Comparing Steppenwolf and the Teenaged Girl Essays -- Comparison Compa

Parallels Between Steppenwolf and the Teenaged Girl To be a teen girl means many things in this modern society. There are numerous expectations set for the average sixteen year old female she moldiness be pretty, popular, thin, preferably intelligent, but not too intelligent, and she must subjugate her will to the group. This world has a tendency to shun females who are too independent, who look too much power, and who attempt to break from the stereotypical female mold. I have personally see this spurning, especially from my peers. There exists a dichotomy somewhere in my own soul, a rift between that which I am expected to be and who I really am. Harry Haller, in Hermann Hesses novel Steppenwolf, experienced a similar predicament. He was torn between the life of a socially acceptable, decent man, and the primal, lupine nature of the Steppenwolf. I find myself caught between missing to be a socially acceptable, popular girl, and being the independent, intellectual, and strong p erson that I actually am. There are a number of parallels between Haller and I, each(prenominal) further proving that the dichotomy of the Steppenwolf and the division inwardly myself, the teenaged girl, are of the same essence. Often in my life I have felt trapped by the boundaries and expectations that those around me have set for how I ought to behave, think, and feel. Here in suburban America, these boundaries are often set by peers and family, as well as by the media and celebrity figures. The expectations that they have set often dictate ideas that, deep down, I greatly disagree with. One of the most prominent of the ideas is that my worth is reflected in my external physical appearance. In this world which has declared war on th... ...conditioned self and the true self. She both wishes to be accepted and to be set free from the groups expectations. She wants the thoroughgoing(a) body and face and yet realizes the lack of importance therein. Harry Haller, in the end, coul d not completely understand the game of life, but understood that the willingness to play and the intensity to sort through the inner self are what really matter. I have realized that, in the end, I must learn the same lesson. The passage ahead will not be easy, just as Harrys journey was long and arduous. Fear and fleeing are no longer options, though. It is an archetypal, inherent knowledge within each human being that self-knowledge is key to a true existence, and both the Steppenwolf and the teenaged girl realize the importance of this expedition. Works CitedHesse, Hermann. Steppenwolf. New York Henry Holt and Company, 1990.