In the first chapter, the author focuses on the process of Hans preparing for the exam. Hans was originally a smart and lively child, who achieved excellent results in Latin schools and was appreciated by principals and teachers. People all think that he will be an outstanding figure in the future. But in order to participate in this "national examination" competition, they asked him to go all out to prepare. Father took away his beloved rabbit, forbade him to go fishing by the river again, and cancelled all the entertainment he should have when he was a child. Every afternoon after school, I will go to the headmaster's house to learn Greek, and then go to the farmer's house to review Latin and religious lessons. Two nights a week, I have to find a teacher to help me with my math. The accumulated homework is not finished until eleven or twelve in the middle of the night almost every day. The teacher kept saying, "Be temperate!" In fact, I'm afraid he hasn't learned enough. I suggest him read extra-curricular books and review grammar on Sunday. As a result of his efforts, Hans won the second place in the school of divinity (the author Hesse himself won the 28th place at that time), and at the same time, he also got a headache that kept haunting him. However, this taut string has not relaxed. In the summer vacation before entering school, Hans didn't get a "natural" rest, but a series of suggestions advised him to start studying some courses he would take in the future in the God School, instead of "living on his laurels" and being left behind by others. So the teacher said that "only one or two nurses are needed every day, and the principal also needs" only one or two hours every day ". After the summer vacation, Hans also became like the shoemaker Lefferg (a knowledgeable working people) in the book: "Thin! " "
Through Hans' entry into the theological school, the author described to us the environment and various figures of the Morbrown Monastery that he was very familiar with. Hans made a good friend here, Heine. Both of them are recognized as the most talented students, but their temperament and personality are completely different: "One is careless, the other is earnest and practical, the other is a poet, and the other is keen on fame." But they became an indispensable couple. Later, because the poet Heine couldn't stand the spiritual bondage of the school, he once ran away and finally left the monastery. Hans, on the other hand, was already weak, and his friendship with Helene took up a lot of his time, so his study was unbearable and his grades plummeted. Instead of sympathy and help, the teachers scolded and laughed at them. Finally, Hans had a nervous breakdown and had to drop out of school and go home. Those teachers "would rather have a few stupid donkeys in their class than a genius". "We have seen many times that the state and schools spare no effort to uproot several top students who come out every year." But "the treasure house that can enrich our people later will always be those students who are hated by teachers and monks and often punished, escaped and expelled." What a harsh attack on that education system! Under the Wheels is a novel criticizing the old German education system, which is considered to have a strong autobiographical color. Under the Wheels describes a sincere and touching story of a pair of young friends, Hans Gibenlat and Herman Heine. It is also a bloody accusation against the old German education system that destroyed children's physical and mental health.
The double meaning of Under the Wheels is worth pondering. One means that you are crushed to death under the wheel; Another meaning is the degeneration of morality and personality. There is a sentence in the novel: "So it is its internal organs, so it is its right, my love. There is no Matt Wharton, only him. This is what the headmaster said to Hans himself after learning that Hans had political contacts with Herman Helene and that Hans' grades were gradually declining. He called Hans "mein Lieber" (my dear student) because Hans had excellent grades in the past. "So ist's gut, soist's recht" refers to what he or more precisely, the educators in the seminary ask Hans: study hard every day instead of fooling around with Heine all day. He regarded the pure friendship between Hans and Heine as "Matt Walden" (a disgraceful thing). In the second half of the sentence, he used the general word "man", indicating that if you continue to associate with Helene, not only Hans, but also others will sink. It can be seen that Heine is the root, not the strange good student in his eyes. Although the headmaster directly accused Hans, he indirectly and explicitly accused Heine. It is enough to see that the dean of the seminary despises and disdains people like Heine and regards him as a different kind.
At the end of the fourth chapter, Heine's absence from class is mentioned, but Hesse uses the word Verschwinden, which shows that the author wants to explain that he is fleeing from the seminary, not really disappearing. Hesse is deeply influenced by German romantic literature. "Forest" is something romantic writers are willing to describe, because only the forest is a place where people can hide, and others can't easily find it, so they can only choose to escape when they are helpless. This is a kind of resistance. In the novel, Heine is also struggling with the educational system of the seminary. He was lying in a small bush, breathing "the feeling of freedom" and stretching his limbs freely. His body and mind were bound for so long before, and now he can breathe freely in the small bush. The seminary was a terrible "cage" for him, and now he has escaped from it. The article uses "Sterne" and "Wolken" as a foil. Because "Sterne" (star) and "Wolken" (cloud) are both romantic favorite descriptions. Stars and clouds are symbols of freedom, which can make people associate. In Heine's mind, freedom is his ultimate goal. Lying in a tree and looking up at the sky, all you can see are stars and clouds. He left school alone to pursue "freedom and liberation". He wanted to tell everyone-the seminary and the principal-that his will to pursue freedom was much stronger than the school's rules and regulations and education system. He is Hesse's "knight" who pursues self-liberation in this novel and Hesse's "self-struggle and self-salvation". He felt innocent of what he had done, held his head high, and did not regret his little "escape". He thinks this little trip is completely wise, and tourism is an activity that can completely relax people's body and mind.
