In the second chapter of Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, Siddhartha seems to be torturing himself to achieve his goal of becoming "empty" (Hesse 12). Hesse's repetition of the word "empty" makes the reader feel hopelessness. "Empty" could also foreshadow Siddhartha's future journeys. In the next paragraph, Siddhartha is just standing and enduring the seasons as they pass. Words like "pain", "thirst", "blood" and "burning flesh" (12) are chosen for this passage to once again to create an image in the reader's mind of Siddhartha's determination, and Siddhartha enduring the pain. Seasons and weather matter in literature. When Siddhartha endures the blazing sun, the rainy season and freezing temperatures, his life seems to be difficult. When Siddhartha "learned to stop breathing" (12), it makes him seem very powerful. Breathing is the most important part of living, and Siddhartha learned to control how little he needs to breath. Hesse uses depressing diction such as "carcass", "dead", "skeleton", and "rotten" (13) to create a depressing and dark tone, which foreshadows Siddhartha's life. Siddhartha asks a lot of questions, asking multiple "What is" (14) questions. The repetition of these questions makes Siddhartha a student, rather than a teacher, and although he is known to have lots of knowledge, he continues to be the student asking questions. After Siddhartha and Govinda told the eldest shramana their intent to leave, he calls him an "old man" (19). This seems disrespectful, as if he does not care what the shramana thinks.
Your analyses on how Siddhartha learning how to control his breathing is really interesting. I agree that Siddhartha seems disrespectful towards the shramana.
In the second chapter of Siddhartha after Govinda decides to stay with Gautama Siddhartha meets a ferry man after he wakes from a dream about Govinda. Siddhartha has a small chat with the man and is surprised by the ferry man saying "and I expect no fare from you and no gift. You you will give me the gift another time" (Hesse 46) The author foreshadows the importance the ferry man plays later in the book.
In chapter one Siddhartha asks his father for permission to leave so he could reach nirvana through becoming a samana, when his father tells him no he stands there until his father has no choice but to say yes. Siddhartha again does a similar thing when he wants to leave the samanas by giving his elder samana a soul bound stare. Stubbornness is a theme in this book when it comes to Siddhartha showing that he needs to learn patience. Siddhartha seems to be rude and acts like he is above others when he believes he has learned all he can from them or if he can’t learn anything from them at all.
You make a very good point about Siddhartha and his stubbornness. However I would like to argue that Siddhartha did not feel content with the way his destiny was carving a path for him that he did not choose to have. He felt as if he wasn’t complete and he needed something to provide him with this last piece and he needed to go on a journey to become a samana to finally find that last piece. All of us at one point in our lives don’t feel complete and he is feeling that at the beginning of this book.
I agree to your statement that Siddhartha needs to learn to be patient. I think that there is a negative connotation with the word stubborn. In Siddhartha's life in order to evolve he needed to be relentless and follow his own path. Siddhartha doesn't want to follow the beaten path and therefore has to venture away from the path that Govind chooses. I do agree that in the beginning of the book he is very arrogant in the way he expresses his frustrations. It is not that he has learned all he can from them, but that he has to find knowledge elsewhere and find himself before he can wholeheartedly accept the teachings of others.
I agree that Siddhartha is somewhat stubborn, but I do not believe that is the best word that could have been used to describe him. The word stubborn is often considered negative and what Siddhartha is doing is not negative. Siddhartha is making a stand to become happy with the way his life was and that the path he was on in the beginning of the book was not fulfilling. I do not agree that Siddhartha believes he is better than others when he is done learning from them, I think he moves on because he has nothing more he can get out of them. I also had a different reaction to this passage. I think that this passage is foreshadowing that Siddhartha will become a person with great significance in the world and that's why the ferry man was okay with him not paying his fare.
In the second chapter of Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, the reader is greeted by a stark display of what the life of a shramana is like. Describing the shramanas in a choppy, harsh manner allows the reader to feel horrified and simultaneously empathetic towards their way of life and foreshadows how Siddhartha’s journey to becoming enlightened with not be easy. One way Hesse achieves this is through dark diction that references the process of death, such as “The flesh fell away”, “dilated eyes”, and “shriveled fingers”, all of which give the reader a picture of a man that is decaying rather than living (Hesse 11). To emphasize the aspect, brief and short syntax is used to mimic the fleeting days before death where a person’s time is running out and where everything seems to be rushing to meet their end. People often see the dying as unnecessary weights on the world’s shoulders, and Hesse hints at this with the simile “His eyes became hard as iron,” representing Siddhartha as a heavy burden upon himself, and one without emotion in his physical features (11). Emotions are another burden of life, and the shramanas find it easier to discard them so they can live more simply. By going through the process of death, Siddhartha experiences life’s suffering and realizes, in the personification “The taste of the world was bitter”, that to truly live one must find pain and collapse under the weight of life (12). Only then can they rise to enlightenment, seeing how happiness and torment depend upon each other and that to understand living you must understand dying.
Your analysis of the life of the shramanas and death are very interesting. I agree that to understand life, you must first know death, and vice versa. It reminded me that everything is relative to its opposite; we can’t know what feeling happy is like unless we’ve known what sadness feels like. I think that in his journey with the shramanas taught him of death, and the emotions (or lack of) that Siddhartha experienced helped give him balance in his life long after leaving them. After all, when he lived with Kamala and lived a life of lust, romance, and riches, he was reminded of his previous nomadic life. He realized he couldn’t live a life of just extreme happiness or extreme melancholy, he needed a little bit of both.
In a way, Hesse is using this diction to make the reader feel like the original Siddhartha, exposed to death and suffering for the first time. What this novel seems particularly good at doing is taking the reader through each phase of Siddhartha's development through Siddhartha's eyes, meaning that at the moment you're reading, whatever cycle of life he's in is the best and most important turning point of his existence. For example, the times he stayed with Kamala and Kamiswami were initially portrayed as healthy, then later detrimental, then eventually recognized as important to his development. I think this scene with the ascetics reflects that.
Between the end of chapter one and chapter two, you are introduced to two different versions of Siddhartha. At the end of chapter one, it seems to be the case that Siddhartha is really interested in becoming a shramana as seen through the quote, “Father, I’ve come to tell you that tomorrow I must leave your house and go off with the ascetics. I long to become a shramana.” (Hesse 8) You are given a clear understanding of what Siddhartha’s goals were through his persistence when trying to convince his father to let him go. He showed this when he “remained standing there with his arms crossed.” (9) and later “he saw Siddhartha standing there with his arms crossed, still not having moved.” (9) Not giving up his stance, his father said yes allowing Siddhartha to go on with Govinda and the shramanas. In the beginning of chapter two, we are presented with a different side of Siddhartha when his appearance was described as someone with “dilated eyes...shriveled fingers...and a scruffy beard.” (11) This harsh side of reality for the shramanas allows the readers to observe a different perspective and almost see why Siddhartha didn’t want to continue this life anymore. It allows more sympathy to be put towards Siddhartha. This idea of sympathy is quickly whisked away when we see a more harsh and demanding side that we haven’t seen before. Siddhartha becomes more demanding and full of himself when speaking to Govinda almost as if he thinks that he is above all those who surround him. When speaking with Govinda, he expresses his desire to leave the life of the shramana because he suffers “thirst” (16) and his “thirst has not grown any less.” (16) His reasoning behind his decision makes the reader again think that Siddhartha has this idea that he is better than everyone else saying that “It is impossible to learn anything! In my opinion, that thing that we call ‘learning’ does not exist.” (16) One of the main reasons why Siddhartha wanted to become a shramana was because he wanted to learn and when he wasn’t satisfied with his results, he automatically goes to the idea that learning doesn’t exist. These two chapters almost present two different characters because of the quick character development that was present when it came to Siddhartha. This quick change can be seen as foreshadowing because it shows Siddhartha’s rapid thought and emotion changes when it comes to his life and what he seeks from it.
Your analysis is very intriguing. It brings up the difference between expectation and reality and how it affected Siddhartha's journey. It is interesting how Herman Hesse changed the mood so abruptly instead of introducing the hardships of being a Shramana as it would come periodically. It does uncover the many flaws that Siddhartha has. The reader begins to witness Siddhartha's arrogance when he disregards learning after he does not find what he is looking for. I also agree with your statement that Siddhartha's thoughts and actions change rapidly in this chapter which foreshadows the other events in the book.
Hesse represents Siddhartha’s discontent with his life in the first chapter of the novel by introducing the motif of water. The first and incidentally most crucial use of this compares Siddhartha’s dreams to water: “Dreams came to him and restless thoughts. They flowed into him from the water of the river” (Hesse 5). The purpose of the use of “flowed” and “water of the river” is twofold: first, it introduces the metaphor for wisdom and enlightenment as water, as these “restless thoughts” flowed in and out and gave him hints of the enlightenment that awaited him if only he could reach it. It also foreshadows the significance of the river that Siddhartha encounters many times in his journey. Siddhartha describes his ritual ablutions as being “good, but they were not water—they did not wash away sins” (5); the use of the phrase “wash away” brings attention to this metaphor. The idea of this “water” being something he lacked returns in a passage where he wonders about his father: “Was he, too, not only a seeker, still thirsting? Did he not have to slake his thirst again and again at the sacred springs… Did the primordial spring not flow in his own heart?” (6) Hesse’s diction in using “primordial” and “sacred” to refer to these springs emphasizes the sanctity and pureness of the wisdom that Siddhartha longs for. Other uses of language relating to water, such as “flow” and “thirst” and “wash away his sins” (used once more within this passage, as Siddhartha attempts to compare his experience with daily rituals with his father’s experience) all unify the water metaphor. The repetition with the word “thirst,” eg. References to the beginning of Siddhartha’s self-finding quest as “his thirst and his pain,” “his ultimate thirst,” and “the eternal thirst” increasingly emphasize his main motivation as a character, which is to find this “water” that will take him to enlightenment.
As I reread the first chapter of Siddhartha I realized the blunt contrast of the characterization of the two main figures in the beginning of the novel. Both Siddhartha and Govinda have an inclination to reach a certain state of being (nirvana) that they have been lectured and exposed to as children. They have greatly different approaches to their desired end point. Siddhartha’s discontent uncovers his arrogance rooted from his inability to learn from the teachings of others. Govinda, a natural follower, decides to tag along and joins the Shramanas. Herman Hesse expresses that Govinda is “his shadow” referring to him undertaking the same ventures as Siddhartha. A shadow does not have its own opinions or express its own thoughts which resembles the character traits of Govinda. The stark contrast of Govinda's willingness to learn from his teachers and follow an outlined path and Siddhartha's opposing desires creates a conflicting premise. The author sets up a prominent divide and leaves the best path up for speculation. During a trek through a village to beg for food one of the few conversation between Govinda and Siddhartha as followers of the Shramanas occurs, “‘How now, Govinda, are we really on the right track? Are we really approaching realization? Are we getting closer to attaining liberation? Or are we not going in a circle--we whose intention was to escape the vicious circle of resistance.” Govinda said; “We have learned a great deal, Siddhartha, and there remains a lot more still to learn. We are not going in a circle, we are moving upward. The circle is a spiral; we have already advanced through a number of stages”’ (15). Govinda’s devotion to their teachings stems from both his desire to attain Nirvana and his personality. He follows his teachers wholeheartedly with complete devotion and faith. On the other hand, Siddhartha questions every teaching and does not feel he will reach Nirvana by listening to the wisdom of others. When Siddhartha contemplates his current life as a shramana he addresses leaving the body, fasting, and holding the breath as a “short term deadening of the pain and absurdity of life” and as a “momentary deadening” (14). This diction creates a grim mood while representing the internal conflict that Siddhartha has encountered in contrast to Govinda’s faith. The splitting paths of the two characters leads to the question of which path will be successful in reaching Nirvana. The main character Siddhartha is named after the father of Buddhism, so it can be inferred that Siddhartha's path is the one to enlightenment. The real reason for a quest is always self-knowledge and as an individual Siddhartha needed to forge his own path to gain more knowledge, while Govinda learned from the words of others.
“Everyone loved Siddhartha in this way. He brought delight to everyone; to everyone he was a pleasure.”
“But he, Siddhartha, did not delight himself, he was no pleasure to himself… beloved by all, a joy to all, in his own heart he still bore no joy. (pg.6)”
This passage from the beginning of the book Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse, shows how Hesse portrayed Siddhartha as someone people looked up to and thought very highly of, everyone but Siddhartha himself. This quote is foreshadowing for what will follow in the rest of the story and also shows that it is somewhat ironic that Siddhartha felt so alone and empty even though he had everything. This is foreshadowing because it shows how Siddhartha is going to go on a quest to find something fulfilling in life. This is shown because it states that Siddhartha is not satisfied with his current life and will most likely do something to change that. This quote is not only foreshadowing, but it also gives us insight on what kind of person Siddhartha is. Having all the money and adoring people in his life isnt enough for him and he feels the need to seek something deeper and experience new things. When Hesse says, “my real self wanders elsewhere, far away, wanders on and on invisibly and has nothing to do with my life” he is saying Siddhartha longs to fill a void by going on a journey to find something more meaningful in life that is completely different than the life he had as a prince.
SIDDHARTHA #1 - In the very first sentence of the story, Hesse references the fig tree which sets up the whole plot of the book. As if the name of the main character being the same as the first Buddha isn’t enough, Hesse made a reference to the fig tree which the original Siddhartha sat under for around 48 days when he first became enlightened. This is an example of the maxim, “if you want your audience to know something about your character or the work at large, introduce it early before you need it.” It sets up the reader to already imagine Siddhartha as very similar to the first Buddha and sets us up to believe that the stories will have similar plots and themes. The second maxim that plays an important role in this story is that, “the real reason for a quest is always self-knowledge.” This is the whole purpose of the book. The story goes on through Siddhartha’s life and follows his path to self-knowledge, only it’s ever changing. At first, he believed that he was to become Brahmin like his father, then a Shramana, then a monk, then a lover to Kamala, then a merchant among the child people, then a ferryman, then a father, and then a friend. I believe that all of this is foreshadowed in the first sentence. “In the shadow of the house, in the sun on the riverbank by the boats, in the shadow of the sal-tree forest, in the shadow of the fig tree, Siddhartha, the beautiful brahmin’s son, the young falcon, grew up with his friend, the brahmin’s son Govinda,” (Hesse 3).
You make a good point about the similarities, which reminds me of a discussion I read online about whether or not Siddhartha is an allegorical work. At first I thought, "isn't it obvious?" but there are arguments that say that despite the parallels, Siddhartha eventually finds Buddhism on his own (transcending the self and seeing the higher purpose of existence as a constant cycle of development) even though he rejected Buddhism in the beginning. The argument is that Siddhartha never found a new path, just re-discovered what Gotama had taught him. I'm not sure if I agree with that argument because it doesn't make too much sense to me, but I'll reevaluate this later on in the story.
I agree with your point about the book being about self knowledge you can see this throughout the book and easily connect it to things. I also agree with what you said about the first sentence foreshadowed big the process of Siddhartha jurney. I never thought about that sentence that way it's an interesting way to think about it
In the chapter Awakening, Hesse uses repetition of the word "leaving" (Hesse 30). He uses the word leaving multiple times to emphasize what Siddhartha is leaving behind to continue his own journey to achieve his own goal. This makes us wonder whether or not Siddhartha's goal is worth all that he is sacrificing. By using the word "leaving", Hesse also creates a depressing tone. A few paragraphs later, Siddhartha begins talking about himself in third person. The moment described in the last few paragraphs on page 31 is a defining moment in Siddhartha's life because it is when Siddhartha was "awakened" (32). Siddhartha tells himself that he "will learn about myself, about the mystery of Siddhartha" (32). Siddhartha has decided his own path, a path without a teacher. He is his own teacher. After Siddhartha creates his own path, he views the world differently. He now sees a world full of colors. Words like "beautiful" and "magical" (32) are how Siddhartha describes the world, and also makes it seem that Siddhartha is enjoying life for the first time in the novel. A few paragraphs later, Siddhartha's happy moments of being "reborn" end when he realizes how alone he is. Words like "cold" and "homeless" (33) make Siddhartha seem very sad, and maybe he regrets his decision of leaving behind everyone he knew. The chapter ends with Siddhartha walking away from everyone he knew. Right after Siddhartha seems to have found his meaning in life, he loses that feeling of happiness, and continues searching for something he can do.
Your analysis is very intriguing. I personally didn't put as much thought to the word leaving and didn't connect it to it being worth leaving everything behind. When Siddhartha is walking through the forest he contemplates going back to his father, but a symbol in the form of a snake stops him from returning to his old life. I think that partially answers the question of if him leaving everything behind is really worth it. In order for Siddhartha to find himself he needed to separate from his past. He would only return to his old thought process and wouldn't progress. I found that the abrupt change in the mood isn't regret, but is an allowance of accepting what he feels because he is no longer suppressing himself in attempt to reach happiness.
