The Madness of Madness in Hesse’s The Steppenwolf

Abstract

The subtitle of the novel (for madmen only) is interesting since it is not by madmen only or on madmen only, but for madmen only; presumably only madmen will understand it and that brings up the notion of what it is to be mad. There is nothing in Haller’s records that would indicate “madness” in the sense of being out of “insane.” Haller is always in control, at least at the beginning. In addition, nothing in the way the voice of the discourse sounds or within the substance has altered. The only thing that is different is what the nephew says about himself and how that differs from Haller, but the voices are similar to Hesse’s own which in its own way comments on the notion of the madness of madness.