Steppenwolf has people smoking "funny cigarettes" (wacky tobaccy, perhaps?) and taking potions and pills. The drugs turn out to be a gateway into the endless possibilities of the mind, and lets the main character loosen up and find new dimensions and experiences.
He also uses alcohol regularly as an escape from his lonely life. When he feels like killing himself he avoids going home to his razor by hanging out in bars and getting drunk on wine. Ugh. His teeth must be pretty purple. Alcohol is a lonely, self-destructive tool in the novel, while drugs are more of an eye-opener.
Questions About Drugs and Alcohol
- Why do you think that drugs are so strongly associated with Pablo, a foreigner?
- What is the effect of alcohol on Harry and his relationships?
- How does Harry's use of drugs evolve over the course of the novel?
- How would the novel be different if it didn't have any drug use in it?
Chew on This
Harry goes from seeing drugs as a means of ending his life to using them to extend his life into immortality.
Nothing in the novel is real; it is all a drug-induced hallucination.