Siddhartha Essay Research Paper SiddharthaSiddhartha is one

Siddhartha Essay, Research Paper

Siddhartha

Siddhartha is one of Herman Hesse s most finely written books. He wrote it during what some critics call his psychoanalytic period. It addresses the spiritual journey of a man. When Siddhartha is a young man, he and his friend, Govinda, decide to leave their Brahmin community. They go on a quest to obtain wisdom and spiritual knowledge. They believed that Samanic suffering might lead them to the goal they were reaching for. Although Siddhartha and Govinda did the scourge, neither found salvation. They both leave again and encounter Gotama, a righteous teacher. Govinda decides to stay and follow the teachings of Gotama, but Siddhartha yet again moves on. He crosses the river and on the boat ride meets Vasudeva, whom he befriends. After crossing the river, he goes to the city of Samsara, where he meets Kamala, a whore, and Kamaswami, a prosperous businessman. He soon grows weary of this, too, and leaves to live with Vasudeva. While he is being taught by Vasudeva to listen to the river, Kamala comes to him. She soon dies and Siddhartha is left to care for their child. The child soon leaves, because he is not used to this ascetic life. Soon after, Siddhartha realizes the unity of all things and is left by Vasudeva. Siddhartha then encounters Govinda for a final time. After being told of Siddhartha s new principles, Govinda realizes that Siddhartha has attained Nirvana without the formal doctrines of Gotama. This realization leads Govinda his own ultimate enlightenment.

Throughout this novel, many different elements are used to emphasize important points. Among the most crucial elements are setting, characterization, and themes. This essay analyzes each of these essential elements.

Siddhartha takes place during the 1500 s, in India, a Hindu region. This is significant because most Samanas were situated in areas where unchristian religions are dominant. The most important setting of the novel is the river. Rivers have always played an important role in the domestic and religious lives of Indians. It is their source of life and means of spiritual cleansing. It is a symbol to all philosophies that seek timelessness and perfection. For Siddhartha, it separates the polarities of his life. On one side of the river is Kamala, and on the other side is Gotama. He learns from traveling back and forth across the river and listening to it. Eventually, the traveling stops and Siddhartha becomes completely attuned to the voice of the river. Soon, the polarities dissolve into a whole that Siddhartha eagerly embraces. The river serves as both a boundary and a symbol of unity. The many-voiced song of the river echoed softly He could no longer distinguish the different voices- the merry voice from the weeping voice, the childish voice from the manly voice. They all belonged to each other They were all interwoven and interlocked, entwined in a thousand ways And all the voices, all the goals, all the yearnings, all the sorrows all the pleasures, all the good and evil, all of them together was the world the music of life. (109-110)

The culture is also important to Siddhartha. When the novel opens, Siddhartha is a Brahmin. Brahmins were at the top of the social caste system. They were princes and other figures of authority. Although they had access to all they desired, Siddhartha never felt fulfilled while with them. He was searching to be enlightened and could not find his desires in earthly goods. When he and Govinda join the Samanas, they give up everything to reach their ultimate goal of Nirvana. They travel around without possessions and never have a permanent shelter. When Siddhartha and Govinda encounter Gotama, the ultimate Buddha, Siddhartha still doesn t feel enlightened and decides to completely change the course of his life. He goes to the city Samsara and meets Kamala, who is a whore. This is again relevant to the culture. At that time and in the Hindu religion, it was common for all men, married or not, to have relations with whores. All of these factors show how setting and time period were crucial to the novel as a whole.

The characterization and names of the characters are also vital to Siddhartha. They provide a deeper understanding of the novel to the reader. Each character also affects the novel as a whole by the interaction that takes place between he or she and Siddhartha.

Siddhartha is the main character and the hero of this novel. Siddhartha was the name of a historical Buddha, and roughly translates to he who finds the goal. The story follows him through three stages of his life. The first represents the time of the mind (wandering with the Samanas and listening to Gotama), the second represents the time of the flesh (learning the art of love with Kamala and the art of business with Kamaswami), and the third phase represents the time of his ultimate enlightenment (the time spent in tutorage by the river with Vasudeva). By naming the character Siddhartha and by leading him through three phases of life similar to the historical Buddha, Hesse portrays Siddhartha as a Buddha. Siddhartha is also representative, in some ways, of Hesse. Hesse decided to choose a career different from what his father had wanted, much in the same way Siddhartha decided to choose a different path of life than his father s.

Govinda is Siddhartha s best friend and his shadow. Although he does attain Nir