Siddhartha
by Hermann Hesse
corruption
In Siddhartha, Siddhartha falls into the path of temptation and greed which has driven him away from his original goal, which is discovering self-control. When Siddhartha recognizes the mistake he’s made in the world of temptation and how it is driving away from his goals, Hesse writes “That eager readiness to hear the divine voice within his own heart had gradually became a memory, had passed” (76). Siddhartha has reached a point where he is no longer satisfied with his original comfort in religion. The word choices of “eager” and “readiness” that changes into “passed” shows the progression of thinking. His original goals to “hear the divine voice” have changed into a more corrupt view. The progression of his goals into a memory is similar to the image of a river as it is winding through a changing path. Siddhartha’s original intentions were pure, but they are merely a “memory” in his present state of mind. When Siddhartha reviews his dream of Kamala’s songbird and examines how the bird configures to his own life, Hesse writes, “The songbird was dead; its death, which he had dreamt about, was the bird in his own heart” (87). The songbird is a symbol of Siddhartha’s inner soul. Siddhartha is beginning to fall into stages of depression and despair, which is symbolized by the death of the bird; likewise, it is the death of his inner soul. The fact that he had dreamt about the death of the birds indicates that despair and corruption of the soul is inevitable, and is an event that can be predicted. Siddhartha’s emotions and feelings have negatively influenced his decision making skills and sense of identity, leaving him as a man of honor in the presence and a regretful man from the past.
Curiosity
As Siddhartha travels on his journey, his mind is filled with exciting scenarios that drive him to continue his long endeavor. He is inhabited by curiosity, for he is escaping from a world where curiosity is nonexistent. Siddhartha's childhood environment was centered around a traditional way of life where change and abandoning custom was not accepted. When Siddhartha is yearning to achieve enlightenment and begin his path to Atman, Hesse writes, "Siddhartha had one single goal--to become empty, to become empty of thirst, desire, dreams, pleasure, and sorrow--to let the self die" (14). Along with Siddhartha's impatience to accomplish enlightenment, the steps and outcomes of achieving this peace makes him even more curious. The boy also understands that he must experience both the negative and positive aspects of life before he can reach enlightenment, revealing his curiosity for understanding both what happiness truly is and how it compares to sadness. Curiosity tests the mind's boundaries to see how far it will take a person, while still remembering reality and truth. The mind is a world of its own, and it is each person's job to trust the mind while still maintaining control over the decisions they make.
Desire of independence
In Siddhartha, Siddhartha's desire for independence is an important part of the novel that adds to the sense of enlightenment being a personal journey rather than knowledge that can be taught. Siddhartha's journey begins with his understanding that he must break away from the restraints of society and the world he lives in to pursue his own path, explained when Hesse writes, "Siddhartha was going his own way; his destiny was beginning to unfold itself, and with his destiny, his own..." (9). At this point in the novel, Siddhartha understands that he must travel the path to enlightenment alone. He accepts that he can only achieve his own destiny by following his own guidance, rather than the influence of others. His desire for independence is strongly justified, for he has realized the truth in how finding enlightenment is one person's own personal duty. Despite the fact that Siddhartha has realized that he must be independent, his desire is revealed when he sets Govinda off on his own path, revealed when Siddhartha says, "'May you travel this path to the end. May you find salvation'" (30). Siddhartha does not keep his friend stuck back with him, but rather lets him go on his own journey so that both Siddhartha and Govinda will benefit from not being each other's shadows. Siddhartha could easily have his path to enlightenment alone, proving his own desire for independence. This is an important lesson that relates to teenagers in the world today, for it is necessary for a person to discover their identity on their own terms while on their own path, rather than relying on others for guidance and knowledge.
Desire to find love
On his journey to enlightenment, Siddhartha feels a sense of loneliness and isolation, for in continuing on his journey, he left all his companions behind. When Siddhartha is traveling on his journey, Siddhartha's feelings of loneliness and his desire for companionship is described when Hesse writes, "...when the world around him melted away, when he stood alone like a star in the heavens, he was overwhelmed by a feeling of icy despair but he was more firmly himself than ever" (41). Even though Siddhartha feels remote and undesirable, he believes that this is the only way to discover who he is as an individual and realizes that he must travel his path alone. However, he still contains a mundane craving for companionship, and is destined to make rash decisions in deciding on his next companion to rid himself of this desire. Wanting love and companionship is an important part of human nature, for people rely on one another for comfort and happiness. However, it is only in the absence of others that a person can truly discover themselves.
