbronn Monastery that he is very familiar with. Hans made a good friend Helne here. The two of them Both are recognized as the most talented students, but their temperaments and personalities are completely different: “One is careless, one is serious and down-to-earth, one is a poet, and the other is keen on fame. "But they became an indispensable pair. The poet Helnie later ran away for a time because he could not stand the spiritual constraints of the seminary, and finally left the monastery. Hans, on the other hand, was already weak due to his physical weakness and his friendship with Helnie. After a long time, he was overwhelmed with study and his grades plummeted. Instead of showing sympathy and help, the teachers scolded and ridiculed Hans. Finally, Hans had a mental problem and had to drop out of school and go home. "There are a few stupid donkeys who don't want to have a genius." "We have repeatedly seen that the country and schools spare no effort to eradicate the few top talents who emerge every year. "But "the ones who can enrich the treasure house of our people in the future are always those students who are hated by teachers and monks, who are often punished, who run away, and who are expelled. " (All quotations are found in Chapter 4 of the novel) What a severe attack on that kind of education system! "Under the Wheel" is a novel that accuses the old German education system and is considered to have a strong autobiographical color. "Under the Wheel" "Part 2" describes the sincere and touching story of the relationship between a pair of young friends with very different personalities, Hans Gibbenrath and Hermann Helnie. It is also a bloody and tearful indictment of the old German education system that destroys children's physical and mental health. /p>
The title "Under the Wheel" has two meanings worth pondering. One meaning is that one is lost under the wheel; the other meaning is the sinking of morality and personality in the novel. In one sentence: "So ist's gut, so ist's recht, mein Lieber.Nur nicht matt werden,sonst kommt man untersRad." This is what the principal said after learning that Hans had political contacts with Hermann Helnie and that Hans's grades were gradually declining. He said it to Hans personally. He called Hans "mein Lieber" (my dear student) because Hans had excellent grades in the past. "So ist's gut, soist's recht" refers to him again, or rather. The educator under the educational system of the seminary asked Hans to study seriously every day instead of "hanging around" with Helnie all day long. He regarded the pure friendship between Hans and Helnie as "matt werden" (is a disgraceful thing). In the second half of the sentence, he used the word "man" (people) in general, which shows that it is not just Hans who will sink if he continues to associate with Helnie. Others will do the same. It can be seen that the root cause is Helnie and not the good student in his eyes. Although the principal blames Hans directly, he blames Helnie indirectly and with clear purpose. He could see the disdain and disdain the principal of the seminary had for people like Helnie, and regarded him as an alien.
At the end of Chapter 4, it is mentioned that Helnie was absent from the class, but Hesse used the word Verschwinden (disappearance), indicating that the author wanted to explain that he was escaping from the seminary, and Not really gone. Hesse was deeply influenced by German Romantic literature, and "forest" was something romantic writers were happy to describe, because only forests are places where people can hide, and they are not easily found by others, resisting the systems and systems of the world, When there is nothing you can do, you can only choose to escape, which is a form of resistance. In the novel, Helnie is also fighting against the seminary education system. He lies in the grove and breathes "the feeling of freedom" strongly and "stretches his limbs" freely. In the past, his body and mind had been restrained for too long. So now he can breathe freely in the grove. The seminary was a terrible "cage" for him, and now he has escaped this cage. The article uses "Sterne" and "Wolken" as foils. Because "Sterne" (stars) and "Wolken (clouds)" are both descriptive things that the romantics particularly loved. Stars and clouds are symbols of freedom, which can make people associate. In Heernie's heart, freedom is his ultimate goal. Lying in the bushes and looking up at the sky, he can see the stars and clouds. He left the school alone to pursue "freedom and liberation". He wants to tell everyone - the seminary and the principal - that his will to pursue freedom is much stronger than the school's rules and regulations and education system. He is Hesse's "knight" pursuing self-liberation in this novel, and Hesse's "self-struggle and self-salvation." He felt guiltless for everything he had done. He held his head high and had no regrets about his little "escape". He felt that this little trip was completely a wise move. Traveling can improve people's physical and mental well-being. Activities to achieve total relaxation.
Heirne's departure this time was to absorb "nutrients" and free air for him. In the end, he was unfortunately expelled from the seminary. The teachers and students of the seminary thought this was a shame, but it was not a bad thing for Helnie. He and his father set out to go home at night, about "Nacht" (Night)" is also what romantic writers and poets like to describe, because at night it is conducive to people who are full of free thoughts and bound by imprisoned thoughts to get rid of the cruel shackles of reality. Furthermore, what they did was considered unfair by most people at the time. In the article, "abreisen" is used instead of "abfahren" for "departure". This "reisen" echoes "Geniereise". "Die Entfernung und die entschwindende Zeit ver?nderten das allgemeine Urteil, und manche sahen demseinerzeit?ngstlich gemiedenen Flüchtling sp?ter nach wie einementflogenen Adler." Hesse used the word "Adler (Eagle)", implying that Herne is "Adler" , which shows Hesse’s admiration for Helnie and his behavior.
