Steppenwolf

I am nearly finished reading Steppenwolf and finding myself understanding it at a level that I hate to confess to. It is not written in a way to easily follow, and at times I'm truly hopelessly unsure of Hesse's symbolism; but overall, it's painted specifically for me.

The narrator is a man hiding from himself. Despite seeming - to some - content and satisfied with everything he has, he is not. Meaning in life eludes him. He cannot identify with society. He is a prisoner in a body only associating with civilization out of habit and necessity. He does not know how to laugh, how to enjoy anything.

What I am learning from this novel is that whereas I do not understand each sentence, it is not beyond me. Despite being lost in phrasing, I am not lost of the story because I am lost in the character.