The Influence Of Individualization In Emil Sinclair's Youth

Most people often believe that the chances of meeting someone who can change their life are slim. Especially someone who is present throughout their childhood and into their adulthood. It could be one person or multiple people that can have an impact on our lives. Though it may seem impossible to find those kind of people, they will eventually come into our lives, when we least expect them. Hermann Hesse’s Demian: The Story of Emil Sinclair’s Youth shows that those we meet in life can change who we are and what we will become. Emil Sinclair goes through the process of individualization through the influence of Demian, Pistorius, and Frau Eva.
Demian saves Emil Sinclair from the destruction of his own fears. “Such fear can destroy us completely. You've got to get rid of it, you've simply got to, if you want to turn into someone decent”
He introduces Sinclair to Abraxas, which further builds on the his beliefs of two worlds. “Sinclair, our god's name is Abraxas and he is God and Satan and he contains both the luminous and the dark world” (Hesse 93). In order to attain freedom for himself, Sinclair must experience both worlds. Those worlds are found in his personality, his good and bad attributes. Sinclair needs to accept himself so he can break free from his suffering. “Sinclair's friendship with Pistorius during his final year at boarding school further opens his mind to a wide range of religious and philosophical ideas…. Pistorius also exposes Sinclair to further exploration of the concept of Abraxas” (Brent 1). Through Pistorius, Sinclair is becoming more independent by coming nearer to his“true self.” As he is familiarizing himself with God, he comes to see that there is much more to human personality. That man can be powerful as God by reaching into themselves to find their true strengths and weaknesses. Sinclair introspects himself in order to find his true