Siddhartha

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Siddhartha

• By Herman Hesse

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Setting
At first the setting of Siddhartha is in a
Brahmin house in an Indian village. Then
Siddhartha and Govinda leave their Indian village
to go to the forest where the Samanas live. Then
the setting switches to the Jetevana groove where
Siddhartha and Govinda listen to the sermon of
Gotama, Siddhartha then crosses a river and comes
to a city where Kamala lives. He realizes the
material world is slowly killing him with out
providing him with enlightenment so he wanders in
search of the river, Siddhartha lives by the
river, studies it, and learns the many secrets
the river has to tell.
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Plot Summary
Siddhartha grows up with his friends Govinda in
a small village in India. They are taught to
believe in ancient Hindu teachings by
Siddharthas father, yet the young man becomes
restless and decides to go out and explore the
world to find answers to his questions. The
ancient Hindu teachings seem silly to him, and
according to Siddhartha, they offer inadequate
explanations of the ways of the world. Govinda
leaves the village with him for different
reasons he admires Siddharthas intelligence and
hopes that he shall become successful by staying
with him. As his shadow, following him wherever
he goes. They both lead lives as wandering
Samanas, self- exiles of society living in
self-denial. They suppress all bodily desires by
fasting, breathing control, and living in
poverty only the natural world is embraced as
truth, and meditation is practiced regularly.
After three years, Siddhartha grows weary of this
life, too, and decides to accompany Govinda to
visit the Buddha in Savathi.
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Continuation of Plot Summary
Govinda becomes a disciple of Buddha while
Siddhartha continues his journey alone, still
wishing to understand the world for himself since
all teachings have failed to accomplish this,
including the ancient beliefs of the Hindus and
this new religions of Buddha. However,
Siddhartha wishes to have the enlightenment that
Buddha has attained by listening to the voice of
his Self instead of denying it. Humiliated by
his wickedness, Siddhartha contemplates suicide
near a river but stops after seeing his
reflection in the water and being reminded of his
innocent childhood. Falling asleep after this
depression, he awakens to see Govinda nearby, who
has remained Buddha's disciple all this time and
has not changed at all. Siddhartha has changed
so much that Govinda doesnt even recognize him
and is disgusted to see his rich clothes.
Govinda leaves Siddhartha decided s to remain
near the river and live with the ferryman, and
Vasudeva. After living a life of self-denial and
then experiencing sins for himself, Siddhartha
finally finds wisdom about the world. Vasudeva
teaches him how to listen to the quiet sounds of
the river and he realizes that the world is
simply a recurring cycle. Nothing really changes
at all.
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..........
His selfish ego destroyed, Siddhartha realizes
the unimportance of ones self since his life is
a part of the greater unity of things that is
Om. Vasudeva dies and Siddhartha is left to
row the ferry himself. After a few years, old
Govinda appears again, wishing to learn from
Siddhartha's wisdom. Govinda has remained
unchanged, a devout disciple of Buddha, for he
has not experienced the world like Siddhartha.
Siddharthas smile and face have finally become
much like that of the Buddha, although he had
never been Buddhas disciple. Govinda is stunned
at Siddharthas transformation but remains
confused as to how he has achieved enlightenment.
Govinda has been devout, faithful, and
subservient while Siddhartha led a life of sin
before coming to peace. These two old mean meet
there at the rivers edge one has progressed and
found meaning in life, and the other has spent
life festering, by blindly following the
teachings of another rather than teaching himself
by trail and error.
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Character Description
Siddhartha- The protagonist, who is sent out on
an enlightenment quest Vasudeva- The enlightened
ferryman who guides Siddhartha to an
understanding of himself and the
universe. Govinda- Siddharthas best friend and
his follower at points Kamala- She has a
relationship with Siddhartha and ends up dying of
a snake bit, revealing Siddhartha is the father
of her child Gotama- Enlightened religious
figure
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More
Kamaswami- An old businessman who teaches
Siddhartha the ways of business Siddharthas
Father- Respected Brahman and Siddharthas father
Young Siddhartha- Siddharthas son with
Kamala The Samanas- Traveling ascetics who
believe that a life of deprivation and wandering
is the path to self-actualization.
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Major Conflict
The major conflict is Siddhartha does not know
how to find self. Siddhartha is the protagonist
and hi goal is to become enlightened by finding
self. Kamaswam, means the master of the
material world and is the antagonist because he
pushes Siddhartha away from his goal by tempting
him. Kamala also contributes to Siddhartha not
reaching his goal because she makes him become a
merchant if he wants to be with her. Vasudeva
helps Siddhartha reach his goal by leading him on
the path to find self.
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Siddhartha with the help of Vasudeva, the
ferryman, becomes enlightened and finds self.
The river represented his journey to find self
and the ferryman was his guide. The river showed
enlightenment is not a straight path but one with
bends and curves. Siddhartha also learns that it
is important to love all because on the path to
enlightenment everyone needs help and to work
together, like the river has many water molecules
working together to create the giant flowing