In the chapter The Awakening Siddhartha leaves govinda and everything he once knew behind leaving him alone. Siddhartha walks slowly for a while asking himself questions about what is to come. Siddhartha asks many questions throughout the book about his future. Realizing that he is still not any where close to reaching his end goal of nirvana he looks back and decides that “ He had to separate from him, had been unable to accept his teachings” (Hesse 35) This quote was directed towards Siddhartha's teacher the Buddha. While walking Siddhartha came to a conclusion that he was hiding from himself his ego. This realization makes the reader think that the teachings he had learned were no longer of use. Siddhartha describes himself as re born seeing the world for the first time in bright beautiful colors giving the feel of happiness/joy Why does the author do that? This conclusion that Siddhartha had come to, made me think that he was starting from scratch and would take even longer to reach his end goal.
Your analysis is really interesting. What I took from Siddhartha's "rebirth" is not that he is starting from scratch. The paths that he had already taken were not leading him to his end goal. "That I know nothing of myself, that Siddhartha remains so alien and unknown to me-there is one cause for this, just one I was afraid of myself, I was running away from myself" (31). This shows how he was unable to find happiness by suppressing himself and the world around him. I do not think that he could have attained nirvana by listening to his teachers, but he doesn't completely disregard what they are teaching. Siddhartha cannot follow whole heartedly the words of others instead he has to seek them himself. His rebirth is not starting from complete scratch because without his past experiences he would not come to the same conclusion. His rebirth is his awakening and the beginning of a new journey.
Chapter three is a huge turning point in Siddhartha's journey. He leaves behind everything he has ever known as well as Gautama, the enlightened one, himself. In the beginning of this chapter Hesse writes, “He pondered deeply, sinking down into the depths of his feelings as through deep water, until he reached the point where the causes lie--...” (Hesse 30) Water is compared to his feelings, which is interesting because he eventually finds inner peace by listening to the river. Hesse uses compound drawn out sentences to show the multitude of realizations that Siddhartha has. Siddhartha concludes from his deep thoughts that he doesn't know himself and has therefore been awakened. Siddhartha then goes on to realize the world as a beautiful vibrant place. This is the first instance in the novel that Hesse explains in depth Siddhartha's surroundings. The purpose of this is to set a more joyful tone and represent that Siddhartha is seeing the world from a different set of eyes. A snake is referenced to represent Siddhartha leaving behind the past, as a snake leaves the skin it has shed. The snake later goes on to stop Siddhartha in his tracks deterring him from returning to his old life and family. The mood changes in an instant when he feels the effects of being alone. “Out of this moment, in which the world melted away from around him, in which he was alone like a star in the sky--out of this moment of frigidity and dejection, Siddhartha arose more of an ego than ever before, more tightly clenched within” (34). What was once a life-changing realization for Siddhartha melted away in the next. Once again his bold, quickly changing opinions appear. Siddhartha's new intent is to find himself and listen to his desires. In doing so it is foreshadowed that he will discover his negative traits one being his ego.
Your analysis is interesting and I agree with your statement about how Siddhartha sees the world differently than others. For him to truly find himself, Siddhartha needed to be alone so he could "try to penetrate to the inmost part of my self," and staying with his family or with the shramanas would have hindered him from doing so (29). I love your connection about the water and how it ties Siddhartha's journey from beginning to end. Siddhartha's main struggle is with his ego, and it's interesting to see how he recognizes and embraces this imperfection instead of ignoring it, contrasting him with rest of society and showing that having negative traits is what makes us human.
I agree with the points you made. What I found interesting was the many connections you made that I had not realized before when reading. The comparison of the water and his feelings makes sense. Siddhartha is definitely trying to find his inner peace by listening to the river. The connection of the snake representing Siddhartha also surprised me. I realized Siddhartha was trying to leave behind his past, but i had not realized that the snake could represent that. As I was reading, I also agreed that by changing his options again, to find himself, it would foreshadow that he would discover his negative traits.
Throughout Siddhartha, the main character encounters many influential people and learns lessons which allow him to connect to his inner-self. One of the most pivotal encounters is with Gotama, the Buddha. By now, Siddhartha has realized that knowledge travels in many forms and to become wise you need to accumulate knowledge through stories, perception, and experience. When he first sees Gotama, Siddhartha displays this through the allusion “he had repeatedly heard the content of this Buddhadharma,” to prove to the reader that what most people seek from the Buddha, Siddhartha had already attained (Hesse 23). Referencing the Buddhadharma allows him to showcase his sophistication and his intelligence, especially if the reader does not know what the Buddhadharma is. Instead of learning from Gotama’s words, Siddhartha learns through his gestures. In this excerpt, Gotama’s hands symbolize his wisdom and each finger represents a teaching. Unlike with most things, Siddhartha is extremely interested in the Buddha’s hands, and glorifies them through the metaphor " it spoke truth, breathed truth, smelled of truth, glowed with truth,” repeating the word “truth” to emphasize that being in the Buddha’s presence was enough to understand his wisdom and greatness. (23). Hesse further displays Siddhartha’s admiration towards Gotama in “Never had Siddhartha so venerated anyone, never had he loved a person as he loved this one,” (23). Using “venerated” shows how Siddhartha has never highly respected a person besides himself and how he instantly connects on a spiritual level with Gotama which he was never able to do with Govinda or his family, who he also never expressed respect or love towards. Siddhartha’s first glances at Gotama reveal to the reader that Siddhartha’s mind is complex and that his way of learning is much different from anyone else. It is difficult for Siddhartha to connect with the basic aspects of life and people since he always strives to find the deeper meaning, and if there is not one, he becomes uninterested. By meeting the Buddha, Siddhartha and the reader are shown the core of Siddhartha’s thinking and how he perceives life through an alternate lens than everyone else. His journey towards wisdom is only beginning, and the puzzle pieces of his character are starting to fall into place.
I agree with you thought on Siddhartha becoming uninterested in something if he "doesn't get what he wants or needs" when it comes to the deeper meaning of something. This idea of not being able to create connections between people is extremely evident when you look at Govinda's and Siddhartha's relationship. You can hear it in both of their voices and tones that they are two different people who have different outlooks on life. While Govinda is hooked on following Gotama and learning from him, Siddhartha finds his teaching boring and doesn't believe it will get him anywhere in life.
“Gotama had listened to him quietly, unmoved. Now in his kindly, polite, and clear voice, the Perfect One spoke: ‘You have heard the teaching, brahmin’s son. Good for you for having pondered it so deeply. You have found a gap in it, a flaw. May you continue to ponder that. But beware, you who are greedy for knowledge, of the jungle of opinions and the battle of words… But the teachings you heard from me is not my opinion, and its aim is not to explain the world to those who are greedy for knowledge…’” (Hesse 27)
Siddhartha has this burning passion to learn. He wants to learn what no one can teach him or what he believes no one is capable of teaching him. This thirst for learning pushes him towards the idea of leaving everything he once knew behind and going on a journey to learn this knowledge that he strives for. Having Gotama say this to Siddhartha makes him reply back saying “not for a moment have I doubted you...This came as a result of your own seeking on your own path, through thought, through meditation, through realization, through enlightenment. It did not come to you through teaching!..Nobody attains enlightenment through a teaching.” (27-28) Having said this, Siddhartha leaves on this journey to seek what he’s been looking for. But this idea of being “greedy for knowledge” (27) comes back making you wonder if Siddhartha understands what Gotama said. He claims that he respects Gotama but at the same time, doesn’t understand that his need for these answers that can’t be taught could potentially prevent him for reaching what he wants in life. By the end of the chapter, we have seen an arrogant side of Siddhartha that makes you question the outcome of the story and how he was able to become the Buddha. When you think of the Buddha, you think of this calm, humble being; not someone who is arrogant and greedy like Siddhartha. In “Awakening” Siddhartha’s outlook on life changes completely claiming that he is now a new person in the span of a couple minutes of him standing there with his eyes closed. Him becoming this “different” person sets up the rest of the story where we get to experience this journey with him to see if he is able to find the knowledge that he has been looking for.
I agree with your ideas about how Siddhartha comes across as arrogant in Gotama. However, I feel the need to play the devil's advocate here and ask why does he sound arrogant? Towards the end of the chapter, Siddhartha says phrases such as, "Please do not be angry with me, Exalted One... It was not to contend with you, not to fight with you over words, that I spoke the way I did." (Hesse 27) and "May they all remain with the teaching may they all reach their goal! It is not for me to judge the life of another!It is only for myself that I must judge , that I must choose and refuse." (Hesse 28). In these passages he comes across as polite, humble and sincere, only trying to portray his thoughts and emotions in a way that explains his reasoning to the one that he admires and loves. Perhaps leaving behind his friend and family seems selfish at first, that his thirst and greed for knowledge and understanding overpowers his love for his friends and family but imagine if he had stayed. He would have lived out his life as the brahmin’s son unhappy, which would directly affect the happiness of those around him. We come from a society where it’s normal to put other things before the well being of yourself, where we force ourselves into roles that make us unhappy but ensure and secure and safe life. To break from that cycle and allow yourself to be a little selfish and go after what you want is seen as a bad thing, when instead, it should be more normal behavior.
In the third chapter of Siddhartha, where Govinda leaves his friend to become a disciple of the Buddha, Hesse makes the pattern of dialogue between Siddhartha and Govinda closely reflect the dialogue between Siddhartha and Gotama. When Govinda makes the decision to join the Buddha and Siddhartha stays silent, Govinda approaches his friend to ask him why he had not requested to become a disciple. His pleas to Siddhartha, using words of energetic connotation such as “animatedly” and “in impatient tones” reflect his unease and all of the questions that he feels weren’t answered completely. In response, Siddhartha responds very calmly, and his voice is described as “without mockery” and with adverbs like “softly,” and “kindly.” In his dialogue, he tells Govinda that he has taken his own path, and that he respects it with all his heart: “May you follow this path to the end. May you attain liberation!” (Hesse 25) The repetition with “May you attain liberation” later in their dialogue emphasizes the significance of Siddhartha’s parting words with Govinda, as it is clear later on in the story that the two of them take very different paths throughout their lives. This interaction with Siddhartha and Govinda closely relates to the exchange Siddhartha and Gotama share. Siddhartha approaches Gotama first, and Hesse again employs energetic words such as “courage” and “boldly” and “straightforwardly” in Siddhartha’s dialogue and actions. In contrast, just as Siddhartha was with Govinda, Gotama listens to him “silently,” “quietly,” and “politely,” with “kindness and quietude,” only responding after he has let Siddhartha let out what he wanted. “May your thoughts...not be false ones. May you reach your goal!” (28) he tells Siddhartha. The repetition with “May you” emphasizes this connection once more. The Buddha sees that his and Siddhartha’s philosophies differ, but he respects this difference and encourages Siddhartha to take on his own path, just like Siddhartha had told Govinda to do.
"Siddhartha continued to stand there motionless, and for the period of a heartbeat and a breath his heart went cold; he felt it go old in his breast like a small animal--a bird or a rabbit--when he realized how alone he was. For years he had been homeless and not felt it. Now he felt it. Up until now, even in his deepest meditative absorption, he had been his father's son, a brahmin of high standing, a spiritual person. Now he was only Siddhartha, the awakened one, and nothing else." (Hesse 33). The comparison of Siddhartha to a bird is ironic to me in the sense that in this context it’s used to describe him as weak and fragile, while in the opening paragraph, he is also compared to a bird, but instead of being portrayed as weak and fragile, he was portrayed more as a traveler, having higher knowledge or vision, and strong. In the first chapter he is compared to a falcon, a predator, and in this chapter he is compared to a bird or rabbit, the prey. The quote says, “for years he had been homeless,” but homeless is not a synonym for alone. At this point in time he has truly abandoned everyone to pursue his quest for knowledge. At the beginning of his journey and up until this point he had always had Govinda by his side. Now that he has let him go his own way, Siddhartha can feel what it truly means to be alone. It’s also ironic because in the previous chapter he mentioned how liberation from ego is what he had been seeking for his whole journey and that if he was to join the Buddha, “then I would make the teaching, my discipleship, my love of you, and the community of monks into my ego.” (Hesse 29). He states that if he was to join the Buddha, then the Buddhist lifestyle would fuel his ego, which could be taken to mean that his ego comes from the world and people around him. When Siddhartha is “awakened”, and he finally feels fully alone, he can feel what it’s like to be detached from other people and similarly, obtain liberation from his ego. It’s ironic because when he finally gets a glimpse of what he’s been searching for for so long, it gives him a feeling of “frigidity and dejection” and promptly goes on, in the next chapter, to meet Kamala and regain his ego.
It's interesting that the comparison of the bird to Siddhartha was reversed in this chapter! In this chapter, Siddhartha is far from the vibrant, glowing child he was when he first left to join the pilgrimage, and it makes sense that the simile now is just as unsure of itself as he is in that moment. I agree that this is a turning point in which Siddhartha is truly alone. Despite never seeming to admire and love Govinda as much as Govinda loved him, it’s evident that Siddhartha feels lost without his friend. However, the separation between Siddhartha and Govinda is necessary for Siddhartha to continue his path to his Self. After all, you are only able to find enlightenment if you seek it yourself, not by trying to learn or master it through books and writings, or following others.
The analysis of the bird metaphor is fascinating to me because the bird imagery plays a big role in Part Two. I wonder if these comparisons in the first three chapters serve to set up this motif . It seems to represent a point of growth, or a point where Siddhartha wants more from his life and "takes flight," so to speak. You can really see it used when Kamala sets the bird free after Siddhartha leaves her.
I used the same passage as you did and found it ironic as well. However, the part I found ironic was that he was so excited to begin the journey of finding himself, but was so sad because he felt lonely. I thought it was really interesting that you used context from the previous chapters to find irony in this passage. I also think it is interesting that you traced the path of the ego and how his opinions have changed from wanting to hear teachings to wanting to find himself.
While reading chapter three Gotama begins to teach about suffering and what comes along with it. Hesse writes, "Gotama taught the teaching of suffering, the origin of suffering, and I the path to cessation of suffering" (24). The fact that Gotama taught suffering to a group of people that had been shielded from the fact that it existed reminded me of the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths are 1. Dukkha: suffering exists 2. Samudaya: suffering arises from attachment to desires 3. Nirhodha: suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases 4. Magga: freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the Eightfold path. These four truths highlight that suffering is extremely important in Buddhism, the religion Siddhartha created. At first I was questioning why Gotama taught this and why Siddhartha was so interested. I didn't understand why suffering was so important, but then I realized that Siddhartha felt empty until he started to experience suffering in the world and that is why he was enchanted by Gotama’s teachings of it. The four truths of Buddhism are trying to say that in order to reach Nirvana you must first suffer, and Siddhartha had to suffer himself in order to be totally happy and reach nirvana. I believe that Gotama taught suffering because he believed that in order to be happy you have to suffer, just like Siddhartha believed as well. Suffering was taught because Gottama wanted to teach people how to get over the things they suffer with in their life and in order to do that he had to confront that it was real.
“Siddhartha smiles with happiness over the ferryman’s friendship and kindness. He is like Govinda, he thought as he smiled. Everyone I meet on my way is like Govinda. They are all grateful, although they themselves are due the gratitude. All of them treat me with deference; they would all be happy to be my friend, they would be glad to obey me without having to think too much. People are children.” (Hesse 40). In this passage, it is easy to sense Siddhartha’s arrogance and righteousness. It’s the use of the word “obey” that conveys this the most. It gives the sense that everyone around him believes that he is someone greater, someone to be followed and someone to obey and listen to. It makes him seem like he’s above everyone else. It’s also ironic because he compares the ferryman to Govinda. He’s using Govinda as an example of someone lesser than him yet in the last chapter, Govinda leaving him left him with a sense of loneliness that he’s never felt before. It’s also ironic in the sense that he refers to the ferryman as one of the child people. It’s ironic because later in the book, it’s revealed that the ferryman is more enlightened than Siddhartha, and that Siddhartha actually learns more from him and the river than he thought. It’s also ironic because while he’s calling the ferryman one of the child people, he will go on to become a child person for years to come.
I agree with what you say about this passage. Siddhartha continues to look down on everyone he meets, and in this passage he compares the ferryman to Govinda. I agree with you when you say that leaving Govinda left Siddhartha with a sense of loneliness. I also found it interesting and ironic that SIddhartha saw the ferryman as "lesser", however later in the story, Siddhartha learns more from the ferryman. I am not surprised by this however, because throughout the whole story, Siddhartha always seems open to learn from anyone. The point you made about Siddhartha being a child person for years to come, was interesting to me, because I had not thought about it that way. Although Siddhartha does change for the worse, I would not have described him as becoming a "child person", however, now that you mention it, i do see that.
