Emil Sinclair is a representation of the movement of one's inner spirit toward realization. The path Emil is traveling on is one of self-discovery. Each man's life represents a road to himself, an attempt at such a road, the intimation of a path. The most essential thing that Emil struggled with was the dichotomy of the world, the two realms. The realms of the day and night, two different worlds coming from two opposite poles, mingled during this time. Opposition is marked and clarified as being distinct as night and day. My parent's house made up one realm... It was the realm of brilliance, charity and cleanliness, gentle conversations, washed hands, clean clothes and good manners. Sinclair describes this first realm as being ordered and controlled, his parent's household, with its set rules and beliefs, takes on a biblical symbolism: "Straight lines and paths led into the future: there were duty and guilt, bad conscience and confession, forgiveness and good resolution, love, reverence, wisdom and the words of the Bible." It was from this world that Emil learnt from his parents. They provided him with a sense of belonging.
             The "other realm" is presented as the opposite of the world of his parents. "This second world contained servant girls and workmen, ghost stories, rumors of scandal." This world not only contained the bizarre and disturbing, but things natural and real. This other realm encompasses those things which in some cases are deplorable, but are also, in other cases natural and necessary. Reality is composed of these polar worlds that Sinclair has observed, but his upbringing provided by his parents has taught him to favor one world over the other. As Emil spent less time with Max Demian, he became more dependent on his parents. He says: "I turned myself into someone younger, more dependent, more childish than I was." Sinclair's dilemma lies in his attraction to the dark world. "There were times when I actuall...