In Demian, Herman Hesse presents an interpretation of the story of Cain, backing it up with evidence throughout as though the novel itself were an essay. In chapter two “Cain,” Demian tells the narrator Sinclair his interpretation of Cain’s tale. “The mark came first,” he proposes and the bearers of the mark, “were awed” (22). Demian argues that the story of Cain’s sin must be a “ lie” invented by mere human beings to undermine the power of the Cainites (23).
Sinclair is of course skeptical of Demian’s interpretation and fact-checks it against his father, learning that it had been taught in early sects of Christianity, but ultimately implied that G-d is a false god and is therefore heresy (36). In contrast to the scene in which Sinclair first speaks to Demian about Cain, the scene where his father presents this counter-argument to Demian’s is a mere paragraph long with no direct quotes. The lack of quotes reveals Sinclair finds conversations with his father emotionally dull compared to conversations with Demian; although the lack of emotion lends a scholarly-article style to his father’s argument, showing that Sinclair still holds his father in authority at this point in the novel.
In chapter seven “Eve,” Demian counters back, with hard anthropological evidence, no less. Sinclair overhears Demian’s comments on students going in and out of bars, “Isn’t it like the young men’s house in an African Village?…down to the prescribed tattoos of their dueling scars!” highlighting the practice of creating artificial marks transcendent through many cultures (108). In the context of Demian’s argument, scarification as a rite of passage may be interpreted as attempts by men to mimic the marks of Cainites.
But why mimic the mark of Cain? Out of fear and ignorance, an inability to always identify the mark. In fact, Sinclair adapts this method in chapter one “Two Worlds.” Sinclair knows that Kromer is somehow bad and fears that Kromer will turn on him, so he makes up a story of an evil deed to make Kromer believe he is like him (7). The story becomes a scar on Sinclair’s conscience and reputation, created because Sinclair overestimated the importance of impressing Kromer. In other words, Sinclair mistakes Kromer for a Cainite and marks himself in the hope that Kromer will see him as a fellow Cainite and not hurt him.
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