In the chapter Kamala, Siddhartha begins to look at the world in the different way. In this chapter he explores his sensual feelings and desires. The chapter begins with a vivid explanation of his surroundings. What Siddhartha used to look past, now he indulges in the beauty of. He acknowledges his feelings and desires and acts upon them unlike the suggestions from his past teachers. Hesse uses the word “distrust” when describing Siddhartha's former view of the world around him. He constantly refers to being like a child referencing the innocence of the new Siddhartha, yet his lust shows different. “Siddhartha also felt longing and felt his sexuality stir, but since he had never yet touched a women, he hesitated a moment, just as his hands were reaching out to take hold of her. And in this moment, with a shudder he heard his inner voice saying no. All the magic vanished from the smiling face of the young woman. All he he now saw was the moist gaze of a rutting female animal” (Hesse 41). It is interesting that he pursued Kamala with full force and then suddenly changed his mind and feelings toward her. His lust lead him to a point he had never been and then he suddenly abandoned her. His exploration of this new relationship possibly caused him to doubt himself. The inner voice came from a place of fear, which he had never experienced. In this chapter he also begins to be self conscious, “He felt drawn to enter the groove immediately, but he reconsidered and for the first time he became aware of how the servants and maids at the entrance had looked at him, how disdainfully, with what suspicion, what rejection” (42). As Siddhartha expands his views he exposes himself to the different attributes of society. This later causes him to be materialistic.
I agree that siddhartha was seeing the world with knew eyes. He started to notice all the "beautiful" things in the world he had never seen before but were always their. another good quote from that part of the book is the list of things he started to see differently "Trees, stars, animals, clouds, rainbows, rocks, herbs, flowers, brooks...." (Hesse 43) the author tends to list things a lot in this book I think it is to add enfisous on how Siddhartha is feeling.
In the chapter Kamala Siddhartha tells Kamala that “I knew that you would help me. I knew it the moment you looked at me by the entrance to the grove” (hesse 56). Siddhartha seemed very sure of himself, like he didn’t have a doubt in the world that Kamala would give him what he wanted. This statement makes Siddhartha seem rude and disrespectful he was relying on Kamala to teach him what he needed to know but still acted this way. In the chapter Among the child people siddhartha’s mood was described as “like a juggler juggling his balls, he played with his business, with the people around him, watched them, enjoyed them; but he never participated with his heart, with the wellspring of his being (hesse 63-64). Seeing how Siddhartha was not happy with how he was living his life not being able to reach the goal he started out with makes the reader think that Siddhartha made a mistake, and was hiding that mistake with his false happiness.
In chapters 5 and 6, the comparison of a child to Siddhartha were brought up many times. When a child is used as a comparison, it is because the author is comparing the innocence and ignorance of a child to what they are talking about. In Kamala, the word ‘child’ is used in the quote, “The world was beautiful when one just looked at it without looking for anything, just simply, as a child.” (Hesse 38) This quote took place when Siddhartha was admiring the things surrounding him. He was calm and collected and was looking at the world through a “fresh set of eyes” like a child would. Children don’t see the the harsh reality of the world making them ignorant and innocent like Siddhartha was during his time of awakening. The word ‘child’ was also used on the same page in the quote, “It was sweet and beautiful to walk through the world in this way, so like a child, so awake, so open to whatever lay at hand, so without suspicion.” (38) This quote talks about the idea that children don’t have any prejudices like adults do. They are open to do whatever it is that they are faced with and they don’t let anything stop them from doing or saying what they want. Siddhartha, in his time of awakening, was being compared to a child who was experiencing new and exciting things in life. He was experiencing a new state of mind and wasn’t going to let anything stop him from doing so. In the next chapter, Among The Child People, the child comparison is used when Siddhartha was talking about love to Kamala in the quote, “People of our type are perhaps incapable of love. The child people are capable of it; that is their secret.” (58) This goes back to children not having any form of prejudices and don’t have any reason not to love something. “The child people” are those who are ignorant to the world and what it has to offer and Siddhartha was comparing himself to the opposite of that. That being said, it goes against what he was being compared to in the previous chapter.
It's interesting how you have compared a child to Siddhartha during his journey instead of before or after. To add to your analysis, children are, like you said, considered innocent and in regards to the Buddhism and Hinduism idea of karma, it would allow children to be "free" of bad karma. Siddhartha could be striving for this along with finding his innermost self, and by confronting his negative traits such as his ego, he could balance his good and bad and become innocent like a child. Seeing the world through the mind of a child would help Siddhartha question and perceive the world differently, aiding him in his path towards awakening.
After rereading the beginning of part two of Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse, I came across the quote “He saw trees, stars, animals, clouds, rainbows, rocks, herbs, flowers, brooks, and rivers,...” (43). I believe that Hesse decides to explain every little detail going on around to show that Siddhartha was not able to see the world’s beauty until now. He chose to list these things to show that life for Siddhartha has changed and how this happened. Hesse states, “It was beautiful and delightful to go through the world like this, so childlike, so awake, so open to what was near, so without trust” (43). I thought that it was ironic that Hesse started describing Siddhartha’s situation as innocent and childlike before he meets Kamala. Once Siddhartha meets Kamala he then has to completely force himself into the materialistic world in order to earn her “love” thus taking away the hint of innocence that Siddhartha once had. I found it odd that Hesse decided to show that Siddhartha was reborn when he decided to become interested in more materialistic things. I personally did not think that that would be the part of the book where things would begin to change for him and the story would begin to go down a different path. This part of the story reminded me of the way things are in real life and that people start off somewhat innocent just to get corrupted by things like lust. Once people start to become infatuated with being successful they start to lose who they are and go off the path they wanted to be one, which also happened to Siddhartha.
I agree with what you said about how Hesse decided to describe how Siddhartha saw the world after govinda left him being a little weird. I would not think giving up on three years of your life being a samana for lust would make him see things as beautiful. I also agree with your statement that you can see things like the innocent being corupted in real life I mean you see it twitch celebrities all the time after they have been famous for a while eventually start changing their personalities.
In the chapter “Kamala,” Siddhartha’s abandonment of the shramana lifestyle after meeting Kamala is foreshadowed through references to him as the brahmin that he was before becoming an ascetic. “You saw Siddhartha the brahmin’s son, who left his home to become shramana…” (Hesse 43) Siddhartha says to Kamala, explaining how he got here. There was, of course, no way that Kamala would have known that the ascetic in front of her was of a brahmin family, but Siddhartha was not only using this to explain his life story to her, but figuratively referring to their first meeting when Kamala stopped to approach him despite his appearance. He tells her that she had seen him as “the brahmin’s son,” as if seeing potential in his personality and manner of speech was equivalent to seeing his true value as a rich prince. Later, Kamala ends their second meeting by ordering a maid to “give the pious brahmin a white outer robe” (47) and drive him out of the grove. The use of this epithet, which no longer identifies Siddhartha as a shramana but as the brahmin that he used to be, marks his transformation from his rejection of luxury to an active search of it. Sure enough, the last time he ever begged for food, he threw that food to a dog and “pride flared up suddenly within him.” (47) He had set his heart on becoming rich again to be with Kamala.
I agree with your analysis of this passage. There are many things you pointed out that I had not noticed earlier when reading it. For example, I had not realized that his meeting with Kamala could foreshadow his abandonment of being a shramana. I agree with you about Kamala giving calling him a brahmin and giving him a white robe marking his transition to a life of searching for luxury. To add onto your analysis, Kamala could be seen as a controlling partner or a very bad influence on his life, because of how she changes Siddhartha's life for the worse. However, to Siddhartha, he was blinded for his desire for Kamala.
“Now and then he sensed, deep in his breast, a faint, moribund voice, which faintly warned, softly complained…”. In the chapter Among the Child People, Siddhartha begins to end his time with Kamala and Kamaswami, and this passage is his realization that he needs to do so. Siddhartha becomes unhappy when he discovers that his life has been consumed by love, work, and wealth. Hesse uses thoughtful and almost psychological language such as “real life was passing him by without touching him,” to re-establish Siddhartha’s inquisitive mind and how it needs to be constantly challenged or else he will feel he is wasting time (Hesse 56). It is also shown in “But he was not present to all this with his heart, with the wellspring of his being,” which describes how Siddhartha was simply going through the motions of living without fully perceiving them (56). His mind “complained” about the state of his life and how he needs spiritual complexity which he was not receiving from Kamala nor Kamaswami. Siddhartha is an observer and an outcast to society, looking upon the simple-minded as he struggles to find his way through a world where no one can truly understand him. Because of this, Siddhartha has to leave for his own sake and continue on his journey towards finding his inner self. Staying with them would have secured him a prosperous future, but Siddhartha needed the unknown because that is where his journey would end.
I agree with your analysis of these quotes describing Siddhartha's feelings towards the outside world, especially your selection of the quote "real life was passing him by without touching him." It almost parallels his feelings towards the beginning of the story in "Awakening," where it says "for years he had been homeless and not felt it" (Hesse 33). That sense of loneliness when he realized that he was alone in his journey is very much reflected in both scenes. However, this time, he feels a kind of contempt towards the outside world that had been created by his realization that he had fallen prey to materialism.
I agree with you Siddhartha does need the unknown in his life because without it he's jurney would be over. I never put it together that Siddhartha was leaving different things in his life because they got to easy for him and their was no more challenges or unknown things to uncover. Thinking about it know I see how you can connect that theme to many decisions Siddhartha has made in the book. Like when he left the Samanas to find himself.
In the previous chapter, Hesse used cold, dark and depressing diction to describe Siddhartha's loneliness. The chapter ended with Siddhartha walking away from his old life into a whole new world to him. I find it interesting, that his journey in the chapter Kamala, begins with happiness, compared to the last chapter in which it ended with sadness. It is an interesting contrast, and Hesse shows this through phrases like "He saw the sun rise", "He saw the stars" and "birds and bees sang their songs" (37). A few chapters later on page 39, Siddhartha has a dream about Govinda being a woman. He says that the woman "made one drunk and unaware" (39). This dream foreshadows Siddhartha's encounter with Kamala, and also foreshadows his addiction to gambling. In the next chapter, when Siddhartha meets Kamaswami, Hesse says "Master and guest greeted each other" (50). After reading this line, it reminded me of Siddhartha and Govinda's relationship. Siddhartha was the master while Govinda was someone who was lesser than Siddhartha. Now, in the big city, Siddhartha was no longer the master. Kamaswami first viewed Siddhartha as useless, however when he discovered that Siddhartha could read and write, he found use in him. This could be compared to Siddhartha and Govinda's relationship. Siddhartha leaves Govinda to go on his own path, however soon after leaving behind everything and everyone, Siddhartha realizes how lonely he is, and how much he misses Govinda. To Siddhartha, it seems that Govinda's "use" is to keep him company.
In the chapter Samsara, Siddhartha began to realize his faults and that he was going down the wrong path in the world. This relates to my last blog post because it once again speaks about how Siddhartha was better off without the Samanas and with Kamaswami and Kamala, “his senses, which he had deadened in his ardent samana years, had reawakened” (67). Many would perceive this situation as something that was good for Siddhartha, because he needed to begin to feel things instead of purposely emptying himself. This happens to play itself out as negative when Siddhartha begins to have a gambling problem, “he gambled out of his heart's distress; losing and squandering the filthy lucre brought him an angry joy” (70). The fact that gambling and losing made him laugh but also get upset reminded me of how it was for him in the real world and that losing himself upset him but he still found joy in it because he got to do other things he “ enjoyed”. The di themselves represent loss of humanity for him and loss of what the samanas once taught him.
Another quote that stood out to me in this chapter was, “a new garment grows old with time, loses its lovely color with time, gets stains, gets wrinkles, frays out at the hems, and starts showing awkward, threadbare areas” (69). This garment Hesse was talking about relates back to when Siddhartha shed his clothes and gave them to a poor person on the street when he decided to leave his family. When he shed that garment he was satisfied looking for a new life for him, but as time went on it did not turn out to be all he wanted it to be. The “garment” represents Siddhartha’s life and how it was once new and nice but now it has grown out.
In the chapter samsara Siddhartha described his fading spirit as “like a veil,like a thin mist, weariness descended on Siddhartha, slowly, a bit denser each day, a bit dimmer each month, a bit heavier each year” (Hesse 69). By using the words like veil, mist, weariness and slowly Hesse gives this chapter a sad even depressing feel. Seeing how Siddhartha changes everything about himself for the purpose of his mission in life, makes me realize that he does this every time he changes his life decision. Siddhartha may flip flop a lot on what he wants to do with his life but when he decides to do something he commits and gives it his all. For example when he became a samana he commuted three years of his life to this never straying from this path until he realized that this was not what he wanted to do in life anymore. In chapter by the river Siddhartha tells him self to “ let the fish and the crocodiles eat him, let the demons dismember him” ( Hesse 78) Siddhartha clearly is upset with the decisions he's made and wants to die because of this. I have noticed that whenever Siddhartha gets in a bad situation or believes he is in a bad situation he reacts drastically making decisions that could change his life forever like in this instance death. Noticing this tells me Siddhartha is more fragile than I once thought at the begging of the book.
Siddhartha, by the beginning of the eighth chapter, has gone through samsara living life with Kamiswami and Kamala, and now has nothing. He feels as though his life might as well be over, until he falls asleep under a coconut tree and wakes up feeling reborn. He wakes up to the sound of rushing river, which brings the return of the water motif. The contrast between the way he saw the river before this moment and after is best expressed in his actions towards it. When he first saw the river after leaving the city, “[h]is face contorted, and he stared into the water. He saw the reflection of his face and spat at it” (Hesse 69). If his current emotions weren’t clear enough by these actions, the connotation of the words “contorted” and “spat” accentuate them. After his awakening (physically and spiritually), “his eyes fell on the river, and he saw the river was … singing happily as it did. He liked that a lot. He gave the river a friendly smile” (75). The personification of the river, and the repitition of the short “i” phonetic in “singing,” “happily,” “friendly,” and of course, “river” contributes to a light tone. There is also a contrast in the way both instances describe Siddhartha looking at the river, with “eyes fell on the river” carrying a different connotation than “stared into the water.” In these ways, the narration emphasizes how much Siddhartha’s sleep and awakening has changed his worldview.
I like your comparative analysis of Siddhartha's changed views of the river before and after his awakening. It's interesting how negative he was towards the simplest aspects of life, people, and especially himself, before he controlled his ego and attained awakening. Instead of staying "alone and destitute, like a shipwreck victim cast up on the shore," Siddhartha was able to use the river as a tool to reach enlightenment, along with the help of Vasudeva, instead of disregarding all hope and remaining on the "shore" until death would end his problems (Hesse 65).
In the chapter The Ferryman, Siddhartha begins to question time and how all of the experiences he has had were not meaningless, but that when culminated were all a piece of his learning. Being with Vasudeva and the river has allowed Siddhartha to look back upon his life with wisdom, reaching the same calm and thoughtful mindset which Vasudeva attains. Siddhartha connects to the reader by asking “Was not all suffering time, was not all self-torment and fearfulness time?” which gives hope to himself and the reader that all moments are worth something and a lesson can be learned from any experience (Hesse 84). Society is full of stress and the constant need for more time, but Siddhartha inquires through the alliteration “the world overcome and over with once one had overcome time, had been able to rid oneself of the notion of time?” and suggests time being a falsity in reality where once you disregard the idea of time, the world will cease being a weight upon your shoulders (84). Accepting the idea of no time, Siddhartha speaks with “rapture”, or joy and ecstasy (84). When Siddhartha was following the ways of the shramanas, he discarded all emotion, and now he is regaining emotions as he throws away unnecessary worries that had been crowding his mind. Vasudeva is his mentor through the transition, acting like a father with his son as he guides Siddhartha on his path towards awakening where Vasudeva waits at the end. With the aid of Vasudeva, Siddhartha questions the world more than ever before and starts to dismiss unneeded pressures that hinder the rest of society from reaching enlightenment.
I agree with your thought of Vasudeva helping Siddhartha find himself. I would also add that the river has done something to help Siddhartha as it did Vasudeva. The river allowed SIddhartha to find something that he was lacking for a long time, the ability to love. With this weight being lifted from his shoulders, he is now able to experience love with more people than Gotama and Kamala. He now feels it with both Govinda and Vasudeva. Once Kamala comes back in the end of The Ferryman, Siddhartha's love for he seemed to grow into something that he has never felt before considering that he was willing to father a child that he has never met before. Knowing how Siddhartha used to be, I feel like he wouldn't do something like that even if it was his won son because he would use the excuse that he doesn't know how to love.
