Siddhartha's encounter with Gotama seemingly marked a turning point in his journey of seeking enlightenment. The exchange between the two leaves Siddhartha considerably altered in the way he thinks. He finds a flaw in the teaching and exposes that to the Buddha who in turn responds wisely in saying that the teaching was not intended to be argued over and that it has an ultimate purpose of aiding others in their path of liberation from suffering. This particular passage validates the intelligence of Siddhartha but also brings to attention his ego and slight arrogance. Yet he is honest in telling Gotama that he is afraid his ego will only be pacified if he follows the teachings of the Buddha. This essentially lays out an important theme of Siddhartha's journey, showing that he is often trapped in illusions of teachings (ex. the shramanas) and that he fails to reach enlightenment through the guidance of elders or extensive knowledge of others. However, after the encounter with Buddha, Siddhartha vows to penetrate his inner self as Gotama has. He also states that only Gotama's teaching has not seduced him or placed a false illusion on his ego and thoughts. In leaving Gotama after accepting that he could not be taught enlightenment, the rest of his journey is documented in Siddhartha seeking peace without external teachings and guidance. As a reader, this particular passage was slightly puzzling in the fact that Siddhartha seemed to have met the ultimate one whom attained eternal peace yet he himself was lacking and simply could not accept it.
Janice, I agree with your stance on Siddhartha’s meeting with the Sublime One. I also believe that after meeting with the Sublime One, Siddhartha, finds a flaw in his teaching and turns slightly away from him. Then after Siddhartha still models his journey after the Sublime One. He still seeks to assist people in relieving them of their suffering. You do make a good point in how this passage was slightly confusing. I don’t think Siddhartha completely turned away the Sublime One’s teachings because like I said he did follow nearly the same journey as Buddha.
This section of text where Siddhartha examines his own self, marks the beginning of his transformation. Unsatisfied with his life, he starts questioning his teachers and religion. He is not happy with his teachers, they had not given him the tranquility and peace he was promised. He longs for more, to fill himself with the enlightenment they can no longer provide. He questions his religion, he practices rituals every day but what is the purpose? He washes himself but does that really help? Rituals do not seem to quench the thirst he has for knowledge, or wash away the sin of discontent. He questions his father, a wise man and a good man, is a person as good as him at peace? If so why did he still long for more but purify himself every day? Siddhartha has everything in life so why isn't he at peace? What do you give to a man who has everything? These questions that whirl in Siddhartha's head everyday are the reason he is no longer happy. They are the seed of his journey and will soon sprout and lead him on an adventure to appease his heart. An expedition that leads him far away from the safe haven of his home, but closer than ever to finding peace with himself.
Our ideas are rather similar in that Siddhartha reaches various points in his journey where it marks a significant change in his thought process and how he may perceive his path to enlightenment. However, I believe as he continues, every encounter he has quenches a few of his questions. Also, a significant literary device I noticed is that strong diction used to describe Siddhartha's mother and father and Govinda's love for him. As a reader, it is always a relief to see the main character accepted by the community, yet also puzzling for the fact he is not content even with so much love and support around him.
I agree that Siddhartha leaving at the beginning was a huge turning point in the story, he defied his father, because he wanted to discover nirvana for himself. He thought that because all the 60, 70, 80, year olds all still hadn’t reached it, so the path he was taught must have not been the right one. He seemed really arrogant at the beginning, thinking the way of the elders was the wrong way, he kept speaking as if the world revolved around him, for example at the beginning when he said all the women loved him, his father, mother, Govinda all people respect and admire him. He said Govinda compared him to a god. This is an example of Siddhartha's ego clouding his thoughts.
I agree with your idea that Siddhartha left on his quest to travel far away from his safe haven to find his inner peace. In a way its almost contradicting. He is leaving behind a comfortable and secure life in search for his idea of comfortable. This also is a prime example of the maxim, "The real reason for quests is self knowledge". This maxim is suppose to emphasize that every journey one takes always has a greater meaning, and always can benefit oneself.However, this is Siddhartha's literal intention. With all of these questions at hand, one more would be what made Siddhartha crave this need for enlightenment when his life is so superb, and everyone around him is so accepting and loving?
