Beneath the Wheel (Unterm Rad) is a novel written by Hermann Hesse. It is also sometimes titled The Prodigy in English. Hermann Hesse Hermann Hesse (July 2, 1877 – August 9, 1962) was a German author, and the winner of the 1946 Nobel Prize in literature. ...

Beneath the Wheel tells the story of a boy, Hans Giebenrath, who is highly gifted and as a result sent to a seminary in Maulbronn. However, all his education is just focused on increasing his knowledge and neglects him as a person. He finally finds a friend, Hermann Heilner, at the seminary, who is less hardworking than him and more liberal-minded, and this friendship acts as a kind of relief for Giebenrath. In the end, Heilner is expelled from the seminary and Giebenrath is sent home some time later as his performance steadily decreases and as he develops symptoms of mental illness. At home, he finds it difficult to cope with his present situation, in particular as he has lost most of his childhood to study and never had time to form lasting personal relationships with anyone within his small village. He starts an apprenticeship as a blacksmith and seems to enjoy the work, as it is concrete, in opposition to the abstract world Hans has become accustomed to in the scholarly realm. However, Giebenrath drowns under suspicious circumstances in the end. It is not explicitly mentioned that Hans commits suicide, though scholars maintain there is ample proof to support the claim. A seminary is a specialised university-like institution for the purpose of instructing students in religion, often in order to prepare them to become members of the clergy. ... The Scream, the famous painting commonly thought of as depicting the experience of mental illness. ... Blacksmith Blacksmith at work Blacksmith at work Blacksmiths fire A blacksmith is an artisan specializing in the hand-wrought manufacture of metal objects, such as wrought iron gates, grills, railings, light fixtures, furniture, sculpture, weapons, decorative and religious items, cooking utensils and tools. ... Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of intentionally ending ones own life; it is sometimes a noun for one who has committed, or attempted the act. ...

Being one of Hesse's first novels, this book offers a severe critique of education that focuses only on the students' performance. It is in that respect typical for Hesse. There are also some biographical links to Hesse himself, as also attended a seminary (in fact the same as Giebenrath did in Beneath the Wheel) and was also expelled from it.