Under the Wheel (collected Works of Hesse)
About This Novel
The protagonist Hans has been extremely intelligent, diligent and studious since he was a child, and is regarded as a child prodigy by everyone. He was sent to a seminary to study. Influenced by his extended family and society, he was eager for fame and studied hard in an isolated school without any free time. His physical and mental health was damaged. His classmate Herman is stubborn by nature, despises fame and is not tolerated by the school; but Hans feels that only Herman is his confidant. Hans worked too hard, became physically weak, and his grades dropped; the school blamed Hermann for this. Hermann was expelled from school, and Hans felt even more lonely. He was scolded by teachers and ridiculed by classmates from time to time. Later, he suffered from neurasthenia, which made him unable to continue his studies and had to return to his hometown to work as a fitter to make a living. Social discrimination and frustration in life made him feel as if he had fallen under a ruthless and huge wheel. This is a novel that indicts the old education system in Germany and is considered to be highly autobiographical.
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