Heine left this time, for him, in order to absorb "nutrients" and free air. In the end, he was unfortunately expelled from the seminary. Teachers and students in the seminary think this is a shame, but it is not a bad thing for Heine. He and his father set off for home at night, which is also described by romantic writers and poets, because night helps people who are full of free thoughts and imprisoned thoughts get rid of the cruel shackles in reality. And what they did was considered unfair by most people at that time. In this paper, "abreisen" is used instead of "abfahren", and this "reisen" echoes "Geniereise". "When will it end? This is an alliance, and who is his partner? ngstlich gemiedenen Flü chtling sp？ Terner H. Wayne Adler. " Hesse used the word "Adler", implying that Helene is "Adler", which shows Hesse's respect for Helene and her behavior.
However, hermann hesse, influenced by religion since he was a child, has no antipathy to the curriculum content of religion and religious schools. His master flaig, the most sober character in this novel, is a very devout believer. When talking about Murblon's Hebrew class, the author thinks its content is fascinating. Although Heine "cursed the whole Pentecost all the time, he could find and draw life and essence from it." The author also praised the New Testament as "gentle, clear and cordial" ... full of fresh and imaginative spirit. "The author criticized the teaching methods there. For example, he described Homer's epic poem as "vigorous and magnificent, pouring thousands of miles ...", but the teachers in the theological school used it as a formula to teach. "Read two lines in a class, and then chew the discussion word for word until it makes people sick." As a result, Heine said, "I don't want to learn from Homer like this!" " This is the result of "rote learning" and "cramming" teaching methods.
Some people associate Hesse's concern for individuals with his romantic view of natural humanity. As scholar Chu Xu pointed out, Hesse's Under the Wheel "expresses the loneliness of the soul and depicts the hesitation and anguish of young people" to advocate "obeying nature and returning to nature". In Under the Wheels, Heine often wrote poems in nature, and stayed in nature (forests and bushes) when he escaped from the seminary for the last time. This is obedience and returning to nature. In Hesse's novels, the romantic concept of personality development is often to seek the harmonious development of people. Influenced by his grandfather, an Indian missionary, Hesse showed great interest in China culture. Although this novel is Hesse's venting his inner dissatisfaction and resistance to the rigid education system in the seminary, it can also be regarded as Hesse's performance of seeking self, personality liberation and self-redemption. "Since the 20th century, the concern for human survival has been an important central theme of western culture. Hesse was a writer in this period. His creation is people-centered and pays attention to the existence of individuals. Characters can't choose their own existence in such a social reality, so they can only choose "passive death".
Describe people's sadness and struggle in the predicament of survival. Hesse himself wrote a letter to Maria Luise Dumont on 1929, which said: "Personality comes from two opposing forces-the strong desire to seek the road of" self "in personal life and the requirement of the surrounding environment to make people yield." "The Taoist thought of the unity of opposites is a basic starting point of hermann hesse's creation." In the novel Under the Wheels, Hailin and the protagonist Hans are diametrically opposed-one is a bad student who resists the arrogance of school rules, and the other is a good student in the eyes of diligent and talented teachers and classmates. These two students have their own unity and pursue the liberation of free personality, but they have very different results: one was expelled from school, but found a space suitable for his own development; The other ended in tragedy. Therefore, people should choose, take back themselves, undertake themselves, advocate action, take risks and resist.
In the fourth chapter of the novel, when talking to Hans, the headmaster of Maureen God School said, "Don't relax! Otherwise it will fall under the wheel. " "Falling under the wheel" means falling behind and being eliminated. Hans did fall down, and he was even completely crushed under the wheel and became a victim. Is the reason "relaxation" as the headmaster said? It's not that Mr Gibenlat doesn't love his only son. The principal of Latin school in Hesse, the local priest, the head teacher and so on are also very enthusiastic. They all hope that Hans, an outstanding young talent, can excel and become a great musical instrument. Under the control of vanity, they are eager to instill knowledge (although it is doubtful whether it is really valuable) into the minds of good students. Greek is important, Latin is useful, and mathematics cannot be ignored ... the physical and mental health of children and the characteristics of teenagers have all been forgotten. In this way, it is inevitable that the line will be broken because it is too tight, and a good pony will die because it is driven too hard.
In Under the Wheels, Hesse "attacked the decadent education system at that time, mourned for his juvenile suffering, gained a new life, and completed a soul redemption". The pursuit of "self-liberation" and "individual consciousness" is the deep meaning contained in Hesse's novels. The story begins with the family situation of the protagonist Hans Gibenlat. He was born in an ordinary citizen's family. My father, Mr. Gibenlat, is a broker. He "can be mediocre in business and has a real and heartfelt worship of money". Mother died young because of illness. Hans Gibenlat lost his mother when he was a child, his family was not warm, and he even "lacked the talent to be close to people". This depressed family atmosphere cultivated Hans' quiet and withdrawn character, and the author used this environment to create an atmosphere, set off the characters' character and set the stage for his tragic ending.