In both By The River and The Ferryman the idea of love is brought back up. Siddhartha used to say that he was incapable of love. But now, after the journey he has gone through, his thoughts on love have changed. When talking to Govinda in the chapter By The River he brings up the idea that he still loves Govinda in the quote, “Siddhartha looked after him, a smile on his face. He still loved him, this loyal, fearful person. And how would it have been possible not to love anybody or anything at this moment…” (Hesse 73) When Siddhartha says that he still loves him, this is the first time that he has ever mentioned the idea of love towards Govinda. Before, he only mentioned it when talking about Gotama and Kamala. After his second awakening after his suicide attempt, he realizes that there is more to life and that he shouldn’t fall down the hole of death. Love has been a tough subject for Siddhartha to talk about let alone feel so when the author says, “...the magic that had been worked on him by OM during his sleep, that he loved everything, that he was filled with joyous love of everything he saw. And precisely that was the reason, so it seemed to him now, that he had been so very sick before, because he had been unable to love anything or anyone,” (74) it proves that Siddhartha isn’t afraid of love anymore. In fact, it seems like him not being able to love anything was what was stopping him from reaching happiness and fulfillment.
In the chapter By The River, Siddhartha's perspective once again changes. In contemplating death he connect with the sacred word OM. He has heard this word many times previously in his life, but he never fully understood the meaning of the word. While he knew the literal meaning, which is perfection or fulfillment, he did not truly believe in it or understand what it meant when applying it to his life. In the beginning of his life he was seeking the knowledge from teachers and for him he could not absorb their teachings. He left each teacher with a sense of entitlement and ego. Now he can recognize the brilliance of things he has heard all his life because he experienced it through feelings. For Siddhartha personally he had to reach rock bottom the achieve the happiness he was searching for. It correlates with the famous saying that you have to reach the lowest of lows to reach the highest of highs. “...a thinking of OM, a submersion and total entry into OM, into the nameless, the perfect (Hesse 71). Another indicator of complete transformation is when Govinda does not recognize Siddhartha while Siddhartha recognizes him. When Govinda starts to leave Siddhartha uses his name and Govinda reacts with excitement, “‘You are Siddhartha!’ Govinda loudly exclaimed. ‘Now I recognized you and cannot understand how I could have failed to recognize you right away’” (72). This represents that Siddhartha in a sense has been reborn. On the other hand Govinda is still the same monk that Siddhartha left many years ago.
I agree with your analysis. As I was reading the chapter, I also agreed with the connection you made about Siddhartha's rebirth, compared to Govinda staying the same. The changes and realizations Siddhartha has made throughout his journey has helped me, and most likely many other readers, finally connect with Siddhartha. Now, I do not view Siddhartha as the same man as before, when he saw himself as better than everyone else. I view him as someone who has gone through a lot, to finally achieve his goals.
In the chapter The Ferryman, a passage near the beginning of the chapter struck me as very interesting. In a previous chapter, Siddhartha had looked down on Vasudeva. He compared Vasudeva to Govinda, viewing everyone as Govinda. He said that everyone would "obey" (40) him. Siddhartha also said that people were children. Now, at Siddhartha's lowest point in his life, he has love for Vasudeva. Words like "gratitude", "love" and "offered" (81) show the extent of Siddhartha's change of heart. A few pages later, Kamala and her son, are reunited with Siddhartha. It is ironic how Kamala seemed to be a poison in Siddhartha's life, and now she dies from poison. Kamala was bitten by a snake, which previously symbolized Siddhartha leaving behind his past, now symbolized death. It is interesting how Siddhartha was making a fire when the dying Kamala was brought into the hut. Fire is often associated with life, and rebirth, however it seemed awkward to have this symbol at this moment of death. When Siddhartha first sees his son, he is brought back to a time when he was a child. The prayers he learned as a child seemed to be relaxing, and helped the boy calm down, however his son becomes a burden later in the story.
In the chapter the om Siddhartha was very sad wanting to see his son and the town he once lived in. All this frustration inside of him led him to Vasudeva the ferryman. Siddhartha confessed all his feelings to Vasudeva letting him listen and soak up all this knowledge about Siddhartha. Siddhartha described him as “absorbing his confession like a tree absorbs rain” (Hesse 116). This simile makes the reader see Vasudeva how much he compares to a tree, for example the phrase old and wise. Trees are often used to compare something wise,patient, and caring. Looking back at Siddhartha’s journey I can now see that it was leading him to vasudeva so he could master what he has spent his life trying to master the art of listening. Siddhartha never stopped to listen to anyone but himself. All the loved ones in his life let him do what he wanted to do they never would be heard by Siddhartha because he was to concerned about himself. Sidhartha could never reach nirvana because he was refraining to do what was needed out of his own selfishness listen to others.
“‘When someone seeks,’ said Siddhartha, ‘it can easily happen that his eyes only see the thing he is seeking and that he is incapable of finding anything, incapable of taking anything in, because he is always only thinking about what he is seeking, because he has an object, a goal, because he is possessed by this goal. Seeking means having a goal but finding means being free, open, having no goal. Perhaps you, venerable one, are indeed a seeker, for in striving after your goal, there is much you fail to see that is right before your eyes.’” (Hesse 108)
In these last chapters of Siddhartha, we get to witness him reach enlightenment and become the new Buddha. When Govinda meets Siddhartha again while crossing the river, this idea of seeking is brought up and how Govinda never stops seeking. In the quote, “You too, as it seems to me, have also been a seeker. Will you not tell me something about it, your reverence?” (108), Govinda asks Siddhartha, without knowing it was him, about his life when it came to seeking. Siddhartha’s response was the passage above. What I got out of this passage was that everyone has goals and they are always finding or seeking ways to achieve those goals. But some people don’t realize that sometimes you just need to stop, take a look around you, and think because the answers or solutions to your goals could be right in front of you. For Siddhartha, these answers came from his son and the river. Without Vasudeva, I don’t think Siddhartha would be in the place that he is. Vasudeva played a key role in helping Siddhartha find enlightenment not through teaching or seeking, but through stopping and listening to the things around him.
As I reread the chapter OM, I came to the realization that there is an important parallel with Siddhartha and Hesse that I failed to recognize before. During Hesse’s lifetime he remarried multiple times, which corresponds to Siddhartha's inability to love Kamala. Another similarity that was presented in this chapter is their separation from their children and the hardships that follow. Although in Hesse’s case he gave his boys to a friend and then moved away. It is interesting how in the book, Siddhartha cares a great deal for a child that he has to give up. In the novel, Siddhartha is nearly forced to separate from the child he loves, which might root from Hesse’s attempt at justifying leaving his kids and his guilt. “But the wound still burned. Passionately and bitterly, Siddhartha dwelled on his son, nurtured the love and tenderness in his heart, let the pain of it consume him, indulged in all the foolishness of love. This was not a flame that went out by itself” ( Hesse 102). In the novel Siddhartha goes into a depression multiple times and at one point takes into consideration taking his life. When Siddhartha has to let his son go it is the most discussed, time consuming hardship that he goes through.This could be a result of Hesse’s decision to leave his sons behind and his emotions that still dwell inside. Another reason it is part of his guilt is because he states in the novel, “was it not comical, a strange stupid thing, this repetition, this movement in the same fateful circles” (102). He justifies it as a way of life and inevitable suffering.As I reread the chapter OM, I came to the realization that there is an important parallel with Siddhartha and Hesse that I failed to recognize before. During Hesse’s lifetime he remarried multiple times, which corresponds to Siddhartha's inability to love Kamala. Another similarity that was presented in this chapter is their separation from their children and the hardships that follow. Although in Hesse’s case he gave his boys to a friend and then moved away. It is interesting how in the book, Siddhartha cares a great deal for a child that he has to give up. In the novel, Siddhartha is nearly forced to separate from the child he loves, which might root from Hesse’s attempt at justifying leaving his kids and his guilt. “But the wound still burned. Passionately and bitterly, Siddhartha dwelled on his son, nurtured the love and tenderness in his heart, let the pain of it consume him, indulged in all the foolishness of love. This was not a flame that went out by itself” ( Hesse 102). In the novel Siddhartha goes into a depression multiple times and at one point takes into consideration taking his life. When Siddhartha has to let his son go it is the most discussed, time consuming hardship that he goes through.This could be a result of Hesse’s decision to leave his sons behind and his emotions that still dwell inside. Another reason it is part of his guilt is because he states in the novel, “was it not comical, a strange stupid thing, this repetition, this movement in the same fateful circles” (102). He justifies it as a way of life and inevitable suffering.
Continuing from my last blog, the language used in the description of the river in the chapter “The Ferryman” also communicate and emphasize Siddhartha’s love and spiritual respect for it. The poetic cadence of the text, a characteristic of the novel, returns in the beginning of the chapter in two places: “How he loved this river, how it charmed him, how grateful he was to it!” (Hesse 79) and “He saw that the river flowed and flowed, flowed ever onward” (80). In both instances, the repetition creates a rhythm like flowing water or emotion. The consonance in words like “flowed,” “translucent” “crystalline lines,” and “still” also contributes to the tone of tranquility and “flow.” The passage primarily utilizes these devices, as well as specific word choice, to serve as imagery describing the river and the way it reflects Siddhartha’s thoughts. Hesse’s purpose here is to open the chapter with a kind of optimism, to show that Siddhartha had discovered something new within himself and that this change will be for the better. Meeting the river again was a symbolic vessel for this self discovery. At the very end of the introductory passage, Siddhartha wonders, “if one could grasp that, understand that! He did not understand or grasp it, felt only an inkling stir, a distant memory, divine voices.” The diction in the last sentence intrigued me, as the words that describe what Siddhartha felt seem non sequitur— yet, the dreamy tone that these words carry left a strong impact, and this tone was what drew me to the beginning part of this chapter.
Your analysis on the poetic rhythm of the chapter is very interesting and it connects well with Hesse's common repetition to mimic meditation, only here it is imitating the river. When Siddhartha begins to basically live with the river, the tone becomes melodic and calm to represent the smooth movement of the water as well as Siddhartha's changed state of mind where he discards worry and the obsession with time. You describe it as a dreamy tone which reminds me of how Siddhartha's dreams always foreshadow an event, but since he is "living" in the dream, he has reached his own nirvana where reality is no longer a weight upon his shoulders.
In the chapter By the River, Hesse describes the river as enchanting, and he falls in love with it and it's beauty. At first Siddhartha thinks everything about the water is great and hopeful, which relates back to the theme of water that has been brought up multiple times throughout the book. “The river gazed at him with a thousand eyes-green, white, crystal, sky blue. How he loved this river, how it enchanted him, how grateful he was to it! In his heart he heard the newly awakened voice speak, and it said to him: “Love this river, stay by it, learn from it.” Yes, he wanted to learn from it, he wanted to listen to it” (89). This is also similar to how Siddhartha felt about Kamala when he first met her. Siddhartha fell in “love” with Kamala and she intrigued him in the beginning until it eventually did not work out. In the chapter the son, Hesse ties in the symbol of water again, but this time it is somewhat negative. Hesse makes the water represent something that mocks you and makes fun of you, “but the river laughs, it laughs at me, it laughs at me and you, and it shakes with laughter at our folly” (104). The word folly means foolishness, which means that the river was mocking Siddhartha in a way and making it seem like everything he once thought about love and the world was foolish. This relates back to his experience with Kamala because he also learned that he was incapable of loving her and that in the end nothing works out. Both the water and Kamala are things Siddhartha both fell in love with and despised and they represent love and loss in Siddhartha’s life, which are both themes that are represented throughout the story.
In the chapter Govinda, Siddhartha and Govinda finally reunite and Siddhartha is able to display his wisdom from awakening. After being a shramana, meeting Gotama, staying with Kamala, and living with the river, Siddhartha has learned that “Wisdom is not expressible,” and that when he thought an experience was worthless it instead held a much greater meaning (Hesse 110). Finding that meaning takes time, and once Siddhartha realized that there is no need for him to rush since time is irrelevant, he was able to look back upon his many experiences, like an adult looks back at their younger self. Siddhartha’s entire journey has been towards awakening, but he expresses to Govinda that “Never is a person or an act wholly samara or wholly nirvana,” and how Siddhartha is more content and wise knowing that he can never reach enlightenment (110). Govinda’s and Siddhartha’s personalities clash especially since Govinda “will never stop seeking,” while Siddhartha does not care about attaining a certain goal, he does not “care” but instead accepts aspects of life (108). Trying to follow objective after objective only transforms a person into an obsessed seeker who needs reassurance that they have fully completed a task instead of being thankful for life’s opportunities and the little teachings they learn along the way. Many people want a result and care more about the product versus the system. By not worrying about an outcome, Siddhartha focuses on the “now” and understands that wisdom is not something that you learn but a trait that you gain. Wisdom allows a person to fully recognize themselves and accept every flaw, and becomes “just as a person will sometimes feel the life in his heart,” (109). Wisdom is the underlying heartbeat of your spirit. It will always be a part of a person and can easily be overpowered by worries, stress, and anger. Siddhartha’s wisdom is finally larger than his ego, and once Govinda acknowledges that, he accepts the fact that Siddhartha was destined to be different and he was destined to a seeker.
I agree with you analysis of wisdom with Siddhartha. This idea of always seeking can be dangerous in this book when it comes to reaching enlightenment and this is shown through Govinda. Govinda has been seeking his entire life and once he meets someone who doesn't seek, he realizes that that's not the way to achieve enlightenment. The only way to achieve it is through experiences whether they be good or bad. Siddhartha wouldn't be the person he is at the end of the book without him meeting Kamala or him becoming a rich merchant. It proves that everyone learns through different experiences and that you can't necessarily look for what you want and rather live and have what you want eventually come to you.
“A feeling of most profound love and most humble veneration burned like a fire in his heart. He bowed low, down to the ground, before the motionless, sitting figure whose smile reminded him of everything he had ever loved in his life, of everything in his life that had ever been worthy and sacred for him.” (Hesse 117). I think that the last passage of a book is always very important to the overall story and the fact that Hesse decided to end the story on Govinda’s thoughts is intriguing. Not only is it interesting because it’s from Govinda’s point of view but also because it brings back the motif of love and sacredness, ideas that are ever-changing throughout the book. Love has been one of the things that represents Siddhartha’s changes the most. His belief of love has changed from thinking that it’s something meant for the child people, to something that was worthy of admiration, something that made people better, and then back again. It’s interesting how Siddhartha’s and Govinda’s relationship has progressed through the book. In a way it has also come full circle. In the beginning, it starts out with Siddhartha not believing that he loves Govinda but seeing him as more of a follower, similar to a little brother. Then it changes to admiration and appreciation, yet also with a lasting feeling of mockery, when Govinda decides to leave to follow Gotama. Then eventually it goes back to love in the last chapter. Govinda has gone through a similar cycle. Love and admiration, separation, and then back to love.
In the chapter "om", Siddhartha is crushed with the recent event of his son leaving. Eventually, he decides to go find him, and as he climbed out of his boat to go to the city, he noticed the river was laughing. In this paragraph, Siddhartha begins to feel hope. Hesse creates this tone of hope by having Siddhartha question his past actions and results of his actions. It is as if a person was contemplating life, and beginning to make an important decision in their lives. As Siddhartha recalls his father, and thinks about how his father must have felt when Siddhartha left him, Siddhartha seems to become wiser. This can be seen when "Siddhartha got back in the boat and rowed back to the hut" (Hesse 102). When he is back in the hut, Siddhartha opens up to Vasudeva. A few paragraphs later, Siddhartha began to view Vasudeva as a God. Words such as "eternal" and "wondrous" (103) shows that Siddhartha is one step closer to enlightenment. I found it interesting, that once again, a good thing that occurs in Siddhartha's journey, happens without him trying to find it. It is always a happy accident. A few paragraphs later, Vasudeva brings Siddhartha to listen to the river. "Siddhartha listened" (105) to the river, once again like the student he has been throughout the book. The river symbolizing unity, helps Siddhartha realize that everything is unified. At the end of the chapter, Siddhartha understands the river. Vasudeva leaves Siddhartha, "full of light" (106). Vasudeva had achieved enlightenment.
