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
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) 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 has a son with Kamala. When Kamala dies, the son is sent to live with Siddhartha at the river. Little Siddhartha ultimately runs away bitterly, departing across the symbolic river. Although the departure of the son is devastating to Siddhartha ("He felt something die in his heart; he saw no more happiness, no goal." (103)), he quickly comes to the realization that he had caused the same hurt in his own father when he had left to travel with the Samanas.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1656
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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