Because of Kromer, Emil's solid family foundation begins to crumble away beneath him, forcing Emil to seek stability within himself, rather than depending on his family unit. Emil had given in to temptation and told a lie to make himself look good, but paid the price by losing the first bit of his innocence, and in doing so, he cast a bit of shadow into his world of light. .
Along his journey to find himself, Emil met several other people who influenced his thinking. Alfons Beck introduced Emil to the evil of drinking, as well as to the forbidden areas of sexuality. Again, Emil gave into temptation and slid farther into the world of evil. Emil said, "Once again, I belonged wholly to the dark world, to the Devil, and in that world I counted as a great guy." (Hesse 48) Emil had become a drunk, spending all his time in cheap bars. More importantly, he was happy where he was. However, he was pulled suddenly in the other direction when he met his first love, Beatrice. Beatrice was perfect in Emil's eyes, and he strove to equal her perfection and make himself good enough for her. This was Emil's first foray into true maturity, and a major turning point in his life.
The main person who influenced Emil's life was Demian. Representing a balance between good and evil, Demian was the type of person Emil aspired to be. Emil observed people living their lives in confusion, and longed to let his life be ruled by reason instead of by passion. .
In The Lord of the Flies, William Golding addresses the same universal theme of good versus evil. In this novel, he tells the tale of a group of schoolboys whose plane crashed down onto a deserted island. These boys were forced to survive alone in the wild without civilization. Golding, much like Hesse, sees evil as existing within the hearts of men, and explores what happens when a person is removed from all responsibility to society.
At first, the boys seek solidarity, banding together in their need for shelter, food, and a signal fire.