In the second chapter of Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, Siddhartha seems to be torturing himself to achieve his goal of becoming "empty" (Hesse 12). Hesse's repetition of the word "empty" makes the reader feel hopelessness. "Empty" could also foreshadow Siddhartha's future journeys. In the next paragraph, Siddhartha is just standing and enduring the seasons as they pass. Words like "pain", "thirst", "blood" and "burning flesh" (12) are chosen for this passage to once again to create an image in the reader's mind of Siddhartha's determination, and Siddhartha enduring the pain. Seasons and weather matter in literature. When Siddhartha endures the blazing sun, the rainy season and freezing temperatures, his life seems to be difficult. When Siddhartha "learned to stop breathing" (12), it makes him seem very powerful. Breathing is the most important part of living, and Siddhartha learned to control how little he needs to breath. Hesse uses depressing diction such as "carcass", "dead", "skeleton", and "rotten" (13) to create a depressing and dark tone, which foreshadows Siddhartha's life. Siddhartha asks a lot of questions, asking multiple "What is" (14) questions. The repetition of these questions makes Siddhartha a student, rather than a teacher, and although he is known to have lots of knowledge, he continues to be the student asking questions. After Siddhartha and Govinda told the eldest shramana their intent to leave, he calls him an "old man" (19). This seems disrespectful, as if he does not care what the shramana thinks.
ReplyDeleteYour analyses on how Siddhartha learning how to control his breathing is really interesting. I agree that Siddhartha seems disrespectful towards the shramana.
DeleteI agree! Why do you think he does that? Also, what does it do for the reader?
ReplyDeleteMs. Ballard
In the second chapter of Siddhartha after Govinda decides to stay with Gautama Siddhartha meets a ferry man after he wakes from a dream about Govinda. Siddhartha has a small chat with the man and is surprised by the ferry man saying "and I expect no fare from you and no gift. You you will give me the gift another time" (Hesse 46) The author foreshadows the importance the ferry man plays later in the book.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter one Siddhartha asks his father for permission to leave so he could reach nirvana through becoming a samana, when his father tells him no he stands there until his father has no choice but to say yes. Siddhartha again does a similar thing when he wants to leave the samanas by giving his elder samana a soul bound stare. Stubbornness is a theme in this book when it comes to Siddhartha showing that he needs to learn patience. Siddhartha seems to be rude and acts like he is above others when he believes he has learned all he can from them or if he can’t learn anything from them at all.
You make a very good point about Siddhartha and his stubbornness. However I would like to argue that Siddhartha did not feel content with the way his destiny was carving a path for him that he did not choose to have. He felt as if he wasn’t complete and he needed something to provide him with this last piece and he needed to go on a journey to become a samana to finally find that last piece. All of us at one point in our lives don’t feel complete and he is feeling that at the beginning of this book.
DeleteI agree to your statement that Siddhartha needs to learn to be patient. I think that there is a negative connotation with the word stubborn. In Siddhartha's life in order to evolve he needed to be relentless and follow his own path. Siddhartha doesn't want to follow the beaten path and therefore has to venture away from the path that Govind chooses. I do agree that in the beginning of the book he is very arrogant in the way he expresses his frustrations. It is not that he has learned all he can from them, but that he has to find knowledge elsewhere and find himself before he can wholeheartedly accept the teachings of others.
DeleteI agree that Siddhartha is somewhat stubborn, but I do not believe that is the best word that could have been used to describe him. The word stubborn is often considered negative and what Siddhartha is doing is not negative. Siddhartha is making a stand to become happy with the way his life was and that the path he was on in the beginning of the book was not fulfilling. I do not agree that Siddhartha believes he is better than others when he is done learning from them, I think he moves on because he has nothing more he can get out of them. I also had a different reaction to this passage. I think that this passage is foreshadowing that Siddhartha will become a person with great significance in the world and that's why the ferry man was okay with him not paying his fare.
DeleteIn the second chapter of Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, the reader is greeted by a stark display of what the life of a shramana is like. Describing the shramanas in a choppy, harsh manner allows the reader to feel horrified and simultaneously empathetic towards their way of life and foreshadows how Siddhartha’s journey to becoming enlightened with not be easy. One way Hesse achieves this is through dark diction that references the process of death, such as “The flesh fell away”, “dilated eyes”, and “shriveled fingers”, all of which give the reader a picture of a man that is decaying rather than living (Hesse 11). To emphasize the aspect, brief and short syntax is used to mimic the fleeting days before death where a person’s time is running out and where everything seems to be rushing to meet their end. People often see the dying as unnecessary weights on the world’s shoulders, and Hesse hints at this with the simile “His eyes became hard as iron,” representing Siddhartha as a heavy burden upon himself, and one without emotion in his physical features (11). Emotions are another burden of life, and the shramanas find it easier to discard them so they can live more simply. By going through the process of death, Siddhartha experiences life’s suffering and realizes, in the personification “The taste of the world was bitter”, that to truly live one must find pain and collapse under the weight of life (12). Only then can they rise to enlightenment, seeing how happiness and torment depend upon each other and that to understand living you must understand dying.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis of the life of the shramanas and death are very interesting. I agree that to understand life, you must first know death, and vice versa. It reminded me that everything is relative to its opposite; we can’t know what feeling happy is like unless we’ve known what sadness feels like. I think that in his journey with the shramanas taught him of death, and the emotions (or lack of) that Siddhartha experienced helped give him balance in his life long after leaving them. After all, when he lived with Kamala and lived a life of lust, romance, and riches, he was reminded of his previous nomadic life. He realized he couldn’t live a life of just extreme happiness or extreme melancholy, he needed a little bit of both.
DeleteIn a way, Hesse is using this diction to make the reader feel like the original Siddhartha, exposed to death and suffering for the first time. What this novel seems particularly good at doing is taking the reader through each phase of Siddhartha's development through Siddhartha's eyes, meaning that at the moment you're reading, whatever cycle of life he's in is the best and most important turning point of his existence. For example, the times he stayed with Kamala and Kamiswami were initially portrayed as healthy, then later detrimental, then eventually recognized as important to his development. I think this scene with the ascetics reflects that.
DeleteBetween the end of chapter one and chapter two, you are introduced to two different versions of Siddhartha. At the end of chapter one, it seems to be the case that Siddhartha is really interested in becoming a shramana as seen through the quote, “Father, I’ve come to tell you that tomorrow I must leave your house and go off with the ascetics. I long to become a shramana.” (Hesse 8) You are given a clear understanding of what Siddhartha’s goals were through his persistence when trying to convince his father to let him go. He showed this when he “remained standing there with his arms crossed.” (9) and later “he saw Siddhartha standing there with his arms crossed, still not having moved.” (9) Not giving up his stance, his father said yes allowing Siddhartha to go on with Govinda and the shramanas. In the beginning of chapter two, we are presented with a different side of Siddhartha when his appearance was described as someone with “dilated eyes...shriveled fingers...and a scruffy beard.” (11) This harsh side of reality for the shramanas allows the readers to observe a different perspective and almost see why Siddhartha didn’t want to continue this life anymore. It allows more sympathy to be put towards Siddhartha. This idea of sympathy is quickly whisked away when we see a more harsh and demanding side that we haven’t seen before. Siddhartha becomes more demanding and full of himself when speaking to Govinda almost as if he thinks that he is above all those who surround him. When speaking with Govinda, he expresses his desire to leave the life of the shramana because he suffers “thirst” (16) and his “thirst has not grown any less.” (16) His reasoning behind his decision makes the reader again think that Siddhartha has this idea that he is better than everyone else saying that “It is impossible to learn anything! In my opinion, that thing that we call ‘learning’ does not exist.” (16) One of the main reasons why Siddhartha wanted to become a shramana was because he wanted to learn and when he wasn’t satisfied with his results, he automatically goes to the idea that learning doesn’t exist. These two chapters almost present two different characters because of the quick character development that was present when it came to Siddhartha. This quick change can be seen as foreshadowing because it shows Siddhartha’s rapid thought and emotion changes when it comes to his life and what he seeks from it.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis is very intriguing. It brings up the difference between expectation and reality and how it affected Siddhartha's journey. It is interesting how Herman Hesse changed the mood so abruptly instead of introducing the hardships of being a Shramana as it would come periodically. It does uncover the many flaws that Siddhartha has. The reader begins to witness Siddhartha's arrogance when he disregards learning after he does not find what he is looking for. I also agree with your statement that Siddhartha's thoughts and actions change rapidly in this chapter which foreshadows the other events in the book.
DeleteHesse represents Siddhartha’s discontent with his life in the first chapter of the novel by introducing the motif of water. The first and incidentally most crucial use of this compares Siddhartha’s dreams to water: “Dreams came to him and restless thoughts. They flowed into him from the water of the river” (Hesse 5). The purpose of the use of “flowed” and “water of the river” is twofold: first, it introduces the metaphor for wisdom and enlightenment as water, as these “restless thoughts” flowed in and out and gave him hints of the enlightenment that awaited him if only he could reach it. It also foreshadows the significance of the river that Siddhartha encounters many times in his journey. Siddhartha describes his ritual ablutions as being “good, but they were not water—they did not wash away sins” (5); the use of the phrase “wash away” brings attention to this metaphor. The idea of this “water” being something he lacked returns in a passage where he wonders about his father: “Was he, too, not only a seeker, still thirsting? Did he not have to slake his thirst again and again at the sacred springs… Did the primordial spring not flow in his own heart?” (6) Hesse’s diction in using “primordial” and “sacred” to refer to these springs emphasizes the sanctity and pureness of the wisdom that Siddhartha longs for. Other uses of language relating to water, such as “flow” and “thirst” and “wash away his sins” (used once more within this passage, as Siddhartha attempts to compare his experience with daily rituals with his father’s experience) all unify the water metaphor. The repetition with the word “thirst,” eg. References to the beginning of Siddhartha’s self-finding quest as “his thirst and his pain,” “his ultimate thirst,” and “the eternal thirst” increasingly emphasize his main motivation as a character, which is to find this “water” that will take him to enlightenment.
ReplyDeleteAs I reread the first chapter of Siddhartha I realized the blunt contrast of the characterization of the two main figures in the beginning of the novel. Both Siddhartha and Govinda have an inclination to reach a certain state of being (nirvana) that they have been lectured and exposed to as children. They have greatly different approaches to their desired end point. Siddhartha’s discontent uncovers his arrogance rooted from his inability to learn from the teachings of others. Govinda, a natural follower, decides to tag along and joins the Shramanas. Herman Hesse expresses that Govinda is “his shadow” referring to him undertaking the same ventures as Siddhartha. A shadow does not have its own opinions or express its own thoughts which resembles the character traits of Govinda. The stark contrast of Govinda's willingness to learn from his teachers and follow an outlined path and Siddhartha's opposing desires creates a conflicting premise. The author sets up a prominent divide and leaves the best path up for speculation. During a trek through a village to beg for food one of the few conversation between Govinda and Siddhartha as followers of the Shramanas occurs, “‘How now, Govinda, are we really on the right track? Are we really approaching realization? Are we getting closer to attaining liberation? Or are we not going in a circle--we whose intention was to escape the vicious circle of resistance.”
ReplyDeleteGovinda said; “We have learned a great deal, Siddhartha, and there remains a lot more still to learn. We are not going in a circle, we are moving upward. The circle is a spiral; we have already advanced through a number of stages”’ (15). Govinda’s devotion to their teachings stems from both his desire to attain Nirvana and his personality. He follows his teachers wholeheartedly with complete devotion and faith. On the other hand, Siddhartha questions every teaching and does not feel he will reach Nirvana by listening to the wisdom of others. When Siddhartha contemplates his current life as a shramana he addresses leaving the body, fasting, and holding the breath as a “short term deadening of the pain and absurdity of life” and as a “momentary deadening” (14). This diction creates a grim mood while representing the internal conflict that Siddhartha has encountered in contrast to Govinda’s faith. The splitting paths of the two characters leads to the question of which path will be successful in reaching Nirvana. The main character Siddhartha is named after the father of Buddhism, so it can be inferred that Siddhartha's path is the one to enlightenment. The real reason for a quest is always self-knowledge and as an individual Siddhartha needed to forge his own path to gain more knowledge, while Govinda learned from the words of others.
“Everyone loved Siddhartha in this way. He brought delight to everyone; to everyone he was a pleasure.”
ReplyDelete“But he, Siddhartha, did not delight himself, he was no pleasure to himself… beloved by all, a joy to all, in his own heart he still bore no joy. (pg.6)”
This passage from the beginning of the book Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse, shows how Hesse portrayed Siddhartha as someone people looked up to and thought very highly of, everyone but Siddhartha himself. This quote is foreshadowing for what will follow in the rest of the story and also shows that it is somewhat ironic that Siddhartha felt so alone and empty even though he had everything. This is foreshadowing because it shows how Siddhartha is going to go on a quest to find something fulfilling in life. This is shown because it states that Siddhartha is not satisfied with his current life and will most likely do something to change that. This quote is not only foreshadowing, but it also gives us insight on what kind of person Siddhartha is. Having all the money and adoring people in his life isnt enough for him and he feels the need to seek something deeper and experience new things. When Hesse says, “my real self wanders elsewhere, far away, wanders on and on invisibly and has nothing to do with my life” he is saying Siddhartha longs to fill a void by going on a journey to find something more meaningful in life that is completely different than the life he had as a prince.
SIDDHARTHA
ReplyDelete#1 - In the very first sentence of the story, Hesse references the fig tree which sets up the whole plot
of the book. As if the name of the main character being the same as the first Buddha isn’t enough,
Hesse made a reference to the fig tree which the original Siddhartha sat under for around 48 days
when he first became enlightened. This is an example of the maxim, “if you want your audience to
know something about your character or the work at large, introduce it early before you need it.” It
sets up the reader to already imagine Siddhartha as very similar to the first Buddha and sets us up
to believe that the stories will have similar plots and themes. The second maxim that plays an
important role in this story is that, “the real reason for a quest is always self-knowledge.” This is the
whole purpose of the book. The story goes on through Siddhartha’s life and follows his path to
self-knowledge, only it’s ever changing. At first, he believed that he was to become Brahmin like his
father, then a Shramana, then a monk, then a lover to Kamala, then a merchant among the child
people, then a ferryman, then a father, and then a friend. I believe that all of this is foreshadowed
in the first sentence. “In the shadow of the house, in the sun on the riverbank by the boats, in the
shadow of the sal-tree forest, in the shadow of the fig tree, Siddhartha, the beautiful brahmin’s son,
the young falcon, grew up with his friend, the brahmin’s son Govinda,” (Hesse 3).
You make a good point about the similarities, which reminds me of a discussion I read online about whether or not Siddhartha is an allegorical work. At first I thought, "isn't it obvious?" but there are arguments that say that despite the parallels, Siddhartha eventually finds Buddhism on his own (transcending the self and seeing the higher purpose of existence as a constant cycle of development) even though he rejected Buddhism in the beginning. The argument is that Siddhartha never found a new path, just re-discovered what Gotama had taught him. I'm not sure if I agree with that argument because it doesn't make too much sense to me, but I'll reevaluate this later on in the story.
DeleteI agree with your point about the book being about self knowledge you can see this throughout the book and easily connect it to things. I also agree with what you said about the first sentence foreshadowed big the process of Siddhartha jurney. I never thought about that sentence that way it's an interesting way to think about it
DeleteIn the chapter Awakening, Hesse uses repetition of the word "leaving" (Hesse 30). He uses the word leaving multiple times to emphasize what Siddhartha is leaving behind to continue his own journey to achieve his own goal. This makes us wonder whether or not Siddhartha's goal is worth all that he is sacrificing. By using the word "leaving", Hesse also creates a depressing tone. A few paragraphs later, Siddhartha begins talking about himself in third person. The moment described in the last few paragraphs on page 31 is a defining moment in Siddhartha's life because it is when Siddhartha was "awakened" (32). Siddhartha tells himself that he "will learn about myself, about the mystery of Siddhartha" (32). Siddhartha has decided his own path, a path without a teacher. He is his own teacher. After Siddhartha creates his own path, he views the world differently. He now sees a world full of colors. Words like "beautiful" and "magical" (32) are how Siddhartha describes the world, and also makes it seem that Siddhartha is enjoying life for the first time in the novel. A few paragraphs later, Siddhartha's happy moments of being "reborn" end when he realizes how alone he is. Words like "cold" and "homeless" (33) make Siddhartha seem very sad, and maybe he regrets his decision of leaving behind everyone he knew. The chapter ends with Siddhartha walking away from everyone he knew. Right after Siddhartha seems to have found his meaning in life, he loses that feeling of happiness, and continues searching for something he can do.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis is very intriguing. I personally didn't put as much thought to the word leaving and didn't connect it to it being worth leaving everything behind. When Siddhartha is walking through the forest he contemplates going back to his father, but a symbol in the form of a snake stops him from returning to his old life. I think that partially answers the question of if him leaving everything behind is really worth it. In order for Siddhartha to find himself he needed to separate from his past. He would only return to his old thought process and wouldn't progress. I found that the abrupt change in the mood isn't regret, but is an allowance of accepting what he feels because he is no longer suppressing himself in attempt to reach happiness.
