Opening
Bibliographic Information:
Beneath
the Wheel / (authored) by Hermann Hesse
ISBN-13: 978-0312422301 / Picador
p. 192 / $11.25 (Amazon)
Reprint 2003 – Original 1906
Body of Content
Summary: The
story revolves around Hans Giebenrath and his education. Residing in a sleepy, German town, Giebenrath’s
potential as a studious student is discovered early in his life. Testing well, the student’s scores allow him
to attend a prestigious seminary in Maulbronn – for the purpose of entering the
ministry. Upon arriving at the school, a
character foil emerges in the friendship of Hermann Heilner – who lacks the
same discipline and self-purpose that Giebenrath embodies. Inspired by his friend, and eventually
overburdened by the course work, Giebenrath drops out of school – after suffering
a mental breakdown. Returning to his
home town, he feels like an outcast. The
question becomes how can the once prized pupil find himself after personal
failure – and will Giebenrath return to the academic road carved out for him or
pursue something more mundane?
Critique: While
later decades define the problem novel by examining the drug culture – or by
looking more closely at topical issues like abortion, suicide, or drunk driving
– the work Beneath the Wheel is in
many ways a problem novel. It is not so
much a re-definition of the literary genre as much as it is a coming-of-age
story with tragic overtones.
In the work, the “problem” is the school culture – rigid and
disciplined – which seeks academic success over personal contentment and
happiness. The instruction is narrow and
topical – it does not serve the purposes of self-actualization. In the early parts of the novel, the main
character deals with sickness and ailment – much due to the mental overexertion
required by his coursework – and neglect for his physical well-being. Family members and teachers in the novel are
not evil, seditious people – but they do spur the main character to continue in
his studies – which only leads to more tests – more examinations – more studying
– more academic responsibilities. The
student’s mental breakdown – resulting in his release from schoolwork and
return to home life – is a statement about the school culture – more than
anything else. The ending, in
particular, highlights the failures of the system – and although it predates
the modern educational system – it does show that many of the same flaws
(depersonalized education, academic over holistic education) still reside in
education today in the West.
Beneath
the Wheel may not fit the definition of a problem novel – by modern
definitions – but it feels like one. The
novel is about the school culture that produces tragedy as much as it is about
a tragic character.
Teaser: A student pursues the vocational path chosen for him; but
he begins to doubt his path when he meets a more whimsical student.
Information about the Author:
Hermann Hesse is a European writer – with German heritage on his father’s side
and French Swiss lineage on this mother’s side.
Born in the late 19th century, he wrote his works in the
first half of the 20th century.
Disappointed with German nationalism and the violent wars of the First,
and later of the Second, World War, Hesse abandoned his German citizenship in
1923, in favor of Swiss citizenship.
Hesse married twice – with failing health near the end of
his life – dying in 1962. Several years
earlier, Hesse received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946. Hesse major works include Siddhartha (1922), Der Steppenwolf (1927), and a collection of political entries
titled Krieg und Frieden (1946) –
translated as War and Peace (Hesse,
1946).
Supplemental Material
Genre: Historical Fiction /
Drama / Adult Crossover
Curriculum Ties: Education – vocations, career advice, school
methodology
Booktalking Ideas: 1)
What would you do – if others wanted something for your life that you
(yourself) have doubts about? 2) Why would a book a hundred years removed from
the present still have impacts and relevancy with the modern educational
system?
Reading Level: This title is an adult
crossover – but the younger age of the protagonist – late teens/early twenties
– plus the vocational themes, where characters must decide about work,
education, and life, etc. – place this book as a reading choice for later teens
– juniors and seniors – as they start to make decisions that will shape the
rest of their life.
Challenge Issues and Defense: There is some sexuality in the
book, along with some alcoholic occasions.
The ending of the book could represent a place of contention. The book is a strong work by a well-known
European author. The book is easier to
defend, thus, on the merits of the overall work and the author.
Personal Reasons for Inclusion: The
work is a thoughtful book on the vocational choices that shape lives. It was a book that surprised me.
Last Thoughts
References:
Hesse, H.
(1946). Autobiography [Webpage]. Retrieved from http://www.nobelprize.org
/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1946/hesse-autobio.html
Listening to (Music):
Artist – needtobreathe / Album – “Daylight”
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