Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- What is the effect of having two narrators, the author of the preface and Harry?
- Why do you think Hesse chose the wolf as Harry's alter ego, and not another animal? How would the novel be different if it were called Rattlesnake or Anteater?
- Harry is obsessed with suicide, but things really aren't all that bad, are they? What is driving his desire to end it all?
- How does Harry's attitude toward the people around him change throughout the novel, and why do you think it changes?
- The Magic Theatre in Steppenwolf is specifically for mad men only. Is Harry a madman? Why do you think so, or why not?
- Harry mentions his upcoming fiftieth birthday a few times in the novel. What effect does his age have on the story? How would the novel be different if it were about a seventeen-year-old?
- Music plays a big role in Steppenwolf, and Harry's got some serious opinions about the classics. What does all the talk about music tell us about his character?
- Do you think that Harry really kills Hermine in the novel, or is just one of his hallucinations in the Magic Theatre? Why or why not?