DeleteIn the chapter The Awakening Siddhartha leaves govinda and everything he once knew behind leaving him alone. Siddhartha walks slowly for a while asking himself questions about what is to come. Siddhartha asks many questions throughout the book about his future. Realizing that he is still not any where close to reaching his end goal of nirvana he looks back and decides that “ He had to separate from him, had been unable to accept his teachings” (Hesse 35) This quote was directed towards Siddhartha's teacher the Buddha. While walking Siddhartha came to a conclusion that he was hiding from himself his ego. This realization makes the reader think that the teachings he had learned were no longer of use. Siddhartha describes himself as re born seeing the world for the first time in bright beautiful colors giving the feel of happiness/joy Why does the author do that? This conclusion that Siddhartha had come to, made me think that he was starting from scratch and would take even longer to reach his end goal.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis is really interesting. What I took from Siddhartha's "rebirth" is not that he is starting from scratch. The paths that he had already taken were not leading him to his end goal. "That I know nothing of myself, that Siddhartha remains so alien and unknown to me-there is one cause for this, just one I was afraid of myself, I was running away from myself" (31). This shows how he was unable to find happiness by suppressing himself and the world around him. I do not think that he could have attained nirvana by listening to his teachers, but he doesn't completely disregard what they are teaching. Siddhartha cannot follow whole heartedly the words of others instead he has to seek them himself. His rebirth is not starting from complete scratch because without his past experiences he would not come to the same conclusion. His rebirth is his awakening and the beginning of a new journey.
DeleteChapter three is a huge turning point in Siddhartha's journey. He leaves behind everything he has ever known as well as Gautama, the enlightened one, himself. In the beginning of this chapter Hesse writes, “He pondered deeply, sinking down into the depths of his feelings as through deep water, until he reached the point where the causes lie--...” (Hesse 30) Water is compared to his feelings, which is interesting because he eventually finds inner peace by listening to the river. Hesse uses compound drawn out sentences to show the multitude of realizations that Siddhartha has. Siddhartha concludes from his deep thoughts that he doesn't know himself and has therefore been awakened. Siddhartha then goes on to realize the world as a beautiful vibrant place. This is the first instance in the novel that Hesse explains in depth Siddhartha's surroundings. The purpose of this is to set a more joyful tone and represent that Siddhartha is seeing the world from a different set of eyes. A snake is referenced to represent Siddhartha leaving behind the past, as a snake leaves the skin it has shed. The snake later goes on to stop Siddhartha in his tracks deterring him from returning to his old life and family. The mood changes in an instant when he feels the effects of being alone. “Out of this moment, in which the world melted away from around him, in which he was alone like a star in the sky--out of this moment of frigidity and dejection, Siddhartha arose more of an ego than ever before, more tightly clenched within” (34). What was once a life-changing realization for Siddhartha melted away in the next. Once again his bold, quickly changing opinions appear. Siddhartha's new intent is to find himself and listen to his desires. In doing so it is foreshadowed that he will discover his negative traits one being his ego.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis is interesting and I agree with your statement about how Siddhartha sees the world differently than others. For him to truly find himself, Siddhartha needed to be alone so he could "try to penetrate to the inmost part of my self," and staying with his family or with the shramanas would have hindered him from doing so (29). I love your connection about the water and how it ties Siddhartha's journey from beginning to end. Siddhartha's main struggle is with his ego, and it's interesting to see how he recognizes and embraces this imperfection instead of ignoring it, contrasting him with rest of society and showing that having negative traits is what makes us human.
DeleteI agree with the points you made. What I found interesting was the many connections you made that I had not realized before when reading. The comparison of the water and his feelings makes sense. Siddhartha is definitely trying to find his inner peace by listening to the river. The connection of the snake representing Siddhartha also surprised me. I realized Siddhartha was trying to leave behind his past, but i had not realized that the snake could represent that. As I was reading, I also agreed that by changing his options again, to find himself, it would foreshadow that he would discover his negative traits.
DeleteThroughout Siddhartha, the main character encounters many influential people and learns lessons which allow him to connect to his inner-self. One of the most pivotal encounters is with Gotama, the Buddha. By now, Siddhartha has realized that knowledge travels in many forms and to become wise you need to accumulate knowledge through stories, perception, and experience. When he first sees Gotama, Siddhartha displays this through the allusion “he had repeatedly heard the content of this Buddhadharma,” to prove to the reader that what most people seek from the Buddha, Siddhartha had already attained (Hesse 23). Referencing the Buddhadharma allows him to showcase his sophistication and his intelligence, especially if the reader does not know what the Buddhadharma is. Instead of learning from Gotama’s words, Siddhartha learns through his gestures. In this excerpt, Gotama’s hands symbolize his wisdom and each finger represents a teaching. Unlike with most things, Siddhartha is extremely interested in the Buddha’s hands, and glorifies them through the metaphor " it spoke truth, breathed truth, smelled of truth, glowed with truth,” repeating the word “truth” to emphasize that being in the Buddha’s presence was enough to understand his wisdom and greatness. (23). Hesse further displays Siddhartha’s admiration towards Gotama in “Never had Siddhartha so venerated anyone, never had he loved a person as he loved this one,” (23). Using “venerated” shows how Siddhartha has never highly respected a person besides himself and how he instantly connects on a spiritual level with Gotama which he was never able to do with Govinda or his family, who he also never expressed respect or love towards. Siddhartha’s first glances at Gotama reveal to the reader that Siddhartha’s mind is complex and that his way of learning is much different from anyone else. It is difficult for Siddhartha to connect with the basic aspects of life and people since he always strives to find the deeper meaning, and if there is not one, he becomes uninterested. By meeting the Buddha, Siddhartha and the reader are shown the core of Siddhartha’s thinking and how he perceives life through an alternate lens than everyone else. His journey towards wisdom is only beginning, and the puzzle pieces of his character are starting to fall into place.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you thought on Siddhartha becoming uninterested in something if he "doesn't get what he wants or needs" when it comes to the deeper meaning of something. This idea of not being able to create connections between people is extremely evident when you look at Govinda's and Siddhartha's relationship. You can hear it in both of their voices and tones that they are two different people who have different outlooks on life. While Govinda is hooked on following Gotama and learning from him, Siddhartha finds his teaching boring and doesn't believe it will get him anywhere in life.
Delete“Gotama had listened to him quietly, unmoved. Now in his kindly, polite, and clear voice, the Perfect One spoke: ‘You have heard the teaching, brahmin’s son. Good for you for having pondered it so deeply. You have found a gap in it, a flaw. May you continue to ponder that. But beware, you who are greedy for knowledge, of the jungle of opinions and the battle of words… But the teachings you heard from me is not my opinion, and its aim is not to explain the world to those who are greedy for knowledge…’” (Hesse 27)
ReplyDeleteSiddhartha has this burning passion to learn. He wants to learn what no one can teach him or what he believes no one is capable of teaching him. This thirst for learning pushes him towards the idea of leaving everything he once knew behind and going on a journey to learn this knowledge that he strives for. Having Gotama say this to Siddhartha makes him reply back saying “not for a moment have I doubted you...This came as a result of your own seeking on your own path, through thought, through meditation, through realization, through enlightenment. It did not come to you through teaching!..Nobody attains enlightenment through a teaching.” (27-28) Having said this, Siddhartha leaves on this journey to seek what he’s been looking for. But this idea of being “greedy for knowledge” (27) comes back making you wonder if Siddhartha understands what Gotama said. He claims that he respects Gotama but at the same time, doesn’t understand that his need for these answers that can’t be taught could potentially prevent him for reaching what he wants in life. By the end of the chapter, we have seen an arrogant side of Siddhartha that makes you question the outcome of the story and how he was able to become the Buddha. When you think of the Buddha, you think of this calm, humble being; not someone who is arrogant and greedy like Siddhartha. In “Awakening” Siddhartha’s outlook on life changes completely claiming that he is now a new person in the span of a couple minutes of him standing there with his eyes closed. Him becoming this “different” person sets up the rest of the story where we get to experience this journey with him to see if he is able to find the knowledge that he has been looking for.
I agree with your ideas about how Siddhartha comes across as arrogant in Gotama. However, I feel the need to play the devil's advocate here and ask why does he sound arrogant? Towards the end of the chapter, Siddhartha says phrases such as, "Please do not be angry with me, Exalted One... It was not to contend with you, not to fight with you over words, that I spoke the way I did." (Hesse 27) and "May they all remain with the teaching may they all reach their goal! It is not for me to judge the life of another!It is only for myself that I must judge , that I must choose and refuse." (Hesse 28). In these passages he comes across as polite, humble and sincere, only trying to portray his thoughts and emotions in a way that explains his reasoning to the one that he admires and loves. Perhaps leaving behind his friend and family seems selfish at first, that his thirst and greed for knowledge and understanding overpowers his love for his friends and family but imagine if he had stayed. He would have lived out his life as the brahmin’s son unhappy, which would directly affect the happiness of those around him. We come from a society where it’s normal to put other things before the well being of yourself, where we force ourselves into roles that make us unhappy but ensure and secure and safe life. To break from that cycle and allow yourself to be a little selfish and go after what you want is seen as a bad thing, when instead, it should be more normal behavior.
DeleteIn the third chapter of Siddhartha, where Govinda leaves his friend to become a disciple of the Buddha, Hesse makes the pattern of dialogue between Siddhartha and Govinda closely reflect the dialogue between Siddhartha and Gotama. When Govinda makes the decision to join the Buddha and Siddhartha stays silent, Govinda approaches his friend to ask him why he had not requested to become a disciple. His pleas to Siddhartha, using words of energetic connotation such as “animatedly” and “in impatient tones” reflect his unease and all of the questions that he feels weren’t answered completely. In response, Siddhartha responds very calmly, and his voice is described as “without mockery” and with adverbs like “softly,” and “kindly.” In his dialogue, he tells Govinda that he has taken his own path, and that he respects it with all his heart: “May you follow this path to the end. May you attain liberation!” (Hesse 25) The repetition with “May you attain liberation” later in their dialogue emphasizes the significance of Siddhartha’s parting words with Govinda, as it is clear later on in the story that the two of them take very different paths throughout their lives.
ReplyDeleteThis interaction with Siddhartha and Govinda closely relates to the exchange Siddhartha and Gotama share. Siddhartha approaches Gotama first, and Hesse again employs energetic words such as “courage” and “boldly” and “straightforwardly” in Siddhartha’s dialogue and actions. In contrast, just as Siddhartha was with Govinda, Gotama listens to him “silently,” “quietly,” and “politely,” with “kindness and quietude,” only responding after he has let Siddhartha let out what he wanted. “May your thoughts...not be false ones. May you reach your goal!” (28) he tells Siddhartha. The repetition with “May you” emphasizes this connection once more. The Buddha sees that his and Siddhartha’s philosophies differ, but he respects this difference and encourages Siddhartha to take on his own path, just like Siddhartha had told Govinda to do.
"Siddhartha continued to stand there motionless, and for the period of a heartbeat and a breath his heart went cold; he felt it go old in his breast like a small animal--a bird or a rabbit--when he realized how alone he was. For years he had been homeless and not felt it. Now he felt it. Up until now, even in his deepest meditative absorption, he had been his father's son, a brahmin of high standing, a spiritual person. Now he was only Siddhartha, the awakened one, and nothing else." (Hesse 33). The comparison of Siddhartha to a bird is ironic to me in the sense that in this context it’s used to describe him as weak and fragile, while in the opening paragraph, he is also compared to a bird, but instead of being portrayed as weak and fragile, he was portrayed more as a traveler, having higher knowledge or vision, and strong. In the first chapter he is compared to a falcon, a predator, and in this chapter he is compared to a bird or rabbit, the prey. The quote says, “for years he had been homeless,” but homeless is not a synonym for alone. At this point in time he has truly abandoned everyone to pursue his quest for knowledge. At the beginning of his journey and up until this point he had always had Govinda by his side. Now that he has let him go his own way, Siddhartha can feel what it truly means to be alone. It’s also ironic because in the previous chapter he mentioned how liberation from ego is what he had been seeking for his whole journey and that if he was to join the Buddha, “then I would make the teaching, my discipleship, my love of you, and the community of monks into my ego.” (Hesse 29). He states that if he was to join the Buddha, then the Buddhist lifestyle would fuel his ego, which could be taken to mean that his ego comes from the world and people around him. When Siddhartha is “awakened”, and he finally feels fully alone, he can feel what it’s like to be detached from other people and similarly, obtain liberation from his ego. It’s ironic because when he finally gets a glimpse of what he’s been searching for for so long, it gives him a feeling of “frigidity and dejection” and promptly goes on, in the next chapter, to meet Kamala and regain his ego.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that the comparison of the bird to Siddhartha was reversed in this chapter! In this chapter, Siddhartha is far from the vibrant, glowing child he was when he first left to join the pilgrimage, and it makes sense that the simile now is just as unsure of itself as he is in that moment. I agree that this is a turning point in which Siddhartha is truly alone. Despite never seeming to admire and love Govinda as much as Govinda loved him, it’s evident that Siddhartha feels lost without his friend. However, the separation between Siddhartha and Govinda is necessary for Siddhartha to continue his path to his Self. After all, you are only able to find enlightenment if you seek it yourself, not by trying to learn or master it through books and writings, or following others.
DeleteThe analysis of the bird metaphor is fascinating to me because the bird imagery plays a big role in Part Two. I wonder if these comparisons in the first three chapters serve to set up this motif . It seems to represent a point of growth, or a point where Siddhartha wants more from his life and "takes flight," so to speak. You can really see it used when Kamala sets the bird free after Siddhartha leaves her.
DeleteI used the same passage as you did and found it ironic as well. However, the part I found ironic was that he was so excited to begin the journey of finding himself, but was so sad because he felt lonely. I thought it was really interesting that you used context from the previous chapters to find irony in this passage. I also think it is interesting that you traced the path of the ego and how his opinions have changed from wanting to hear teachings to wanting to find himself.
DeleteWhile reading chapter three Gotama begins to teach about suffering and what comes along with it. Hesse writes, "Gotama taught the teaching of suffering, the origin of suffering, and I the path to cessation of suffering" (24). The fact that Gotama taught suffering to a group of people that had been shielded from the fact that it existed reminded me of the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths are 1. Dukkha: suffering exists 2. Samudaya: suffering arises from attachment to desires 3. Nirhodha: suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases 4. Magga: freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the Eightfold path. These four truths highlight that suffering is extremely important in Buddhism, the religion Siddhartha created. At first I was questioning why Gotama taught this and why Siddhartha was so interested. I didn't understand why suffering was so important, but then I realized that Siddhartha felt empty until he started to experience suffering in the world and that is why he was enchanted by Gotama’s teachings of it. The four truths of Buddhism are trying to say that in order to reach Nirvana you must first suffer, and Siddhartha had to suffer himself in order to be totally happy and reach nirvana. I believe that Gotama taught suffering because he believed that in order to be happy you have to suffer, just like Siddhartha believed as well. Suffering was taught because Gottama wanted to teach people how to get over the things they suffer with in their life and in order to do that he had to confront that it was real.
ReplyDelete“Siddhartha smiles with happiness over the ferryman’s friendship and kindness. He is like Govinda, he thought as he smiled. Everyone I meet on my way is like Govinda. They are all grateful, although they themselves are due the gratitude. All of them treat me with deference; they would all be happy to be my friend, they would be glad to obey me without having to think too much. People are children.” (Hesse 40). In this passage, it is easy to sense Siddhartha’s arrogance and righteousness. It’s the use of the word “obey” that conveys this the most. It gives the sense that everyone around him believes that he is someone greater, someone to be followed and someone to obey and listen to. It makes him seem like he’s above everyone else. It’s also ironic because he compares the ferryman to Govinda. He’s using Govinda as an example of someone lesser than him yet in the last chapter, Govinda leaving him left him with a sense of loneliness that he’s never felt before. It’s also ironic in the sense that he refers to the ferryman as one of the child people. It’s ironic because later in the book, it’s revealed that the ferryman is more enlightened than Siddhartha, and that Siddhartha actually learns more from him and the river than he thought. It’s also ironic because while he’s calling the ferryman one of the child people, he will go on to become a child person for years to come.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you say about this passage. Siddhartha continues to look down on everyone he meets, and in this passage he compares the ferryman to Govinda. I agree with you when you say that leaving Govinda left Siddhartha with a sense of loneliness. I also found it interesting and ironic that SIddhartha saw the ferryman as "lesser", however later in the story, Siddhartha learns more from the ferryman. I am not surprised by this however, because throughout the whole story, Siddhartha always seems open to learn from anyone. The point you made about Siddhartha being a child person for years to come, was interesting to me, because I had not thought about it that way. Although Siddhartha does change for the worse, I would not have described him as becoming a "child person", however, now that you mention it, i do see that.