river. Once Siddhartha finds self Vasudeva
leaves and Govinda comes to cross the river.
Siddhartha tells him all he has learned.
Resolution of Conflict
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Theme 1 and 3 examples
Enlightenment Siddhartha is continuously on
the path to enlightenment through the pursuit of
truth. His quest for these truths are central in
the novel, and the paths of other characters to
enlightenment support the theme also. IN
Siddhartha, it becomes apparent that one can only
reach truth through self, enlightenment cannot be
taught, it comes from within. In the end other
the novel, Siddhartha comes to this realization,
that enlightenment can be taught by no one and he
finds it within himself. Govindas path to
enlightenment consisted of following the
teachings of others and he was therefore
constricted to the beliefs of his teachers.
Govinda has more difficulty in reaching his goals
than Siddhartha. Vasudeva reaches enlightenment
not through the teachings of others, but through
something intangible, the river. Through the
cycles shown to him in the river, he finds the
truth in himself.
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Theme 2 and 3 examples
Love Siddhartha finds through his
experiences that love is the most important thing
in life. In the end of his journey, he realizes
that you must love everything in life and that
love is essential to being happy. Siddhartha
finds love in many of the other characters
thought out the novel. Through Kamala,
Siddhartha is taught physical love and Kamala in
turn, loves Siddhartha until her death. Through
Govinda, Siddhartha finds love in friendship and
teaches Govinda that love is all important.
Govinda then finds love and internal peace
through Siddhartha. Siddhartha also loved his
son deeply, and desperately seeks the happiness
that other people felt from their children.
However, this love was unrequited Young
Siddhartha rejected his fathers love just as old
Siddhartha rejected his fathers love before him.
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2 Major Characters
Siddhartha 1.) His heart was not
indeed in business. It was useful in order to
bring him money for Kamala, and it brought him
more that he really needed. Moreover
Siddhartha's sympathy and curiosity lay only with
people, whose work, troubles, pleasures, and
follies were more unknown and remote from him
than the moon. Siddhartha is a man that doesnt
experience the woes and other concerns like most
people. He is living a life without woes. 2.)
Siddhartha tests the religious philosophies he
discovers on his quest for enlightenment. His
most defining characteristic is his desire for
spiritual understanding of himself and the
world. 3.) At the end of the novel, Siddhartha
is characterized as an enlightened character in
the novel.
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2 Major Characters part 2
Vasudeva 1.) He teaches
Siddhartha and provides him with the friendship
he needs. Vasudeva is his mentor and helps him
to learn to listen to things around him in nature
such as the river, the voice of life and Om in
learning to listen he is able to achieve
enlightenment. In achieving enlightenment he can
understand not only himself, but also the
universe. 2.) When Vasudeva and Siddhartha first
met. Vasudeva was a kind man who allowed him to
cross the river for free. 3.) Vasudeva shows
Siddhartha the good in people, and makes him
think about things more.
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2 Direct Quotes 1
I had to become a fool again in order to find
Atman in myself. I had to sin in order to live
again. Wither will my path yet lead me? This
oath is stupid it goes in spirals, perhaps in
circles, but which ever way it goes I will follow
it. Siddhartha is now at a point in his life
when he realizes his mistakes and how crazy the
course of his life has been. He knows that
things happen for a reason so wherever the path
leads he will follow it. It may go in circles or
spirals but will eventually lead to the right
place. This is significant because it shows
Siddharthas views on his life and shows that he
understand why things had happened its just the
way his life was supposed to be. Sinning in
order to live again talks about the times in
Siddharthas life when he felt he was losing
himself, like the temptation with Kamala and the
money in the business world. These things all
led to him living by the river with Vasudeva
where he was in a way born again.
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2 Direct Quotes 2
Siddharthas previous lives were also not in
the past, and his death and his return to Brahma
are not in the future. Nothing was, nothing will
be, everything has reality and presence. Siddhar
tha was content because he had finally found what
Vasudeva called secret from the river. That is
that there is no such thing as time. The river
isnt going anywhere, it just is everywhere.
That is the same with Siddharthas life. He
couldnt dwell on what was in the past or have
fear of what would or could happen in the future.
He had to live for the present. Vasudeva was
happy that Siddhartha finally found out these
secrets and conquered time. Now he could live
peacefully.
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Literary Elements
Symbolism City chapter 6 7- Place of
considerable size, densely populated wealthy
people reside there, home to business and
industry Symbolizes desire and temptation, many
people live there because they have fallen into
the trap of desire, Kamala, god of desire",
resides in the city, Kamaswami, master of the
material world", also resides in the city River
Chapter 8- place in the middle on Siddharthas
journey where he figures out which direction to
go in and the turning point in the
book. Symbolizes Siddharthas journey, a
journey that twists and turns and gets off track
and spills over the side just as the river does.
The River is the title of this chapter because
it symbolizes that Siddhartha is coming back to
his journey.