This Is Andrew, I was not able to post under my schools Google account
“And the last hour of the night, before day broke, he came back again, went into the room, and looked at the youth standing there. The boy looked big to him and alien. “Siddhartha,” he said, “what are you waiting for?” “You know.” “Are you going to keep standing there, till daylight, till noon, till night?” “I'm going to stand here and wait.” “You’ll get tired, Siddhartha.” “I’ll get tired.” “You will fall asleep, Siddhartha.” “I will not fall asleep.” “You’ll die, Siddhartha.” “I will die.” “And would you rather die than obey your father?” “Siddhartha will do what his father tells him.” The first daylight shone into the room. The brahmin saw that Siddhartha's knees were shaking slightly. But he saw no wavering in Siddharts face. They eyes were fixed on the distance. Then the father realized that Siddhartha was already no longer home with him, that he had left him already” (Hesse, pp 9-10).
This life changing conversation marks one of the most important turns in the story. Siddhartha has begun his journey mentally, even though he is still physically present. This passage takes place in Siddhartha’s and his father’s home. Although Siddhartha is physically standing in his house, he is already on his journey to find Enlightenment. At first, he refers to himself as “I”, but as the conversation goes on, he switches from “I” to “Siddhartha”. The way he switches makes him seem like he is no longer the old Siddhartha his father knows. Siddhartha is set on following his destiny. “The brahmin saw that Siddhartha's knees were shaking slightly. But he saw no wavering in Siddhartha's face” (Hesse, p. 10). Hesse characterizes Siddhartha as a patient young man, who is determined to follow his path. Siddhartha uses simple sentences when answering his father, showing that he is prepared and not discouraged. He answers his father directly by repeating his father’s words in his answers firmly to show that he can take care of himself and go on. “Are you going to keep standing there, till daylight, till noon, till night?” Siddhartha answers that he will be standing here and wait really shows that he is really patience. I find it interesting that he is trying to convince Siddhartha to stay, but he doesn't directly tell him to obey. Remember how Siddhartha says “Siddhartha will do what his father tells him.”(Hesse, p.10) and yet his father still wouldn't command him. It marks his father love and he would his son and let him follow his path. This the the last conversion from father to son.
Your stance on this section of text is very similar to mine, Another point you missed however is that his short and to the point responses seemingly lack the respect that he has for his father. Just four pages earlier he speaks of his father as an "irreproachable man" a man who is both noble and wise. This lack of respect in the conversation above symbolize how strongly Siddhartha feels about the situation, His father can feel that, which is why instead of telling him no, he goes back to his room and watches Siddhartha from afar, analyzing and testing his son on how committed he is to his ideas. The longer Siddhartha stands outside the more anxious and scared his father gets because he knows that his son has transformed and he can no longer keep him enclosed.
Another example from the text that would also support your analysis is on the page right before your quote when Siddhartha says “ With your permission, my father. I have come to say that I long to leave your house tomorrow and join the ascetics” (pg 9). This quote would have made your analysis stronger because it provides background information to the fight that you were describing on the next page. I really like how you pointed out that Siddhartha switches from “I” to third person, that was a really interesting observation that I didn’t notice when I was reading the book.
