Steppenwolf

The novel opens with a Preface written by an unnamed narrator. What does this narrator tell us about Haller? What is the effect of delivering these insights through an unnamed narrator rather than through Haller himself? What specific excerpts from the Preface inform later events in Haller’s manuscript?

A minor symbol in the novel is the doorway in the stairwell of the apartment where Haller lives. He sits on the stairs and ponders the doorway, and he shares its importance with the unnamed narrator. Pick out some of the details about the doorway that seem important to Haller. Why are these details important? What do they reveal about Haller and his values?

Haller initially presents himself as a Steppenwolf, from which the title of the novel is derived. How does the novel’s portrayal of the Steppenwolf change over the course of the narrative, and how do these changes, in turn, affect your understanding of Haller’s character?