Besides Hans, there is a lot of pen and ink in the book, that is, his close friend Herman Heine. By comparing the origins, appearances, manners, tastes and hobbies of the two friends, the author further shows the different personalities of the characters.
Hans Gibenlat, who has "a pair of serious eyes, smart forehead and elegant gait", can't bear the heavy learning burden under the care of his vain father and teachers. He always wears "a face with insufficient sleep and a pair of black and tired eyes, walking around silently like being driven away". Although he studies hard, his knowledge is shallow and his life is dull. He is afraid of the noise of big cities, and he can't understand Helene's daydreams about floating clouds in the sky and ships at sea. He can't even imagine Helene's "blasphemy" behavior of doodling on books. His good friend Heine was born in a wealthy family and was the darling of his mother. He is passionate, willful and full of fantasy. He is well-informed, has a wide range of interests, likes to write poems and draw pictures, and hates the boring study and suffocating religious atmosphere of the God School.
Through delicate psychological description, the author further reveals the inner world of these two friends, making the characters of these two characters more distinct. Hans, who ranked second in the "state examination", "raised his head in triumph to pursue fame and try to grow his pride in getting ahead." He buried himself in his studies and regarded keeping the top spot and striving for the first place as his only ideal. Therefore, he can endure the lonely and hard life in the God School. He "only takes his own quiet road" and "abandons everything that will hinder his study", and even once felt that his friendship with Heine became an unbearable burden and rejected each other. And his good friend Helen regards studying in god school as hard labor. He hates the hypocritical pursuit of fame and fortune. "You just won the first or second place, so what?" I won the twentieth place, which doesn't necessarily make me more stupid than you people who are eager to work hard! "He has his own thoughts and remarks, he lives eagerly and freely, and he seems to despise everything around him. His criticism and attack on the discipline and boring study life of the theological school gradually made Hans want to get rid of the shackles of scholastic education and pursue fame and fortune.
At first glance, this pair of friends is "one careless, the other serious and practical;" One is a poet and the other is keen on fame ",which is the most unsuitable couple, but in real life, they are complementary and indispensable friends. Although their friendship has been despised and criticized by classmates, it has also experienced twists and turns. However, the ties of friendship are getting closer and closer, and their friendship is getting deeper and deeper.
Hesse is good at capturing and using typical details to describe the sincere and fiery feelings in the hearts of characters. He chose the details of two friends' attitudes towards the same event to further describe the images of these two characters. The headmaster of God's school made a clumsy attempt. He called Hans to the office and asked about his relationship with Helene. He alienated Hans from the "dissatisfied and restless" Helene, which would not have a good influence on him. Unexpectedly, Hans, who has always been obedient, replied, "Mr. President, I can't do this." "You can't do it, why?" "Because he is my friend ..." Several questions and answers outlined the friendship between Hans and Heine. The headmaster was forced to change his strategy and ordered Helen not to continue walking with Hans. The ban caused a fierce quarrel between Helen and the headmaster. The sentence "no one has the right to forbid them to associate with each other" angered the principal, and as a result, Helene was confined. The author further deepened Helene's lovely image. For the sake of friendship, he wants to show the headmaster that "his will is better than orders and prohibitions." He finally resisted with action and escaped from the stuffy cage of the school the day after he was punished.
This detail reveals the inner world of Hans and Heine, and deepens and enriches these two complementary characters.
The ending of the novel is that Heine refused to repent because of his escape and was expelled. Hans dropped out of school because of illness and later became an apprentice in a factory. By chance, he met Emma, the niece of the shoemaker's master, and his love with Emma added fun to his hard apprenticeship. Unexpectedly, Emma left without saying goodbye and soon returned to her hometown. In shame and pain, Hans jumped into the river and ended his short life.
The artistic feature of Under the Wheels is that the author is good at combining unpretentious, concise and fluent oral English with poetic life description, and portrays the beautiful and colorful life picture of his hometown very touching. Whether it is an ancient stone house, beautiful fruit juice in autumn, fishing on the river bank or beautiful night, it contains the fragrance of fertile soil and produces attractive artistic charm. What is more worth mentioning is Hesse's lyrical expression of scenery. Instead of directly saying that Hans threw himself into the river, he said something meaningful: "On a cold light blue autumn night, he looked down at his thin body drifting away in the dark." A few faint strokes left a sad feeling.
The ending of the novel shows the author's unique artistic charm. You see: "the sky above the town is a cheerful blue sky, the valley is a sparkling river, and the mountains with fir trees are soft green and endless." The shoemaker smiled sadly and grabbed Mr. Gibbon's arm. Because of the silence at the moment, because of the strange and painful thoughts at the moment, Mr. Gibenlat is hesitant and at a loss to the decline of his accustomed life. "It is Mr. Gibenlat's strange and painful thoughts that complement the cheerful and soft natural scenery." Hesitant ","at a loss "and" accustomed to the decline of life "are even more meaningful and intriguing.