Disrespect
Siddhartha is a very bold character that is not afraid to voice his opinion on something, no matter how insulting or disrespectful this opinion may be. In the beginning of the novel, when Siddhartha is leaving the Samanas, he tells Govinda, "'I have no desire to walk on water... Let the old Samanas satisfy themselves with such arts'" (24). Siddhartha is criticizing the ways of the Samanas purely for the reason that he does not believe in their ways. He is the type of character whom has a dangerous amount of self-confidence in himself and (quite truthfully) a very sassy personality. Siddhartha's old world and traditions consisted of him being regarded highly and praised like no other for his intellect, personality, and appearance. This treatment and love from society has inflated his confidence and pride in himself to levels where he does not hesitate to insult what he does not agree with. Later in the novel as a ferryman, Siddhartha corrects himself and learns to treat all other people with respect, for all people are united in the world and are ultimately one in the same.
Lack of direction
On his journey to attain enlightenment, Siddhartha experiences a strong lack of direction, for he often changes his mind and realizes that he is not doing what he is destined to do. In the beginning of the novel when Siddhartha ponders about what lies ahead in life, he thinks, "He lived a good life, his words were wise; fine and noble thoughts dwelt in his head--but even he who knew so much did he live in bliss, was he at peace?" (7). Siddhartha is questioning whether his environment fits his morals and has difficulty processing this question, for he had never thought of his family, his beliefs, and his original ways of life as obstacles to his goal. He is realizing that throughout his life to this point, he was misguided and journeying down the wrong path to his destiny. Siddhartha understands that he has to break away from what he loves most in order to accomplish his goals, but does not know where to start, how to deal with arising conflicts, or how the journey will end. When Siddhartha is talking to Kamala about Gotama and his followers in her home, Siddhartha says, "'Thousands of young men hear his teachings every day and follow his instructions every hour, but they are all falling leaves; they have not the wisdom and guide within themselves'" (72). Siddhartha is criticizing himself along with Gotama's followers, for he was originally just like a falling leaf under the instruction of teachers. He believed that in order to achieve enlightenment, he must be taught and master the "study". On his journey, Siddhartha gains more understanding that he must be his own teacher through his experiences and actions and corrects his path so he may reach enlightenment rather than end up like a "falling leaf". Siddhartha creates his own journey, his own experiences, and learns from his personal teachings so that he may encounter enlightenment. Modern teenagers tend to fall into his trap of becoming followers rather than leaders of their own journey. When a teenager lacks direction, they do not create their own path, but rather look to others for help on what to do next. Like Siddhartha, teenagers who search for their own direction discover new beliefs and passions, but most importantly discover what it takes to reach their goals.
Realization of truth
In the novel Siddhartha, Siddhartha grows an understanding of the world, himself, and humanity as a whole on his journey to enlightenment. The first time in which Siddhartha truly obtains an image of the true world is explained as Siddhartha thinks, "Nobody showed the way, nobody knew it--neither his father, nor the teachers and wise men, not the holy songs..." (6). Siddhartha has always been regarded as an intelligent young man and believed that his teachers and books knew all the answers, but at this point in the novel, he realizes that this is not the truth. He understands that the people and tools he thought knew the answers were still struggling to discover enlightenment themselves. Siddhartha has trouble accepting that his traditional ideas, beliefs, customs, and life was all a distortion that blinded him from the truth--that they were useless. When Siddhartha finally sees the world around him for what it really is, he thinks:
The sun and moon had always shone; the rivers had always flowed and the bees had hummed, but in
previous times all this had been nothing to Siddhartha but a fleeting and illusive veil before his eyes,
regarded with distrust, condemned to be disregarded and ostracized from the thoughts because it was
not reality that lay on the other side of the visible (46)
As Siddhartha finally opens his eyes to the world as it is and pushes aside the veil of Maya, he realizes the beauty of the world he had been missing. Siddhartha finally realizes the truth in the world and recognizes that he is but a small piece in a wide variety of parts that make the world what it is. It is an important part of maturing to understand that the world does not revolve around a single person, but rather that the world is a sacred and beautiful place that all humans should appreciate and protect.
