The Impact of a Mentor

     In my book club book, Demian, the main character is influenced by multiple parties. The most obvious mentor shares the name of the book, and is shrouded in mystery. A different character, Franz Kromer, could also be seen as a mentor, however Kromer drags him in a negative direction. This led to me realizing that a mentor isn't always necessarily a good influence, and the importance in being able to distinguish the two. In the book, Kromer is an obvious negative influence, and is even associated with the "forbidden" realm rather than the bright and innocent one Sinclair was raised in. In the real world however, the influence people have on us isn't always as black and white. In our desire to fit in, we often associate with people who don't have our best interest in mind, and we become distracted from our path to success. Like Sinclair who just wanted to show off to the other boys, trying to fit the mold at all costs can cause consequences. At the same time, full independence can lead to amateur mistakes which could otherwise have been avoided, making both options equally flawed. The moral of the story is that in order to ensure success, you must choose your mentor, not let your mentor choose you. The goal of a mentor is to learn in order to improve your own life, not to let your mentor live their failed dreams through you. As the story progresses, Sinclair comes to realize his dependency on both a positive and negative mentor leads to undesirable circumstances, and eventually starts to stand on his own legs, occasionally leaning back on Demian for support.