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Essay Questions
1. Demonstrate how Demian's function as a Christ figure can be reconciled to his being a spokesman for Nietzsche's ideas.
2. Discuss whether or not Demian and Frau Eva are real characters or whether they exist only in Sinclair's mind.
3. Explain the terms "collective unconscious," anima, and "archetype."
4. How does the heraldic bird function as a symbol for Sinclair, and how does it eventually transcend its individual nature to become universal?
5. Discuss various aspects of Demian and Frau Eva which can be attributed to Hesse's concept of "magical thinking."
6. Demonstrate by specific references why the goal of those with the "mark" is not an egocentric one.
7. List various characteristics of Demian which identify him as a Christ figure.
8. In what ways do both Demian and Pistorius emphasize that morality is relative to the individual?
9. Discuss Sinclair as the "conscious ego," Demian as the "self," and Beatrice or Frau Eva as anima.
10. Discuss the various biblical allusions and what function each one serves.
11. Show how Sinclair's life can be divided into three distinguishable periods.
12. Discuss the various stages of Sinclair's struggle for independence from his family.
13. Discuss the importance of the concept of human evolution as depicted in the novel.