DeleteIn the chapter Kamala, Siddhartha begins to look at the world in the different way. In this chapter he explores his sensual feelings and desires. The chapter begins with a vivid explanation of his surroundings. What Siddhartha used to look past, now he indulges in the beauty of. He acknowledges his feelings and desires and acts upon them unlike the suggestions from his past teachers. Hesse uses the word “distrust” when describing Siddhartha's former view of the world around him. He constantly refers to being like a child referencing the innocence of the new Siddhartha, yet his lust shows different. “Siddhartha also felt longing and felt his sexuality stir, but since he had never yet touched a women, he hesitated a moment, just as his hands were reaching out to take hold of her. And in this moment, with a shudder he heard his inner voice saying no. All the magic vanished from the smiling face of the young woman. All he he now saw was the moist gaze of a rutting female animal” (Hesse 41). It is interesting that he pursued Kamala with full force and then suddenly changed his mind and feelings toward her. His lust lead him to a point he had never been and then he suddenly abandoned her. His exploration of this new relationship possibly caused him to doubt himself. The inner voice came from a place of fear, which he had never experienced. In this chapter he also begins to be self conscious, “He felt drawn to enter the groove immediately, but he reconsidered and for the first time he became aware of how the servants and maids at the entrance had looked at him, how disdainfully, with what suspicion, what rejection” (42). As Siddhartha expands his views he exposes himself to the different attributes of society. This later causes him to be materialistic.
ReplyDeleteI agree that siddhartha was seeing the world with knew eyes. He started to notice all the "beautiful" things in the world he had never seen before but were always their. another good quote from that part of the book is the list of things he started to see differently "Trees, stars, animals, clouds, rainbows, rocks, herbs, flowers, brooks...." (Hesse 43) the author tends to list things a lot in this book I think it is to add enfisous on how Siddhartha is feeling.
DeleteIn the chapter Kamala Siddhartha tells Kamala that “I knew that you would help me. I knew it the moment you looked at me by the entrance to the grove” (hesse 56). Siddhartha seemed very sure of himself, like he didn’t have a doubt in the world that Kamala would give him what he wanted. This statement makes Siddhartha seem rude and disrespectful he was relying on Kamala to teach him what he needed to know but still acted this way. In the chapter Among the child people siddhartha’s mood was described as “like a juggler juggling his balls, he played with his business, with the people around him, watched them, enjoyed them; but he never participated with his heart, with the wellspring of his being (hesse 63-64). Seeing how Siddhartha was not happy with how he was living his life not being able to reach the goal he started out with makes the reader think that Siddhartha made a mistake, and was hiding that mistake with his false happiness.
ReplyDeleteIn chapters 5 and 6, the comparison of a child to Siddhartha were brought up many times. When a child is used as a comparison, it is because the author is comparing the innocence and ignorance of a child to what they are talking about. In Kamala, the word ‘child’ is used in the quote, “The world was beautiful when one just looked at it without looking for anything, just simply, as a child.” (Hesse 38) This quote took place when Siddhartha was admiring the things surrounding him. He was calm and collected and was looking at the world through a “fresh set of eyes” like a child would. Children don’t see the the harsh reality of the world making them ignorant and innocent like Siddhartha was during his time of awakening. The word ‘child’ was also used on the same page in the quote, “It was sweet and beautiful to walk through the world in this way, so like a child, so awake, so open to whatever lay at hand, so without suspicion.” (38) This quote talks about the idea that children don’t have any prejudices like adults do. They are open to do whatever it is that they are faced with and they don’t let anything stop them from doing or saying what they want. Siddhartha, in his time of awakening, was being compared to a child who was experiencing new and exciting things in life. He was experiencing a new state of mind and wasn’t going to let anything stop him from doing so. In the next chapter, Among The Child People, the child comparison is used when Siddhartha was talking about love to Kamala in the quote, “People of our type are perhaps incapable of love. The child people are capable of it; that is their secret.” (58) This goes back to children not having any form of prejudices and don’t have any reason not to love something. “The child people” are those who are ignorant to the world and what it has to offer and Siddhartha was comparing himself to the opposite of that. That being said, it goes against what he was being compared to in the previous chapter.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how you have compared a child to Siddhartha during his journey instead of before or after. To add to your analysis, children are, like you said, considered innocent and in regards to the Buddhism and Hinduism idea of karma, it would allow children to be "free" of bad karma. Siddhartha could be striving for this along with finding his innermost self, and by confronting his negative traits such as his ego, he could balance his good and bad and become innocent like a child. Seeing the world through the mind of a child would help Siddhartha question and perceive the world differently, aiding him in his path towards awakening.
DeleteAfter rereading the beginning of part two of Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse, I came across the quote “He saw trees, stars, animals, clouds, rainbows, rocks, herbs, flowers, brooks, and rivers,...” (43). I believe that Hesse decides to explain every little detail going on around to show that Siddhartha was not able to see the world’s beauty until now. He chose to list these things to show that life for Siddhartha has changed and how this happened. Hesse states, “It was beautiful and delightful to go through the world like this, so childlike, so awake, so open to what was near, so without trust” (43). I thought that it was ironic that Hesse started describing Siddhartha’s situation as innocent and childlike before he meets Kamala. Once Siddhartha meets Kamala he then has to completely force himself into the materialistic world in order to earn her “love” thus taking away the hint of innocence that Siddhartha once had. I found it odd that Hesse decided to show that Siddhartha was reborn when he decided to become interested in more materialistic things. I personally did not think that that would be the part of the book where things would begin to change for him and the story would begin to go down a different path. This part of the story reminded me of the way things are in real life and that people start off somewhat innocent just to get corrupted by things like lust. Once people start to become infatuated with being successful they start to lose who they are and go off the path they wanted to be one, which also happened to Siddhartha.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about how Hesse decided to describe how Siddhartha saw the world after govinda left him being a little weird. I would not think giving up on three years of your life being a samana for lust would make him see things as beautiful. I also agree with your statement that you can see things like the innocent being corupted in real life I mean you see it twitch celebrities all the time after they have been famous for a while eventually start changing their personalities.
DeleteIn the chapter “Kamala,” Siddhartha’s abandonment of the shramana lifestyle after meeting Kamala is foreshadowed through references to him as the brahmin that he was before becoming an ascetic. “You saw Siddhartha the brahmin’s son, who left his home to become shramana…” (Hesse 43) Siddhartha says to Kamala, explaining how he got here. There was, of course, no way that Kamala would have known that the ascetic in front of her was of a brahmin family, but Siddhartha was not only using this to explain his life story to her, but figuratively referring to their first meeting when Kamala stopped to approach him despite his appearance. He tells her that she had seen him as “the brahmin’s son,” as if seeing potential in his personality and manner of speech was equivalent to seeing his true value as a rich prince. Later, Kamala ends their second meeting by ordering a maid to “give the pious brahmin a white outer robe” (47) and drive him out of the grove. The use of this epithet, which no longer identifies Siddhartha as a shramana but as the brahmin that he used to be, marks his transformation from his rejection of luxury to an active search of it. Sure enough, the last time he ever begged for food, he threw that food to a dog and “pride flared up suddenly within him.” (47) He had set his heart on becoming rich again to be with Kamala.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your analysis of this passage. There are many things you pointed out that I had not noticed earlier when reading it. For example, I had not realized that his meeting with Kamala could foreshadow his abandonment of being a shramana. I agree with you about Kamala giving calling him a brahmin and giving him a white robe marking his transition to a life of searching for luxury. To add onto your analysis, Kamala could be seen as a controlling partner or a very bad influence on his life, because of how she changes Siddhartha's life for the worse. However, to Siddhartha, he was blinded for his desire for Kamala.
Delete“Now and then he sensed, deep in his breast, a faint, moribund voice, which faintly warned, softly complained…”. In the chapter Among the Child People, Siddhartha begins to end his time with Kamala and Kamaswami, and this passage is his realization that he needs to do so. Siddhartha becomes unhappy when he discovers that his life has been consumed by love, work, and wealth. Hesse uses thoughtful and almost psychological language such as “real life was passing him by without touching him,” to re-establish Siddhartha’s inquisitive mind and how it needs to be constantly challenged or else he will feel he is wasting time (Hesse 56). It is also shown in “But he was not present to all this with his heart, with the wellspring of his being,” which describes how Siddhartha was simply going through the motions of living without fully perceiving them (56). His mind “complained” about the state of his life and how he needs spiritual complexity which he was not receiving from Kamala nor Kamaswami. Siddhartha is an observer and an outcast to society, looking upon the simple-minded as he struggles to find his way through a world where no one can truly understand him. Because of this, Siddhartha has to leave for his own sake and continue on his journey towards finding his inner self. Staying with them would have secured him a prosperous future, but Siddhartha needed the unknown because that is where his journey would end.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your analysis of these quotes describing Siddhartha's feelings towards the outside world, especially your selection of the quote "real life was passing him by without touching him." It almost parallels his feelings towards the beginning of the story in "Awakening," where it says "for years he had been homeless and not felt it" (Hesse 33). That sense of loneliness when he realized that he was alone in his journey is very much reflected in both scenes. However, this time, he feels a kind of contempt towards the outside world that had been created by his realization that he had fallen prey to materialism.
DeleteI agree with you Siddhartha does need the unknown in his life because without it he's jurney would be over. I never put it together that Siddhartha was leaving different things in his life because they got to easy for him and their was no more challenges or unknown things to uncover. Thinking about it know I see how you can connect that theme to many decisions Siddhartha has made in the book. Like when he left the Samanas to find himself.
DeleteIn the previous chapter, Hesse used cold, dark and depressing diction to describe Siddhartha's loneliness. The chapter ended with Siddhartha walking away from his old life into a whole new world to him. I find it interesting, that his journey in the chapter Kamala, begins with happiness, compared to the last chapter in which it ended with sadness. It is an interesting contrast, and Hesse shows this through phrases like "He saw the sun rise", "He saw the stars" and "birds and bees sang their songs" (37). A few chapters later on page 39, Siddhartha has a dream about Govinda being a woman. He says that the woman "made one drunk and unaware" (39). This dream foreshadows Siddhartha's encounter with Kamala, and also foreshadows his addiction to gambling. In the next chapter, when Siddhartha meets Kamaswami, Hesse says "Master and guest greeted each other" (50). After reading this line, it reminded me of Siddhartha and Govinda's relationship. Siddhartha was the master while Govinda was someone who was lesser than Siddhartha. Now, in the big city, Siddhartha was no longer the master. Kamaswami first viewed Siddhartha as useless, however when he discovered that Siddhartha could read and write, he found use in him. This could be compared to Siddhartha and Govinda's relationship. Siddhartha leaves Govinda to go on his own path, however soon after leaving behind everything and everyone, Siddhartha realizes how lonely he is, and how much he misses Govinda. To Siddhartha, it seems that Govinda's "use" is to keep him company.
ReplyDeleteIn the chapter Samsara, Siddhartha began to realize his faults and that he was going down the wrong path in the world. This relates to my last blog post because it once again speaks about how Siddhartha was better off without the Samanas and with Kamaswami and Kamala, “his senses, which he had deadened in his ardent samana years, had reawakened” (67). Many would perceive this situation as something that was good for Siddhartha, because he needed to begin to feel things instead of purposely emptying himself. This happens to play itself out as negative when Siddhartha begins to have a gambling problem, “he gambled out of his heart's distress; losing and squandering the filthy lucre brought him an angry joy” (70). The fact that gambling and losing made him laugh but also get upset reminded me of how it was for him in the real world and that losing himself upset him but he still found joy in it because he got to do other things he “ enjoyed”. The di themselves represent loss of humanity for him and loss of what the samanas once taught him.
ReplyDeleteAnother quote that stood out to me in this chapter was, “a new garment grows old with time, loses its lovely color with time, gets stains, gets wrinkles, frays out at the hems, and starts showing awkward, threadbare areas” (69). This garment Hesse was talking about relates back to when Siddhartha shed his clothes and gave them to a poor person on the street when he decided to leave his family. When he shed that garment he was satisfied looking for a new life for him, but as time went on it did not turn out to be all he wanted it to be. The “garment” represents Siddhartha’s life and how it was once new and nice but now it has grown out.
In the chapter samsara Siddhartha described his fading spirit as “like a veil,like a thin mist, weariness descended on Siddhartha, slowly, a bit denser each day, a bit dimmer each month, a bit heavier each year” (Hesse 69). By using the words like veil, mist, weariness and slowly Hesse gives this chapter a sad even depressing feel. Seeing how Siddhartha changes everything about himself for the purpose of his mission in life, makes me realize that he does this every time he changes his life decision. Siddhartha may flip flop a lot on what he wants to do with his life but when he decides to do something he commits and gives it his all. For example when he became a samana he commuted three years of his life to this never straying from this path until he realized that this was not what he wanted to do in life anymore. In chapter by the river Siddhartha tells him self to “ let the fish and the crocodiles eat him, let the demons dismember him” ( Hesse 78) Siddhartha clearly is upset with the decisions he's made and wants to die because of this. I have noticed that whenever Siddhartha gets in a bad situation or believes he is in a bad situation he reacts drastically making decisions that could change his life forever like in this instance death. Noticing this tells me Siddhartha is more fragile than I once thought at the begging of the book.
ReplyDeleteSiddhartha, by the beginning of the eighth chapter, has gone through samsara living life with Kamiswami and Kamala, and now has nothing. He feels as though his life might as well be over, until he falls asleep under a coconut tree and wakes up feeling reborn. He wakes up to the sound of rushing river, which brings the return of the water motif. The contrast between the way he saw the river before this moment and after is best expressed in his actions towards it. When he first saw the river after leaving the city, “[h]is face contorted, and he stared into the water. He saw the reflection of his face and spat at it” (Hesse 69). If his current emotions weren’t clear enough by these actions, the connotation of the words “contorted” and “spat” accentuate them. After his awakening (physically and spiritually), “his eyes fell on the river, and he saw the river was … singing happily as it did. He liked that a lot. He gave the river a friendly smile” (75). The personification of the river, and the repitition of the short “i” phonetic in “singing,” “happily,” “friendly,” and of course, “river” contributes to a light tone. There is also a contrast in the way both instances describe Siddhartha looking at the river, with “eyes fell on the river” carrying a different connotation than “stared into the water.” In these ways, the narration emphasizes how much Siddhartha’s sleep and awakening has changed his worldview.
ReplyDeleteI like your comparative analysis of Siddhartha's changed views of the river before and after his awakening. It's interesting how negative he was towards the simplest aspects of life, people, and especially himself, before he controlled his ego and attained awakening. Instead of staying "alone and destitute, like a shipwreck victim cast up on the shore," Siddhartha was able to use the river as a tool to reach enlightenment, along with the help of Vasudeva, instead of disregarding all hope and remaining on the "shore" until death would end his problems (Hesse 65).
DeleteYes--this is a really important part! What else is going on there that is worth mentioning?? ;)
ReplyDeleteIn the chapter The Ferryman, Siddhartha begins to question time and how all of the experiences he has had were not meaningless, but that when culminated were all a piece of his learning. Being with Vasudeva and the river has allowed Siddhartha to look back upon his life with wisdom, reaching the same calm and thoughtful mindset which Vasudeva attains. Siddhartha connects to the reader by asking “Was not all suffering time, was not all self-torment and fearfulness time?” which gives hope to himself and the reader that all moments are worth something and a lesson can be learned from any experience (Hesse 84). Society is full of stress and the constant need for more time, but Siddhartha inquires through the alliteration “the world overcome and over with once one had overcome time, had been able to rid oneself of the notion of time?” and suggests time being a falsity in reality where once you disregard the idea of time, the world will cease being a weight upon your shoulders (84). Accepting the idea of no time, Siddhartha speaks with “rapture”, or joy and ecstasy (84). When Siddhartha was following the ways of the shramanas, he discarded all emotion, and now he is regaining emotions as he throws away unnecessary worries that had been crowding his mind. Vasudeva is his mentor through the transition, acting like a father with his son as he guides Siddhartha on his path towards awakening where Vasudeva waits at the end. With the aid of Vasudeva, Siddhartha questions the world more than ever before and starts to dismiss unneeded pressures that hinder the rest of society from reaching enlightenment.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your thought of Vasudeva helping Siddhartha find himself. I would also add that the river has done something to help Siddhartha as it did Vasudeva. The river allowed SIddhartha to find something that he was lacking for a long time, the ability to love. With this weight being lifted from his shoulders, he is now able to experience love with more people than Gotama and Kamala. He now feels it with both Govinda and Vasudeva. Once Kamala comes back in the end of The Ferryman, Siddhartha's love for he seemed to grow into something that he has never felt before considering that he was willing to father a child that he has never met before. Knowing how Siddhartha used to be, I feel like he wouldn't do something like that even if it was his won son because he would use the excuse that he doesn't know how to love.