This passage is the part of the book where Siddhartha realizes that he no longer wants to be a samana. He is talking to Govinda about how he no longer wants to continue and he says “ Soon, Govinda, your friend will leave this path of the samanas, which he has followed with you for such a long time. I suffer from thirst, O Govinda, and my thirst has not lessened on this long samana path”(Hesse 18). This quote proves that Siddhartha can’t handle the samana lifestyle any longer. He is realizing that he will not be able to reach Nirvana if he continues on the path he is currently on. Hesse continues to say Govinda’s name multiple times to make the reader pay attention to his character, because Govinda doesn't want Siddhartha to leave the samana’s but in the future it is actually the opposite that happens. Govinda ends up leaving the samana’s to join a journey of buddhism. Siddhartha knows that he wants to leave, but he doesn't know where to go yet, so he ends up staying with the samana’s for three more years. Until the word of the first Buddhist spreads. Govinda is talking to Siddhartha again when he says “ O Siddhartha… Tell me friend, should we not also go there and hear the teaching from the lips of the Buddha” (Hesse 21)? The table is turned now and the once loyal Govinda is now looking for a new faith to follow. Hesse used “ O Govinda” and “O Siddhartha” to show how they both want to leave their current faith. This quote provides evidence that Govinda has hopped on board with Siddhartha and together they can find a group that suits their needs. Now they can continue on their journey to Nirvana by starting with a visit to Gautama, the Buddha.
I agree that leaving the samanas was a turning point in the book. He felt like starvation, and self deprivation wasn't accomplishing anything, however he learned a lot from the Samanas that he uses throughout the book, such as patience, and the ability to go without food and water. He and Govinda start to separate at this part, because as the Buddha comes along, Siddhartha feels like his path to enlightenment is flawed, where Govinda wanted to learn from him. Leaving the Samanas was an example of Siddhartha finding his own path to enlightenment. I didn’t notice the repetition, but I agree that Hesse probably used it to emphasize Govinda’s desire to have Siddhartha stay.
I agree how ironic it is for Govinda to be the one not wanting to leave, but later leaving Siddhartha for Gautama. You know how in stories they're always like "one can not survive while another one lives?" This may be a stretch and sound completely ridiculous, but it's almost as if in order for Siddhartha to reach enlightenment, he has to have his spiritual connection "die" and having Govinda's "live." I noticed that you had mentioned Siddhartha not being able to handle the Samana life, I think it's not that he can't handle it, but he's impatient. I think he had high hopes for them, and expected to have achieved nirvana already through their teachings.
“Only Kamala had been dear, had been valuable to him-but was she still thus? Did he still need her, or she him? Did they not play a game without an ending? Was it necessary to live for this? No, it was not necessary! The name of the game was Sansara, a game for children, a game which was enjoyable to play once, twice, ten times-but for ever and ever again?” “Siddhartha then knew that the game was over, that he could not play it anymore. Shivers ran over his body inside of him, so he felt something had died.”(Pg 90)
In the bliss of the peach garden under the stars, one of the most important turning points in the story occurs. It is the moment he realizes that city life, and a life of wealth and sex isn’t meaningful forever. It is when he decides to leave Kamala, and his wealth to quench his thirst for enlightenment. He sat under his peach tree in his garden at this part, and considers if it is right for him to own a living thing, or if it is just a silly game. He questions why everything in the city is like the kid’s game Sansara. The author draws a strong comparison between Kamala and the citizens of the city to children, to show that Siddhartha considers there ways pointless, He thinks their accomplishments are similar to that of a child crawling for the first time. He questions if leaving his father Govinda, and Gotama was important to finding peace. He reflects on what he learned, the important people in his life, and what they taught him, and decided to leave. To find enlightenment he needed to go somewhere else. This is an example of repetition, because earlier in the story he left the samanas, his father, and Govinda, for the same reasons, because he didn’t think he could find meaning with them. As a reader you feel confident that he is going to find meaning elsewhere, but sorrowful that he is leaving Kamala and all the great things about city life behind.