However, due to the religious influence he received since childhood, Hermann Hesse had no objection to religion or the content of the seminary courses. His Master Flagg, the clearest character in the novel, is a very devout believer. When it comes to Maulbron's Hebrew lessons, the author finds its content fascinating. Although Herne "cursed the whole Pentateuch every day and hour, he was able to find and draw life and essence from it." The author also praised the New Testament as "gentle, clear and friendly... full of freshness and fantasy spirit." What the author criticizes is the teaching method there. For example, he described Homer's epic poem as "sonorous and powerful verses that flowed thousands of miles...", but teachers in theological schools used it as a recipe to teach. "Read two lines in one class, and then chew and discuss them word by word until it makes you sick." So much so that Herne said: "I don't want to learn Homer in this way!" This is "rote memorization" , the consequences of "cramming" teaching methods.
"Some people have linked Hesse's concern for individual people with his romantic view of natural humanity. For example, scholar Chu Xu pointed out that Hesse's "Under the Wheel" expresses the loneliness of the soul and depicts the loneliness of young people. Hesitation and depression', in order to advocate 'obey nature and return to nature'." In "Under the Wheel", Helnie often writes poetry in nature and when he escaped from the seminary for the last time, he also settled in nature (forests, groves). This is obedience and return to nature. In Hesse's novels, the romantic view of personality development often pursues the harmonious development of people. Influenced by his grandfather who was an Indian missionary, Hesse showed a strong interest in Chinese culture. Although this novel is Hesse's way of venting his inner dissatisfaction and resistance to the rigid educational system of the seminary, it can be seen as an expression of Hesse's search for self, personality liberation and self-salvation. "Concern about human beings has been an important and central theme in Western culture since the 20th century. Hesse was a writer of this period. His creations were human-centered and focused on the individual's state of existence.
In this social reality, the characters cannot choose their own existence and can only choose "passive death".
Describes the desolation of people in the predicament of survival and their struggle and resistance. Hesse himself once said in a letter to Marie Louise Dumont in 1929: "Personality arises from two opposing forces - the strong desire to find a way to "self" in personal life. "The Taoist idea of ??the unity of opposites is a basic starting point for Hermann Hesse's creation." In the novel "Under the Wheel", the character Helnie serves as the opposite of the protagonist Hans. ——One is an arrogant bad student who rebels against school rules, while the other is a hard-working, talented teacher and a good student in the eyes of his classmates. These two students have their own unity. They also pursue the liberation of freedom and individuality, but they have completely different results: one was expelled from school, but found a space suitable for his own development; the other ended his life in tragedy. "So people have to choose, take back themselves and bear themselves, and advocate action, risk-taking and resistance."
In the fourth chapter of the novel, when the principal of Maulbronn Theological School talked to Hans, he said this: "Don't relax! Otherwise, you will fall under the wheel." "Falling under the wheel" means falling behind and being eliminated. Hans fell down, he was even completely crushed "under the wheel" and became a victim. Is the reason the principal's "relaxation"? It was not that Herr Gibbonrath did not love his only son. The principal of the Latin school, the city's pastor, the head teacher, etc. described by Hesse are also enthusiastic. They all hope that Hans, an outstanding young talent, will stand out and become a great talent. Driven by vanity, they are eager to instill knowledge (although whether it is really valuable is still questionable) into the mind of this good student. Greek is important, Latin is useful, and mathematics cannot be ignored... The physical and mental health of children and the characteristics of teenagers are all thrown out of the window. In this way, it is inevitable that the string will be broken due to being too tight, and a good horse will fall down and die due to being driven too much.
In "Under the Wheel", Hesse "fully criticized the decadent education system at that time, mourned for the suffering of his youth, regained his life, and completed a redemption of his soul." The pursuit of "self-liberation" and "individual consciousness" are the deep meanings contained in Hesse's novels. The story begins by describing the family situation of the protagonist Hans Gibbenrath. He was born in a small bourgeois family. His father, Mr. Gibbonrath, was a broker. He had "mediocre business skills and a real and heartfelt worship of money." My mother died young due to illness. Hans Gibbenrath, who lost his mother when he was young, lacked the warmth of his family and "lacked the ability to get close to people." This dull and depressive family atmosphere fostered Hans' silent and withdrawn character. The author chose this environment to create an atmosphere, highlight the character's character, and foreshadow his tragic ending.
In addition to Hans, the person who writes a lot in the book is his close friend Hermann Heilne. The author further demonstrates the different personalities of the characters by comparing the births, appearance, behavior, tastes, hobbies, etc. of this pair of friends.
