Praznina kao simptom emocionalne deprivacije u Heseovom Stepskom vuku

Abstract

The paper presents an analysis of Harry Haller, the protagonist of the novel Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. The focus of the analysis is the emptiness which encompasses his double personality. The goal of the paper is to show that the chronic emptiness and the inability to see and integrate the aspects of one’s identity, as exhibited by the protagonist, can be interpreted as a consequence of a long-term emotional deprivation, i.e. lack of love and empathy provided by other people. The paper includes the biographical data relevant for the reading of the novel, as well as an analysis of the origins and the characteristics of Haller’s emotional instability. The emphasis is on the premise that the psychological schema of emotional deprivation stems from the relationship of Haller’s family towards him, and that the outcomes of a non-empathic relationship include alienation, loneliness, self-contempt and psychological emptiness, which Haller attempts to avoid through autodestructive behaviour. The analysis of the descriptions of the feeling of emptiness shows that it is a symptom of hiding one’s self and one’s shortcomings, as well as a consequence of abandoning one’s self and the loss of meaning. In the end, the potential catalysts for change are the female characters, who, as externalised projections of Haller’s self, should inspire him to grow emotionally and take on an outlook on life characterised by humour as a way to overcome existential and psychological emptiness.