The sun and moon had always shone; the rivers had always flowed and the bees had hummed, but in
previous times all this had been nothing to Siddhartha but a fleeting and illusive veil before his eyes,
regarded with distrust, condemned to be disregarded and ostracized from the thoughts because it was
not reality that lay on the other side of the visible (46)
As Siddhartha finally opens his eyes to the world as it is and pushes aside the veil of Maya, he realizes the beauty of the world he had been missing. Siddhartha finally realizes the truth in the world and recognizes that he is but a small piece in a wide variety of parts that make the world what it is. It is an important part of maturing to understand that the world does not revolve around a single person, but rather that the world is a sacred and beautiful place that all humans should appreciate and protect.
Rebellion
In the novel Siddhartha written by Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha an intellectual young man, desires for independence and the gaining of experiences outside the isolated world in which he was raised in. However, in the beginning of his journey to individuality, Siddhartha feels the need to rebel against his father, whom he holds a high opinion and much respect for. When Siddhartha’s father says no to Siddhartha going with the Brahmins, Siddhartha reacts rebelliously, described when Hesse writes, “The Brahmin rose, wandered up and down then left the house. He looked through the small window of the room and saw Siddhartha standing there with his arms folded, unmoving” (11). Siddhartha actions illustrate his strong yearning for not only his father’s blessing, but to demonstrate his strength against exhaustion and the strive he obtains for exploring a new world of knowledge. In this case, being rebellious can be good, for it proves how much Siddhartha was willing to do to stand for his beliefs and individual ideals. Siddhartha also proved to be very courageous and smart in making strategic decisions, for ultimately his father did see his point and allowed him to go.
Search for identity
Siddhartha's journey involves a search for his individuality, for the majority of his life was spent learning from others and not discovering himself. Siddhartha was expected to do pronounced things and had very high expectations to uphold for others, but he later realizes that the studying and practicing never truly gave him any insight on himself and the world around him. To prove this, when Siddhartha looks back on the steps he has taken to find enlightenment, he says, "'I am no longer what I was, I am no longer an ascetic, no longer a priest, no longer a Brahmin'" (40). Siddhartha's eagerness when searching for his individuality drives him to take the steps that are necessary to prove that the path he is travelling was the path that suits him best. Siddhartha takes a short term experience with a path and leaves it if it does not fit in, proving his persistence and dedication to conquering his lack of direction. In order to find his identity and who he truly is as a young adult, he had to let his mind speak for itself and let life take its course. When Siddhartha sees the river and realizes how it relates with his identity, Hesse writes:
Siddhartha saw the river hasten, made up of himself and his relatives and all the people he had ever
seen. All the waves and water hastened, suffering, towards goals, many goals, to Siddhartha, the
waterfall, to the seas, to the current, to the ocean and all goals were reached and each one was succeed
by another. The water changed to vapor and rose, became rain and came down again, became spring,
brook and river, changed anew, flowed anew (135)
Siddhartha realizes that finding one's identity joins a person with the whole of the universe and the identity of all others. The duty of a person who has found their identity involves the teaching and passing on of their knowledge. In this way, the process continues until every human in the world understands why it is important to search for their own personal identity.
Siddhartha saw the river hasten, made up of himself and his relatives and all the people he had ever
seen. All the waves and water hastened, suffering, towards goals, many goals, to Siddhartha, the
waterfall, to the seas, to the current, to the ocean and all goals were reached and each one was succeed
by another. The water changed to vapor and rose, became rain and came down again, became spring,
brook and river, changed anew, flowed anew (135)
Siddhartha realizes that finding one's identity joins a person with the whole of the universe and the identity of all others. The duty of a person who has found their identity involves the teaching and passing on of their knowledge. In this way, the process continues until every human in the world understands why it is important to search for their own personal identity.