I find your point intriguing, that a recurrence in the story is that he leaves all the people he has a relationship with. Every time he leaves it seems to be a turning point, he always seems to leave for the same reason though, to further his knowledge. I agree that him leaving Kamala was possibly the most devastating considering she is bearing his child, but I understand why he left. He had become so obsessed with material items and completely abandons the journey he initially left for so when he realizes his mistakes he changes his life
In the scene where Siddhartha is expressing his displeasure towards Govinda about the leader of the shramanas, you can see that he yearns for knowledge. However, his ego is getting in the way of what he seeks. Siddhartha doesn’t understand how he can possibly reach nirvana when his teacher “has reached sixty and still has not attained nirvana. He will get to be seventy and eighty; and you and I, too, we will get old, and we will do our practices and fast and meditate. But we will not attain nirvana; neither will he” (Hesse 15). When Siddharth speaks of the oldest shraman, his tone gives away that he looks down upon him. This is because when he first met the shraman, he had high hopes for their teachings. He thought that if he followed their teachings, then he could somehow achieve nirvana. Later Siddhartha exclaims: “It is impossible to learn anything! In my opinion, that thing that we call ‘learning’ does not exist. The only thing that exists, my friend, is a knowing that is everywhere, which is atman, which is in me and in you and in every being. And I am beginning to believe that this knowing has no greater enemy than wanting to know, that learning.” (Hesse pg 16) When Siddhartha tells Govinda “that thing that we call ‘learning’ does not exist,” you can see today’s western ideas in him. He has to be the best, whether it’s asking the best questions, or the one who understand the teachings the best. Siddhartha is very competitive; he puts seeking nirvana before his family, and while Govinda and his teachers are there to help him, he must succeed on his own. He doesn’t realize that his ego and wanting to be the smartest is actually his weakness and not his strength.
I agree with your stance on this text, it is definitely the resurgence of his ego that is shown in this passage. I think this is furthermore proved just six pages later, after spellbinding the old samana his friend, Govinda says 'It is hard, it is very hard to spellbind an old samana. Truly had you remained there, you would soon have learned how to walk on water." "I do not desire to walk on water," Said Siddhartha. "let old samanas content themselves with such tricks.'(Hesse 23) This brash statement solidified that his ego has returned and made him impatient, he wants to achieve nirvana too fast, learn too fast, and it blinds his vision. He thinks he is above the old and wise samanas a thought a Siddhartha from years past never would have conceived.
Your analysis is really interesting. It made me think about how Siddhartha and Govinda were fighting about how Siddhartha thought that they would not reach nirvana if they stayed with the samanas, but then three pages later Govinda was the one who wanted them to leave the Samanas for the Buddha. It is really ironic how after their disagreement they ended up staying with the Samanas for three more years, even though he was just talking about wanting to leave. I like how you tied in the fact that his ego played a huge role in his decisions with the Samanas, I had not thought about that in my reflection.
Siddhartha was left in solitude after journeying out to find Nirvana. Siddhartha's departures left behind his family and his lifelong companion, Govinda. After this realization, he commenced walking out into the world on his own. Siddhartha not only saw the world for what it is, but experienced it. "He saw and acknowledged visibility, he sought his home in the world, did not seek reality, did not aim at any beyond," (Hesse 43). Siddhartha begins to really see the world and all of it's beauty only when he finds himself without anyone else. "Light and shadow ran through his eyes, star and moon ran through his heart," (Heese 44). Siddhartha exposed himself to the vast and glorious world that is all around him and feels intertwined with it. He also finds himself thinking of the words he spoke to the "Sublime One" and how the only way for him to reach enlightenment would be to experience what the Buddha had experienced. He had acknowledged that you cannot teach content that you must experience. This is seemingly a turning point in the story. Siddhartha was always being taught how to reach Nirvana or the proper way to steer his life. He had always been with somebody who meant a great deal to him whether it be his parents, or his close friend Govinda. His desire for knowledge exceeds any affection he has or ever will be shown. Siddhartha himself is unable to display affection to those who care for him. Siddhartha is strong for being able to live by himself, but self-centered for demolishing any bonds he makes with people.
Your analysis is accurate and well written and I slightly agree with the second part of the last sentence. "-but self centered for demolishing any bonds he makes with people." I believe the Siddhartha may be making an unconscious decision of breaking his bonds with his close friends and family. Self-centered probably wouldn't be the best word to describe Siddhartha's predicament as he clearly cares for his parents and his best friend Govinda. I believe Siddhartha is taking account for himself and voluntarily attempting to change his life so that he can be internally satisfied. That seems almost admirable yet I think the traits that stand out most to many readers is his arrogance and ego. I would probably describe Siddhartha as intelligent and someone who advocates for his heart desires.