Hans Gibbenrath, who had "a pair of serious eyes, a clever forehead, and an elegant gait" was burdened by a heavy study load under the "care" of his vain father and teachers. Out of breath, he always walked around with "a sleep-deprived face and a pair of tired eyes with black outer rims, silently as if driven". Although he devoted himself to studying, his knowledge was shallow and his life was ordinary. He was afraid of the noise of the big city, and could not understand Hernie's reverie about the clouds in the sky and the ships on the sea. He could not even imagine the "blasphemous" behavior that Hernie dared to scribble on the books. And his good friend Helnie was born in a wealthy family and was his mother's favorite. He was unrestrained, willful and full of fantasy. He is well-informed and has a wide range of interests. He likes to write poetry and paint. He is extremely disgusted with the boring learning and suffocating religious atmosphere of the seminary.
The author uses delicate psychological characterization to further reveal the inner world of this pair of friends, making the personalities of these two characters more distinct. Hans, who came second in the "State Examination", "had the pursuit of fame and fame in his triumph, and the pride of trying to get ahead grew." He immersed himself in studying and regarded staying among the best and striving for first place as his only ideal. Therefore, he could endure the harsh and lonely life of the seminary. He "only followed his own peaceful path" and "ignored all things that would hinder his learning." He even once felt that his friendship with Helnie had become an unbearable burden for him and he disliked each other. His good friend Heirne regarded studying in the seminary as hard labor. He hates the hypocritical pursuit of fame and fortune, "Even if you get first or second place, so what? Just because I get twentieth place doesn't necessarily make me stupider than you people who are dedicated to fame and success!" He said He has his own thoughts and speeches, lives passionately and freely, and seems to despise everything around him. His criticism and attack on the strict rules and regulations of the seminary and the boring study life made Hans gradually have the desire to get rid of the shackles of scholastic education and the pursuit of fame and fortune.
At first glance, this pair of friends "one is careless, the other is serious and down-to-earth; one is a poet, and the other is keen on fame", they are the most mismatched pair, but in real life, they are They are close friends who complement each other and are indispensable to each other.
Although their friendship was scorned and criticized by their classmates and experienced ups and downs, the bond of friendship became tighter and tighter, and their friendship became deeper and deeper.
Hesse is good at capturing and using typical details to describe the sincere and burning emotions deep in the characters' hearts. He chose the detail of two friends' attitudes towards the same event to further characterize the two characters. The principal of the theological school made a clumsy attempt. He called Hans to the office and asked about his relationship with Helnie. Influenced by Heerne's alienating claims. Unexpectedly, Hans, who always followed the rules and obeyed orders, replied: "I can't do this, Mr. Principal." "You can't do it, why?" "Because he is my friend..." A few words The questions and answers written by the pen outline the friendship between Hans and Helnie. The principal was forced to change his strategy and banned Helnie from accompanying Hans on his walks. This ban caused a fierce quarrel between Heerne and the principal. The words "No one has the right to prohibit them from interacting" angered the principal, and Helnie was punished with confinement. The writer further deepens the endearing image of Helnie. For the sake of friendship, he wants to show the principal that "his will is stronger than orders and prohibitions." He finally resisted with action and escaped from the suffocating prison of the seminary the day after he was punished.
This detail reveals the inner world of Hans and Helnie, deepening and enriching the two complementary characters.
The ending of the novel is that Helnie was expelled because he refused to repent for his escape. Hans dropped out of school due to illness and returned home, and later worked as an apprentice in a factory. By chance, he met Emma, ??the shoemaker's niece. His love with Emma added fun to his arduous apprentice life. Unexpectedly, Emma left without saying goodbye soon. , returns to her hometown. In shame and pain, Hans committed suicide by drowning himself in the river, ending his short life.
The artistic characteristics of "Under the Wheel" are also reflected in the author's ability to combine unpretentious, concise and smooth spoken language with poetic descriptions of life, and create beautiful and colorful life scenes in his hometown. The depictions are very moving. Whether it is the ancient stone house, the delicious juice in autumn, fishing on the river bank, or the beautiful night, they all contain the fragrance of fertile soil, producing an alluring artistic charm. What is even more worth mentioning is Hesse's expressive technique of expressing emotions through scenes. He did not directly say that Hans committed suicide by drowning himself in the river, but added a hint of meaning: "The cold light blue autumn night looked down at his thin body drifting away in the darkness." A few faint strokes left a lasting impression on people. I felt a sense of sadness and desolation.
The end of the novel further demonstrates the author's unique artistic charm. You see: "The sky above the small town is a cheerful blue sky, the river is shining in the valley, and the mountains with fir trees are soft and green, stretching as far as the eye can see. The shoemaker smiled sadly and held Mr. Gibbonrath's arm. Mr. Gibbonrath was because of The silence at this moment, due to the strange and painful thoughts at this moment, is walking hesitantly and at a loss towards the downhill road of his accustomed life. "It is Mr. Gibbenrath's strange and painful thoughts that complement the cheerful and soft natural scenery. . "Hesitantly", "at a loss", and "the downhill road of life that is accustomed to" are even more meaningful and thought-provoking.