Existentialism is fairly common in literature, despite being a relatively new school of thought, and both Demian and Crime and Punishment show existentialist traits. This gives each book not just a philosophy, but also a certain feeling and mindset.
Existentialism starts that with the idea that existence precedes essence, or purpose. We come into this world without a purpose, and we simply exist. Our task is to find a purpose. The world around us is an alien chaos, a circus that we stumble through, trying to find a meaning for our life.
In Demian, it is clear that Sinclair does not know his purpose. His struggle is to find out what it is. Jean-Paul Sartre says, "Life has no meaning a priori…it's up to you to give it a meaning." Hesse declares that "[e]ach man had only one genuine vocation—to find the way to himself…. His task was to discover his own destiny" (Hesse, 132). It is clear, then, that we come into the world with nothing, no purpose at all. The only......

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Title: Existentialism In Demian And Crime And Punishment
Approximate Word Count: 1130
Approximate Pages: 5 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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