Parallels between Steppenwolf and the Teenage GirlBeing a teenage girl means many things in this modern society. There are many expectations of the average sixteen-year-old woman: she must be pretty, popular, thin, preferably smart, but not too smart, and she must submit her will to the group. This world tends to shy away from women who are too independent, who seek too much power and who try to break out of the stereotypical feminine mold. I personally experienced this rejection, especially from my peers. There is a dichotomy somewhere in my soul, a gap between who I am supposed to be and who I really am. Harry Haller, in Hermann Hesse's novel Steppenwolf, experienced a similar predicament. He was torn between the life of a socially acceptable "decent" man and the primal, lupine nature of the Steppenwolf. I find myself stuck between wanting to be a socially acceptable "popular" girl and being the independent, intellectual, strong person I really am. There are a number of parallels between Haller and me, each proving that the Steppenwolf dichotomy and the division in my teenage self are of the same essence. Often in my life, I have felt trapped by the limitations and expectations that those around me have defined for how I should behave, think and feel. Here in suburban America, these boundaries are often set by peers and family, as well as the media and celebrities. The expectations they set often dictate ideas that, deep down, I deeply disagree with. One of the most salient ideas is that my worth is reflected in my outward physical appearance. In this world that has declared war middle of paper......the conditioned self and the true self. She wants both to be accepted and to free herself from the expectations of the group. She wants a perfect body and face and yet realizes the lack of importance of these. Harry Haller, in the end, could not completely understand the game of life, but understood that the willingness to play and the eagerness to sort out one's inner self is what really matters. I realized that ultimately I had to learn the same lesson. The road ahead will not be easy, just as Harry's journey was long and arduous. But fear and flight are no longer options. It is an archetypal knowledge inherent in every human being that self-knowledge is the key to true existence, and the steppe wolf and the teenage girl realize the importance of this expedition. Works cited: Hesse, Hermann. Steppe wolf. New York: Henry Holt and company, 1990.