Herman Hesse ''The Glass Bead Game'' The XX century marked human's atrocity and madness, but at the same time it gave birth to many talented art workers. In my opinion, one of the most significant of them was Hermann Hesse, German humanist, who was trying to bring his generation to reason. He wrote one of his most famous books ''The Glass Bead Game'' during his residence in Switzerland while the Second World War. Would you like to live in the world divided in privileged spiritual elite and just average men? Castalia is precisely the place for intellectuals (it worthy to note, that it was the school just for boys)). We see here a little boy, who was lucky to be admitted to this stronghold of intellect. The name of the lucky was Joseph Knecht, which can be translated from german as ''servant'' and this fact is very important for understanding of whole work. The man served to the art having no chance to create his own art (it was contrary to the rules). He served to spirituality, to Castalia, which condemned it's progenies on eternal solitude, because they didn’t have the right to get married and have children. By the end of life Magister Lundi (Joseph Knecht) abandoned the school where had passed all his life and he decided to serve to the son of his best friend Plinio Designori, who used to study in Castalia, what was possible for rich men. And after a little time he died in dark lake water. (Yeah yeah) It took much time for me to reflect on purposes of the book. What Herman Hesse wanted to carry to the contemporaries? I guess it was the idea of spiritual degradation instead of creating art. People just told about art, they analyzed the same thing hundreds of times and in effect they created nothing. That’s why the book has such title. The culture itself was depreciated; the humanity chose clear instincts in place of mind and self-development. And just a little part of people was ready to deny themselves for culture maintenance in Castalia, the state in the reigning insanity. Maybe Hesse himself was Castalia? Who knows? But he was indeed one of those who were trying to prevent violence and to appeal to reason.