I agree with you on how talking to the Sublime One was a turning point. However, I disagree with him not being able to display affection. I can definitely see where you may think that, but Siddhartha is a survivor. He has a very strong will, while his moral compass is mostly pointing in the right direction. You say his knowledge exceeds any affection, I disagree. I think it's one of those things that he can learn. He has already taught himself how to live on his own, and staying strict to his religion. However, I do think he takes having Govinda's company for granted. I believe that without Govinda, Siddhartha will be able to teach himself how to feel like a normal human being because as I mentioned before, he's a survivor.
Our ideas are very similar in that we both see that Siddhartha left his close family and friends to experience what the world has to offer him. For example, after leaving the samanas Siddhartha strives to empty himself of hunger, thoughts, etc. He then meets Buddha. This is where my idea differs slightly, I believe that Siddhartha parts slightly from Buddha’s teachings. Though, I do agree that Siddhartha meeting Buddha is a major turning point in the story. I just interpret differently. Your analysis was really helpful though. Your analysis helped me make more sense of the presentations we were doing in class, Friday.
Your analysis is very well written. To some extent I agree with your idea that Siddhartha is unable to show affection in the first part of the book. However, I also see Janice’s point of view that he only is advocating for his hearts desires which is very important for one to live a happy life. However, Siddhartha spent his whole life seeking this inner peace, and disregarding his loved ones, that it was not as full as it could have been. This is because he was so caught up in getting to the destination(enlightenment) that he forgot about the journey. He occasionally will have these “awakenings” and realizations such as after meeting the Buddha, however he always sinks back into the mindset of only wanting inner peace. In the expert you used, the polarity between “light and shadow” should not be overlooked. This contrast describes the drastic change in the world through Siddhartha’s eyes.
In the beginning passage of Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, the main character, Siddhartha, begins to search deep within himself to find who he really is. He begins to question his close friends and family. He even begins to question those he looks up to, such as Buddha and his other teachers. Before meeting the Sublime One, Siddhartha ends up going his own way. What Siddhartha eventually tries to do is to empty himself of everything. These things include hunger, his mind, etc. This is an important element for later in the story because when Siddhartha meets Kamala he becomes very materialistic. He then has to find his old self. An interesting thing I noticed in this first passage was Hermann Hesse’s use of syntax. In the first chapter he uses a lot of commas. When you think of commas in literature, they are meant to symbolize pauses. If you think of this from Siddhartha’s perspective he is pausing to think. In the second chapter Hesse’s sentence structure is very short. This represents how Siddhartha’s character changes abruptly within the first two chapters. These two elements give a little bit of foreshadowing for later in the book in how Siddhartha has many turning points in his life where he has to sit and think of who he really is.
“Hot dreams flared from his enlarged eyes, the nails grew long on his withering fingers, as did, on his chin, the dry and bristly beard. His gaze grew icy when it encountered women.”(13)
The narrator uses temperature based diction to portray Siddhartha's personality. “Hot dreams” is used to emphasize the daydreams and fatigue that Siddhartha encounters during his days with the Samanas. When one thinks of something hot, they might think of fire, or a burning stove. Such objects are too scorching to come near, and they take a while to cool down once they are controlled. Hesse used the word “Hot” to describe Siddhartha's bold and uncontrollable dreams, whether it be daydreams, hallucinations, or his dreams in life,(it does not specify). The literal definition of icy in this sentence is, without warmth of feeling; coldly unfriendly. When I think of something icy, I think of something that remains still and solemn. This is the way Siddhartha feels and acts towards women while he is with the Samanas, because he is living so simplistic. Also, this diction that he uses speaks to our senses, especially using hot and icy as ways to describe his personal attributes, which is why it is such good use of imagery. Hesse’s word choice gives a bold, and apparent change of tone in the story. It started from him craving change and wanting to see the world, but then once he see’s it, he is agitated. This conflict with his inner self is expressed through Hesse's bold diction, and it gives the passage a sharp, and agitated tone. This passage also vividly describes his characteristics in the last fourteen days. It is automatically apparent that he is fatigued, and growing weaker by Hesse’s fragile diction such as, “withering fingers”. In this passage, temperature based diction is used to portray an overt sense of change in Siddhartha as he starts on his journey of seeking enlightenment.
