Siddhartha is the hero of the novel. He is a handsome and clever young Brahmin, well loved and admired by his family and town. (There was happiness in his father's heart because of his son who was intelligent...he saw him growing up to be a great learned man...a prince among Brahmins)(Siddhartha 2) Siddhartha has grown tired of the traditional dogma; he feels that Nirvana can only be obtained through the self, not prewritten doctrine. The novel follows Siddhartha's quest for enlightenment through the three phases of his life at the end of which he finally achieves enlightenment through his own trials and experiences.

Govinda is Siddhartha's "shadow", a follower if there ever was one. Govinda tries to learn greatness through his friend Siddhartha, secondhand. Upon their meeting of the Buddha, Govinda decides to part from his lifelong friend in order to follow the "Perfect One." Although he spends his entire life searching, he is never able to achieve enlightenment

Siddhartha, written by Herman Hesse, is an intentionally simple book showing a man's quest for the ultimate answer of man's role on earth. As a Brahmin, Siddhartha's quest in life is to achieve Nirvana. It is this quest that we watch Siddhartha follow throughout the novel. Hesse's use of religious allusion, tripartite structure and simple diction combine to emphasize Siddhartha's quest to Nirvana.

Years later, Govinda comes to the river to speak to the Buddha of whom he has heard. He kisses Siddhartha on the forehead and in his face he sees the faces of many. Govinda falls to the ground and weeps.

Kamala is the beautiful courtesan from whom Siddhartha learns the arts of love. Because of her beauty and cleverness she is his only true friend in the village where Siddhartha spends much of his life. Because she does not accept penniless Samanas as visitors, she introduces Siddhartha to the businessman Kamaswami so that Siddhartha may afford to learn the arts of love from her.

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Approximate Word count = 1490
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)