Josh Caporale's Reviews > The Journey to the East

The Hermann Hesse novels that I have read thus far examined his philosophical, eastern inspired train of thought that took place upon his ability to seek enlightenment like that chronicled in Demian. Aside from Journey to the East and Demian, I have read Siddhartha and Narcissus and Goldmund. Demian remains my absolute favorite, but Journey to the East presented a great, cool breath of fresh air as well when it came to developing a greater understanding of one's quest for what they want in life and the group of people with similar interests or motives they are willing to come together with in order to follow that pursuit in what is often recognized as religion. To me, my feelings for The Journey to the East were similar to that of Siddhartha, only The Journey to the East concentrated much more on delivering a message that was meant to directly hit the reader.

H.H. is the central character in this piece, which we greatly assume is based on the fact that these are Hesse's very own initials. Hesse has placed himself in the central character's shoes before, notably in Demian as he took on the role of the author, Emil Sinclair. In this piece, though, H.H. joins the League in his pursuit for the beautiful Princess Fatima. I would argue that while religious pursuit and seeking either a higher being or enlightenment were the greater goals in this group, one is likely to join a group when looking for love. H.H. engages in several expeditions as the group makes their way to the east as if it is "home." Along the way, though, plenty of members give up on their pursuit, reflecting on the possibility that one may lose hope in a cause of this nature. Along the way, H.H. meets a servant named Leo, who possesses much more than what meets the eye.

I always feel that I get something out of reading Hermann Hesse's books and this one is no different. I felt I got greater messages about our roles as people in society and how the world goes beyond who we are and what we want and how eventually we are tapped to play a pivotal role in the needs and desires of others, many of which are bigger and better than we will ever be. Some of this contributes to the greater good, while others just contribute, which is a key explanation in how our world works. This book was only 118 pages in league and brief enough in its subject matter, but like with most of Hesse's works, the philosophy and messages outweigh the storyline and plot. If done well, this is perfectly excusable.

After reading this, I would definitely be keen to pick up more of what Hesse has to offer.