HERMANN HESSE AND THE DIALECTICS OF TIME Salvatore C. P. ...

In the second case, the transformation appears as a blunder on Harry's part due to
his strained perception after the long night spent at the ball followed by the
kaleidoscope of events in Pablo's 'Bilderkabinett':42
Und indes er es sagte und eine Zigarette aus der Westentasche zauberte, die er
mir anbot, war er plotzlich nicht Mozart mehr, sondern blickte warm aus
dunklen Exotenaugen, und war mein Freund Pablo, und glich auch wie ein
Zwillingsbruder dem Mann, der mich das Schachspiel mit den Figiirchen
gelehrt hatte. «Pablo!» rief ich aufzuckend. (SW 4, 203)
While Hermine's metamorphosis unfolds progressively, Mozart's is not narrative
as in Kafka's Die Verwandlung-and happens suddenly, only prepared by Harry's
brief statement on the changed attire of the composer a few pages before: 'erst beim
zweiten Blick von mir erkannt, Mozart, ohne Zopf, ohne Kniehosen und
Schnallenschuhe, modern gekleidet' (SW 4,197).
The last case of metamorphosis in Hesse to be discussed here is the 'butterfly'.
Butterflies have always held a considerable fascination for human beings, captivating
the interest of scientists, collectors, and artists. In view of their short life span, nimble
flight and the colourful patterns of their wings, these insects have been regarded as a
symbol of beauty and transience or immortality. Their life cycle, including three
fundamental stages (caterpillar, chrysalis, full development), has also been associated
with metamorphosis. 43 Hesse was intrigued by these insects, the beauty of which fed
his imagination:
denn der Schmetterling ist ja etwas Besonderes, er ist ja nicht ein Tier wie alle
anderen, er ist eigentlich iiberhaupt nicht ein Tier, sondern blofi der letzte
hochste, festliche und zugleich lebenswichtigste Zustand eines Tieres.44 ('Uber
Schmetterlinge' in KF, 287)
As a child, he was a collector and, later on in his life, he would take part in
expeditions just to catch sight of certain species, as recorded in an account of his visit
42 The consequences of this transformation on an aesthetic level were discussed in 3.4.
43 As perceptively pointed out by Michels in his 'Nachwort' to Schmetterlinge, butterflies were a symbol of
immortality by ancient Greeks, 'Den Griechen waren die Schmetterlinge Erscheinungsformen der Seele und
zugleich Symbole fur deren Unsterblichkeit' (81).
44 Papageno, one of the main characters in Die Zauberflote, a favourite Opera of Hesse, is a creature halfway
between man and bird which, by virtue of its dual identity, fits well into Hesse's idea of metamorphosis.
Moreover, 'Papageno' recalls the German for parrot, another animal Hesse is fond of: 'Und oben auf seinem
hohen, drahtenen Geha'use saB unser grauroter Papagei, alt und klug, mit gelehrtem Gesicht und scharfem
Schnabel, sang und sprach und kam, auch er, aus dem Fernen' ('Kindheit des Zaubereres' in TF, GS IV, 456).
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