DeleteIn both By The River and The Ferryman the idea of love is brought back up. Siddhartha used to say that he was incapable of love. But now, after the journey he has gone through, his thoughts on love have changed. When talking to Govinda in the chapter By The River he brings up the idea that he still loves Govinda in the quote, “Siddhartha looked after him, a smile on his face. He still loved him, this loyal, fearful person. And how would it have been possible not to love anybody or anything at this moment…” (Hesse 73) When Siddhartha says that he still loves him, this is the first time that he has ever mentioned the idea of love towards Govinda. Before, he only mentioned it when talking about Gotama and Kamala. After his second awakening after his suicide attempt, he realizes that there is more to life and that he shouldn’t fall down the hole of death. Love has been a tough subject for Siddhartha to talk about let alone feel so when the author says, “...the magic that had been worked on him by OM during his sleep, that he loved everything, that he was filled with joyous love of everything he saw. And precisely that was the reason, so it seemed to him now, that he had been so very sick before, because he had been unable to love anything or anyone,” (74) it proves that Siddhartha isn’t afraid of love anymore. In fact, it seems like him not being able to love anything was what was stopping him from reaching happiness and fulfillment.
ReplyDeleteIn the chapter By The River, Siddhartha's perspective once again changes. In contemplating death he connect with the sacred word OM. He has heard this word many times previously in his life, but he never fully understood the meaning of the word. While he knew the literal meaning, which is perfection or fulfillment, he did not truly believe in it or understand what it meant when applying it to his life. In the beginning of his life he was seeking the knowledge from teachers and for him he could not absorb their teachings. He left each teacher with a sense of entitlement and ego. Now he can recognize the brilliance of things he has heard all his life because he experienced it through feelings. For Siddhartha personally he had to reach rock bottom the achieve the happiness he was searching for. It correlates with the famous saying that you have to reach the lowest of lows to reach the highest of highs. “...a thinking of OM, a submersion and total entry into OM, into the nameless, the perfect (Hesse 71). Another indicator of complete transformation is when Govinda does not recognize Siddhartha while Siddhartha recognizes him. When Govinda starts to leave Siddhartha uses his name and Govinda reacts with excitement, “‘You are Siddhartha!’ Govinda loudly exclaimed. ‘Now I recognized you and cannot understand how I could have failed to recognize you right away’” (72). This represents that Siddhartha in a sense has been reborn. On the other hand Govinda is still the same monk that Siddhartha left many years ago.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your analysis. As I was reading the chapter, I also agreed with the connection you made about Siddhartha's rebirth, compared to Govinda staying the same. The changes and realizations Siddhartha has made throughout his journey has helped me, and most likely many other readers, finally connect with Siddhartha. Now, I do not view Siddhartha as the same man as before, when he saw himself as better than everyone else. I view him as someone who has gone through a lot, to finally achieve his goals.
DeleteIn the chapter The Ferryman, a passage near the beginning of the chapter struck me as very interesting. In a previous chapter, Siddhartha had looked down on Vasudeva. He compared Vasudeva to Govinda, viewing everyone as Govinda. He said that everyone would "obey" (40) him. Siddhartha also said that people were children. Now, at Siddhartha's lowest point in his life, he has love for Vasudeva. Words like "gratitude", "love" and "offered" (81) show the extent of Siddhartha's change of heart. A few pages later, Kamala and her son, are reunited with Siddhartha. It is ironic how Kamala seemed to be a poison in Siddhartha's life, and now she dies from poison. Kamala was bitten by a snake, which previously symbolized Siddhartha leaving behind his past, now symbolized death. It is interesting how Siddhartha was making a fire when the dying Kamala was brought into the hut. Fire is often associated with life, and rebirth, however it seemed awkward to have this symbol at this moment of death. When Siddhartha first sees his son, he is brought back to a time when he was a child. The prayers he learned as a child seemed to be relaxing, and helped the boy calm down, however his son becomes a burden later in the story.
ReplyDeleteIn the chapter the om Siddhartha was very sad wanting to see his son and the town he once lived in. All this frustration inside of him led him to Vasudeva the ferryman. Siddhartha confessed all his feelings to Vasudeva letting him listen and soak up all this knowledge about Siddhartha. Siddhartha described him as “absorbing his confession like a tree absorbs rain” (Hesse 116). This simile makes the reader see Vasudeva how much he compares to a tree, for example the phrase old and wise. Trees are often used to compare something wise,patient, and caring. Looking back at Siddhartha’s journey I can now see that it was leading him to vasudeva so he could master what he has spent his life trying to master the art of listening. Siddhartha never stopped to listen to anyone but himself. All the loved ones in his life let him do what he wanted to do they never would be heard by Siddhartha because he was to concerned about himself. Sidhartha could never reach nirvana because he was refraining to do what was needed out of his own selfishness listen to others.
Delete“‘When someone seeks,’ said Siddhartha, ‘it can easily happen that his eyes only see the thing he is seeking and that he is incapable of finding anything, incapable of taking anything in, because he is always only thinking about what he is seeking, because he has an object, a goal, because he is possessed by this goal. Seeking means having a goal but finding means being free, open, having no goal. Perhaps you, venerable one, are indeed a seeker, for in striving after your goal, there is much you fail to see that is right before your eyes.’” (Hesse 108)
ReplyDeleteIn these last chapters of Siddhartha, we get to witness him reach enlightenment and become the new Buddha. When Govinda meets Siddhartha again while crossing the river, this idea of seeking is brought up and how Govinda never stops seeking. In the quote, “You too, as it seems to me, have also been a seeker. Will you not tell me something about it, your reverence?” (108), Govinda asks Siddhartha, without knowing it was him, about his life when it came to seeking. Siddhartha’s response was the passage above. What I got out of this passage was that everyone has goals and they are always finding or seeking ways to achieve those goals. But some people don’t realize that sometimes you just need to stop, take a look around you, and think because the answers or solutions to your goals could be right in front of you. For Siddhartha, these answers came from his son and the river. Without Vasudeva, I don’t think Siddhartha would be in the place that he is. Vasudeva played a key role in helping Siddhartha find enlightenment not through teaching or seeking, but through stopping and listening to the things around him.
As I reread the chapter OM, I came to the realization that there is an important parallel with Siddhartha and Hesse that I failed to recognize before. During Hesse’s lifetime he remarried multiple times, which corresponds to Siddhartha's inability to love Kamala. Another similarity that was presented in this chapter is their separation from their children and the hardships that follow. Although in Hesse’s case he gave his boys to a friend and then moved away. It is interesting how in the book, Siddhartha cares a great deal for a child that he has to give up. In the novel, Siddhartha is nearly forced to separate from the child he loves, which might root from Hesse’s attempt at justifying leaving his kids and his guilt. “But the wound still burned. Passionately and bitterly, Siddhartha dwelled on his son, nurtured the love and tenderness in his heart, let the pain of it consume him, indulged in all the foolishness of love. This was not a flame that went out by itself” ( Hesse 102). In the novel Siddhartha goes into a depression multiple times and at one point takes into consideration taking his life. When Siddhartha has to let his son go it is the most discussed, time consuming hardship that he goes through.This could be a result of Hesse’s decision to leave his sons behind and his emotions that still dwell inside. Another reason it is part of his guilt is because he states in the novel, “was it not comical, a strange stupid thing, this repetition, this movement in the same fateful circles” (102). He justifies it as a way of life and inevitable suffering.As I reread the chapter OM, I came to the realization that there is an important parallel with Siddhartha and Hesse that I failed to recognize before. During Hesse’s lifetime he remarried multiple times, which corresponds to Siddhartha's inability to love Kamala. Another similarity that was presented in this chapter is their separation from their children and the hardships that follow. Although in Hesse’s case he gave his boys to a friend and then moved away. It is interesting how in the book, Siddhartha cares a great deal for a child that he has to give up. In the novel, Siddhartha is nearly forced to separate from the child he loves, which might root from Hesse’s attempt at justifying leaving his kids and his guilt. “But the wound still burned. Passionately and bitterly, Siddhartha dwelled on his son, nurtured the love and tenderness in his heart, let the pain of it consume him, indulged in all the foolishness of love. This was not a flame that went out by itself” ( Hesse 102). In the novel Siddhartha goes into a depression multiple times and at one point takes into consideration taking his life. When Siddhartha has to let his son go it is the most discussed, time consuming hardship that he goes through.This could be a result of Hesse’s decision to leave his sons behind and his emotions that still dwell inside. Another reason it is part of his guilt is because he states in the novel, “was it not comical, a strange stupid thing, this repetition, this movement in the same fateful circles” (102). He justifies it as a way of life and inevitable suffering.
ReplyDeleteContinuing from my last blog, the language used in the description of the river in the chapter “The Ferryman” also communicate and emphasize Siddhartha’s love and spiritual respect for it. The poetic cadence of the text, a characteristic of the novel, returns in the beginning of the chapter in two places: “How he loved this river, how it charmed him, how grateful he was to it!” (Hesse 79) and “He saw that the river flowed and flowed, flowed ever onward” (80). In both instances, the repetition creates a rhythm like flowing water or emotion. The consonance in words like “flowed,” “translucent” “crystalline lines,” and “still” also contributes to the tone of tranquility and “flow.” The passage primarily utilizes these devices, as well as specific word choice, to serve as imagery describing the river and the way it reflects Siddhartha’s thoughts. Hesse’s purpose here is to open the chapter with a kind of optimism, to show that Siddhartha had discovered something new within himself and that this change will be for the better. Meeting the river again was a symbolic vessel for this self discovery. At the very end of the introductory passage, Siddhartha wonders, “if one could grasp that, understand that! He did not understand or grasp it, felt only an inkling stir, a distant memory, divine voices.” The diction in the last sentence intrigued me, as the words that describe what Siddhartha felt seem non sequitur— yet, the dreamy tone that these words carry left a strong impact, and this tone was what drew me to the beginning part of this chapter.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis on the poetic rhythm of the chapter is very interesting and it connects well with Hesse's common repetition to mimic meditation, only here it is imitating the river. When Siddhartha begins to basically live with the river, the tone becomes melodic and calm to represent the smooth movement of the water as well as Siddhartha's changed state of mind where he discards worry and the obsession with time. You describe it as a dreamy tone which reminds me of how Siddhartha's dreams always foreshadow an event, but since he is "living" in the dream, he has reached his own nirvana where reality is no longer a weight upon his shoulders.
DeleteIn the chapter By the River, Hesse describes the river as enchanting, and he falls in love with it and it's beauty. At first Siddhartha thinks everything about the water is great and hopeful, which relates back to the theme of water that has been brought up multiple times throughout the book. “The river gazed at him with a thousand eyes-green, white, crystal, sky blue. How he loved this river, how it enchanted him, how grateful he was to it! In his heart he heard the newly awakened voice speak, and it said to him: “Love this river, stay by it, learn from it.” Yes, he wanted to learn from it, he wanted to listen to it” (89). This is also similar to how Siddhartha felt about Kamala when he first met her. Siddhartha fell in “love” with Kamala and she intrigued him in the beginning until it eventually did not work out. In the chapter the son, Hesse ties in the symbol of water again, but this time it is somewhat negative. Hesse makes the water represent something that mocks you and makes fun of you, “but the river laughs, it laughs at me, it laughs at me and you, and it shakes with laughter at our folly” (104). The word folly means foolishness, which means that the river was mocking Siddhartha in a way and making it seem like everything he once thought about love and the world was foolish. This relates back to his experience with Kamala because he also learned that he was incapable of loving her and that in the end nothing works out. Both the water and Kamala are things Siddhartha both fell in love with and despised and they represent love and loss in Siddhartha’s life, which are both themes that are represented throughout the story.
ReplyDeleteIn the chapter Govinda, Siddhartha and Govinda finally reunite and Siddhartha is able to display his wisdom from awakening. After being a shramana, meeting Gotama, staying with Kamala, and living with the river, Siddhartha has learned that “Wisdom is not expressible,” and that when he thought an experience was worthless it instead held a much greater meaning (Hesse 110). Finding that meaning takes time, and once Siddhartha realized that there is no need for him to rush since time is irrelevant, he was able to look back upon his many experiences, like an adult looks back at their younger self. Siddhartha’s entire journey has been towards awakening, but he expresses to Govinda that “Never is a person or an act wholly samara or wholly nirvana,” and how Siddhartha is more content and wise knowing that he can never reach enlightenment (110). Govinda’s and Siddhartha’s personalities clash especially since Govinda “will never stop seeking,” while Siddhartha does not care about attaining a certain goal, he does not “care” but instead accepts aspects of life (108). Trying to follow objective after objective only transforms a person into an obsessed seeker who needs reassurance that they have fully completed a task instead of being thankful for life’s opportunities and the little teachings they learn along the way. Many people want a result and care more about the product versus the system. By not worrying about an outcome, Siddhartha focuses on the “now” and understands that wisdom is not something that you learn but a trait that you gain. Wisdom allows a person to fully recognize themselves and accept every flaw, and becomes “just as a person will sometimes feel the life in his heart,” (109). Wisdom is the underlying heartbeat of your spirit. It will always be a part of a person and can easily be overpowered by worries, stress, and anger. Siddhartha’s wisdom is finally larger than his ego, and once Govinda acknowledges that, he accepts the fact that Siddhartha was destined to be different and he was destined to a seeker.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you analysis of wisdom with Siddhartha. This idea of always seeking can be dangerous in this book when it comes to reaching enlightenment and this is shown through Govinda. Govinda has been seeking his entire life and once he meets someone who doesn't seek, he realizes that that's not the way to achieve enlightenment. The only way to achieve it is through experiences whether they be good or bad. Siddhartha wouldn't be the person he is at the end of the book without him meeting Kamala or him becoming a rich merchant. It proves that everyone learns through different experiences and that you can't necessarily look for what you want and rather live and have what you want eventually come to you.
Delete“A feeling of most profound love and most humble veneration burned like a fire in his heart. He bowed low, down to the ground, before the motionless, sitting figure whose smile reminded him of everything he had ever loved in his life, of everything in his life that had ever been worthy and sacred for him.” (Hesse 117). I think that the last passage of a book is always very important to the overall story and the fact that Hesse decided to end the story on Govinda’s thoughts is intriguing. Not only is it interesting because it’s from Govinda’s point of view but also because it brings back the motif of love and sacredness, ideas that are ever-changing throughout the book. Love has been one of the things that represents Siddhartha’s changes the most. His belief of love has changed from thinking that it’s something meant for the child people, to something that was worthy of admiration, something that made people better, and then back again. It’s interesting how Siddhartha’s and Govinda’s relationship has progressed through the book. In a way it has also come full circle. In the beginning, it starts out with Siddhartha not believing that he loves Govinda but seeing him as more of a follower, similar to a little brother. Then it changes to admiration and appreciation, yet also with a lasting feeling of mockery, when Govinda decides to leave to follow Gotama. Then eventually it goes back to love in the last chapter. Govinda has gone through a similar cycle. Love and admiration, separation, and then back to love.
ReplyDeleteIn the chapter "om", Siddhartha is crushed with the recent event of his son leaving. Eventually, he decides to go find him, and as he climbed out of his boat to go to the city, he noticed the river was laughing. In this paragraph, Siddhartha begins to feel hope. Hesse creates this tone of hope by having Siddhartha question his past actions and results of his actions. It is as if a person was contemplating life, and beginning to make an important decision in their lives. As Siddhartha recalls his father, and thinks about how his father must have felt when Siddhartha left him, Siddhartha seems to become wiser. This can be seen when "Siddhartha got back in the boat and rowed back to the hut" (Hesse 102). When he is back in the hut, Siddhartha opens up to Vasudeva. A few paragraphs later, Siddhartha began to view Vasudeva as a God. Words such as "eternal" and "wondrous" (103) shows that Siddhartha is one step closer to enlightenment. I found it interesting, that once again, a good thing that occurs in Siddhartha's journey, happens without him trying to find it. It is always a happy accident. A few paragraphs later, Vasudeva brings Siddhartha to listen to the river. "Siddhartha listened" (105) to the river, once again like the student he has been throughout the book. The river symbolizing unity, helps Siddhartha realize that everything is unified. At the end of the chapter, Siddhartha understands the river. Vasudeva leaves Siddhartha, "full of light" (106). Vasudeva had achieved enlightenment.
ReplyDelete