As I reread the second chapter, a paragraph struck my attention about Siddhartha: “Siddhartha learned much among the samanas, he learned to follow many paths away from his ego. He followed the path of unselfing through pain, through the voluntary suffering and overcoming of pain, of hunger, of thirst, of fatigue. He followed the path of unselfing through meditation, through thinking till the mind was empty of all notions. He learned to follow those and other paths, he left himself a thousand time... But though the paths led away from the ego, in the end they always led back to the ego... dwelling in nothingness, in animal, in rock, the return was inevitable since he found himself again, in sunlight or in moonlight, in shade or in rain and again was ego and Siddhartha, and again felt the torment of the onerous cycle.” (Hesse, Pg 15) This paragraph illustrates Siddhartha’s effort to reach enlightenment. In addition, it represents his struggle through the process. Through this process, the samanas encourage Siddhartha to unself himself, so that he can free his mind to gain spiritual fulfillment. To unself, Siddhartha must ignore the needs of his body by resisting pain, hunger, thirst, and fatigue. Siddhartha and Govina both determine to unself through the ways of the samanas, however the paragraph portrays in our minds that Siddhartha succeeds but fails over and over. Beyond the subject of Siddhartha attempting to unself, I noticed that the reason Siddhartha wanted to become a part of the Samana was because he could not reach enlightenment on his own inside his village so he decided to venture forth to seek a new method. Which leads me to think that, Siddhartha is very impatient, trying to reach Nirvana, becauses he is effortlessly trying to reach the enlightenment on his own, but him switching methods gets him very close to float away from his ego with each method until he eventually returns back within himself. This temporary progress causes Siddhartha to become very frustrated.
I agree with you when you say that Siddhartha fails over and over, but I do not believe he is impatient. Siddhartha devotes years of his life towards furthering his knowledge and wisdom. He practically says himself that teaching can only go so far, and that in order to reach the same level of enlightenment as the Buddha you must experience the things he experienced. “That is why I resume my wandering-not to seek a different, better teaching, for I know there is none; but to leave all teachings and all teachers and to reach my goal alone or die,” (Hesse 33). He continues to devote more of his life to finding himself, patience was not the issue
After the Buddha’s teachings, and after Govinda became a disciple, Siddhartha decides to let Govinda find his own salvation. When Siddhartha has Govinda go, it sets a bittersweet tone. Bitter because Govinda, who was with him from the start, is finally on his own; and sweet because Siddhartha and Govinda are finally is on their own paths to salvation. Hesse uses questions when Govinda speaks, to him to show that Govinda is looking for approval, like he is a child, wanting to feel like he is making the right decision. Siddhartha, in a wise moment tells Govinda to create his own path. Hesse, to show the sudden change in Siddhartha, says he “awakened as if he had been asleep.”(Hesse 31) This simile really shows the wise decision of Siddhartha, saying he was asleep before, like his vision had become clear. The author also uses very powerful diction in this section, repeating the word always, to exaggerate how long Govinda was with him, and how different it will be when he is gone. As a reader, it helps make you more aware of the significance of this moment, of Siddhartha’s decision for them to part ways. This moment is a big turning point for Siddhartha, because he finally is alone.
Oops forgot the quote... “But you my honoured friend, don’t you also want to walk the path of salvation? Would you want to hesitate, do you want to wait any longer?’
