“Under the Wheel” ( German: “Unterm Rad” ) - one of the early stories of Hermann Hesse , was published in 1906 . Typical of his work, as in it Hesse criticizes the narrowly academic orientation of education, and some of the events of the book are based on his life.
| Under the wheel | |
|---|---|
| Unterm Rad | |
| Genre | story |
| Author | Hermann Hesse |
| Original language | Deutsch |
| Date of first publication | 1906 |
| Previous | |
Story
The main character of the story, a gifted boy, Hans Gebenrat, was sent to an elite seminary in Maulbronn . At school, Hans becomes smarter and more educated, but does not develop at all as a person. He begins to be friends with Herman Heilner, a boy who is less interested in studying. After some time, Heilner was expelled from the seminary, and Hebenrath was sent home because he was suspected of mental insanity.
In his native village, Hans could not make friends with anyone, since he devoted all his childhood to study. He becomes a student of a blacksmith, and he likes this practical craft, unlike abstract sciences. At the end of the story, Hans drowns under incomprehensible circumstances. Although the book does not say this, many writers believe that it was suicide.