Emil's Maturity

The book Demian and Demian the character seems to suggest that experiencing the Dark World makes us mature and over all a better person because of it. This, at face value, is true. Our interaction with the things outside of our safe haven makes us capable and adapts us to the real world, because reality is not the light world either. This suggests that yes, the Gray that Demian dwells in and talks about is real. I disagree with that, because I believe that the the very Light and Dark world do not exist as Hesse has it wirtten. There is of course evil and darkness. It is not, however what Hesse painted. There is sin nature and sin all around us in the 'dark.' But that is not what Hesse shows us. He notes that it is wrong and (at least at first) it felt wrong and he regretted it. Emil demonstrates remoarse. The light world is all innocence. It is the safe place at home, your warm and comfortable bed with the smiles of your family. The worlds that Hesse creates are very rigid though, and that is where I find fault. It was probably in Hesse's upbringing that he was taught that it was rigid. That does not feel right. It does not feel like a truth. If it doesn't feel like a truth, then it is a lie. This creates the Gray that Hesse talks about, everything else that is not rigid. Hesse also believes that there is good in everybody (as Mr.Peach pointed out) that is not true because we are rotten to the core. As Christians we are not denying our sin nature, rather calling upon the Holy Spirit to attempt to at least not mingle in the sin nature. The Holy Spirit in us is good, thus your body is a temple and that temple is in the middle of a filthy city. We are flickers of light living in the dark, I do not think that there is the hard split between where we are. We all are in the dark at all times.
Now yes, knowing what else is out there, outside of the doors of this school will help us mature and grow as people. Life away from our parents, and so forth. This would be a truth had Hesse not made Emil's parents as a symbol. They are a direct representation of God, as is all of authority such as his sunday school teacher. Therefore, this "maturing" is rebellion against and outside of God. How, as a Christian, can I agree with that message being put out to me? To go further, he relates it to thinking for himself. That, too is a good thing when you hear it. But in context with the book, it is like he is saying that the authority is pushing us down, cramming our minds with their own thoughts and God is not only just one of their beliefs they force upon us, but he is also an authority himself. What is sin but our seperation from God? Emil went in the exact opposite direction as God and the Christian's in his life would want him but eventually through Demien he embraced it. This is supposedly a higher way of thinking. He is brilliant because he thinks different. Yet in the book, Emil regrets it and changes his ways more than once (as a child and later as a drunkard teen.) Instead of reacting to this, again a bad feeling Emil ignores, he goes farther away from God. This, is also while I feel I cannot ignore the strong feelings that come about while I read Demien. I would be committing the same offense. It is an interesting fact that Emil ran into these feelings while being an immature character, letting readers feel that these are immature thoughts. That is my thoughts so far