Steppenwolfs Magic Theater
Perhaps the most climactic and interesting event in Herman Hesse’s Steppenwolf is that which occurs in the Magic Theater, Hesse’s imaginary world introduced to Harry Haller by Pablo, the sax player. The Magic Theater is similar to a fun house one might go through at an amusement park, or even more so, a drug induced acid trip. One of the major questions of the novel is whether or not the Magic Theater is real. Many parts of the incident lead to the assumption of it being surreal, however nonetheless very significant to Harry Hallers journey towards finding his own reality in life. The trip through the Magic Theater begins when Harry loses his coat check claim ticket and a stranger gives him his own. However the ticket is actually to the Magic Theater. After receiving the ticket, Harry finds Hermine and Pablo invites them both to a room where he gives them some sort of drug. Pablo then tells Harry that he will make visible to Harry a world beyond time that exists only in Harry’s soul. At the entrance to the Magic Theater, Pablo gives Harry a mirror in which the reflection of a man and wolf are revealed, images of how Harry sees himself. Pablo tells Harry that the Magic Theater is a “school of humor,” which mak
The Magic Theater that Hesse creates, as well as his novel as a whole, challenges Harry, as well as the reader, to face his own reality and the distortions in it created by his own misunderstandings and the uncontrollable factors of the world. The Theater challenges him not to take things so seriously and to learn to laugh at his own sufferings and frustrations. Harry in turn challenges himself to embrace what everyone he has encountered has taught him about life, and Harry ends his records with the wise guidance: The character of Mozart is a very important character introduced in the Magic Theater, mainly because he is the person Harry most admires. When Harry criticizes Mozart for playing a radio, Mozart laughs at him and basically tells him that a radio is to real music as Harry’s life is to reality; a distortion that gets something right. Mozart teaches Harry that he must do two things: he must learn to accept the world as it is given to him and he must learn to laugh at the distortions, the messes of the world. “I understood it all. I understood Pablo. I understood Mozart, and somewhere behind me I heard his ghastly laughter. I knew that all the hundred thousands pieces of life’s game were in my pocket. A glimpse of its meaning had stirred my reason and I was determined to begin the game afresh. I would sample its
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Approximate Word count = 906
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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