44 pages 1 hour read

Hermann Hesse

Demian

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1919

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Chapter 7Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 7 Summary: “Eve”

During one of his vacations from school, Sinclair visits Demian’s home, and the new owner shows him a picture of Demian’s mother. He realizes she is the woman from his dreams and of his desires. He views her as both a mother and a lover. He spends time trying to search for her, but he eventually loses hope. He feels bored at university and thinks that his philosophy lessons are “trivial and mass-produced” (107). He also studies Nietzsche on his own. On an evening walk, he hears Demian speaking to a Japanese man, and Sinclair follows them until Demian notices him. Demian tells Sinclair that he’s been “expecting” him and that he recognizes Sinclair from the “sign” on him that they used to refer to as “the mark of Cain” (109). He also tells Sinclair that his mother will be happy that he is there.

The next day, Sinclair feels the same joyous energy that he did as a child on Christmas as he meets Demian at his home where he lives with his mother, Frau Eva, or Eve. At Demian’s home, Sinclair feels “fulfillment” at finally meeting the woman from his dreams. Eve tells Sinclair how happy Demian was to get his painting of the sparrow hawk, and she reveals how happy she is that Sinclair has started to find himself.