Essay - Hesse's Portrayal of Women Herman Hesse's Narcissus and Goldmund Thesis:...

Hesse's portrayal of women

Herman Hesse's Narcissus and Goldmund

THESIS: In Narcissus and Goldmund, Hesse imagines ***** as aspects of the archetypical, universal Mother; this abstraction at endows the feminine with a mystical power and stature, while simultaneously creating a stereotype which m*****y serve to eclipse the desires and personhood ***** the individual woman.

Herman Hesse is well known for his involvement with Carl Jung and ***** over-arching mysticism of his writings. He remained a committed dualist throughout his writing career, focused on the splintering ***** integration ***** ***** human soul. His book ***** and Goldmund is a classic example of this tendency. In the tale, the two protagonists represent different aspects of the ***** soul -- that one which is logical and spiritual and unphysical, ***** has to do with ***** abstract and the reasoned, ***** the o*****r which is passionate, sensual, imagistic and intuitive, that which may be called the soul. This difference *****tween spirit and soul permeates ***** whole world, having parallels in the dualism between night ***** day, hot and cold, action and passivity, male and female. ***** ***** is not only discussed in the work of Jung, but is also one of the central concepts ***** Eastern theology, where it is embodied as the yin ***** yang. As shown in his writing of Siddartha, Herman ***** was also well versed with Hindu and Buddhist theories on life. Narcissus, who dedicates his life to the ascetic service of God, represents that cold light of masculine reasoning Spirit in ***** piece, while ***** --***** becomes a wandering artist and lover-- represents that dark flame of the feminine Soul. The search ***** the male ***** become reintegrated ***** the Earth Mother, and hence to ***** truly whole, is brilliantly portrayed in th***** work. Hesse imagines women as aspects of ********** archetypal, universal ***** this abstraction at endows the feminine with a mystical power ***** stature, while simultaneously creating a stereotype ***** may serve ***** eclipse the ***** and personhood of the individual *****.

***** Narcissus ***** Goldmund, the young artist deifies his mother and spends his life pursuing the favor ***** will of the Eva-mother. T***** concept is drawn from ***** Hesse's own idealization and worship of goddess-figures. Field quotes Hesse as having written in 1926, many years be*****e undertaking ***** book: "I permit myself with the Madonna a cult of my own and a *****thology of my own. In the temple of ***** religion, she stands beside Venus and Krishna, but as symbol of the soul, as a parable for the living redeeming glow which hovers to and fro between the poles of the world, between Natur and Geist, igniting the light ***** love." *****hrough-out this book, ***** Mother is used to represent that side of our essential duality which is Soul. Th***** is evident in Narcissus' explanation to Goldmund ***** to the differences in their natures:

Natures of y***** k*****d, with strong, delicate senses, the soul-oriented, the dreamers, poets, lovers are almost always superior to us