Siddhartha awakened as if he had been asleep, when he heard Govinda’s words.For a long time, he looked into Govinda’s face. Then he spoke quietly, in a voice without mockery: ‘Govinda, my friend, now you have taken this step, now you have chosen this path. Always oh Govinda, you’ve been my friend, you’ve always walked one step behind me... I Behold, now you are choosing your path for yourself.; I wish that you would go it up to its end, oh my friend, that you shall find salvation!” (Hesse 31)
I chose a passage in a similar area to yours, but I really like your analysis of the text. I had not thought about the part when he says “Awakened as if he had been asleep” (Hesse 31). This quote really adds emphasis to how it felt to leave Govinda. I had interpreted the text meaning that Siddhartha was kinda self centered, but he was really just wanting to follow his own path even if it meant leaving his friend behind. I knew that Siddhartha felt horrible about leaving his friend, but that quote makes me feel more sympathy towards the fact that Siddhartha didn’t just leave Govinda because he wanted felt like it.
Govinda and Siddhartha have met Gautama, the Buddha himself. Govinda decides he is going to stay with Gautama, but Siddhartha is going to leave to find what suits his needs and he says to his friend “You have not really heard my benediction, O Govinda. Let me repeat it: May you walk this path to its end! May you find deliverance” (Hesse 29)! This quote lets the reader know that Siddhartha is willing to leave his friend to find the path that is right for him. It’s not that Siddhartha wants to leave his friend, but he choses to leave because he doesn't want to hold Govinda back. Hesse does this to shock the reader because no one thought that Siddhartha would have left his friend that had followed him in the first place. Another quote that provides evidence that Siddhartha is dedicated to his path is two pages later when he is talking to the Buddha, he says “And that small gap, that small break shatters and abolishes the whole eternal and unified law of the world” (Hesse 31). The text shows that the Buddha was a very important person at the time and many people were traveling to see him, out of those people nobody had the nerve to stand up to him except Siddhartha. He did not mean it to be rude, but he spoke to Gautama like this because he wanted answers behind his theories.
Great analysis! I think there is an interesting side note about your second quote. When he speaks to the Buddha he mentions a small gap that if broken abolishes the law of the world. For Siddhartha that small gap was Govinda, Shortly after the conversation with the Buddha Siddhartha has a massive change of mindset that I describe in my literary analysis. It was as if Govinda was that one hole in Siddhartha's mesh that caused his shift of thinking. This quote is also foreshadowing because soon after this shift in thinking, the laws that had been placed by his many teachers began to fall, replaced by greed and lust.
(Blog post #1) During my reading of these beginning passages, I noticed an interesting contrast in the personalities as well as in the relationship between Siddhartha and Govinda. From the beginning, the author defines Govinda as Siddhartha’s shadow (pg 4),which to my understanding means having the same aspirations and goals, but the difference is that Govinda is attempting to achieve these joint goals by simply following Siddhartha’s path and imitating his decisions. Govinda wants to reach nirvana, but he is a natural follower, he needs the teachings of others to guide him. On the other hand, Siddhartha continuously questions every teaching he is given, denouncing the wisdom of others and searching for his own path, much to Govinda’s dismay. In this way the author has created somewhat of a divide between these characters who were, from the first sentence, defined as friends. In my return to this section, I found examples of Siddhartha often expressing this divide through degrading dialogue between the two of them. The first occasion begins on page 17, when Siddhartha speaks of how all of the Brahmin have failed to discover “the path of paths.” Continuing on page 18, Govinda expresses his distress at these words, and Siddhartha responds “in a voice containing as much sadness as mockery, in a soft, in a somewhat sad and somewhat mocking voice.”This somewhat mocking voice tells us that Siddhartha is aware of Govinda’s devoted nature towards the teachings of others, and regards him more lowly because of it. He even states that he “always thought Govinda would remain with the semanas. These conflicting attitudes leave wonder when pondering if our protagonists are going to reach enlightenment. Is it possible for Govinda, who seems only capable of whole-heartedly following, or Siddhartha, who seems devoted to this finding his path, year arrogant and somewhat flighty at the same time?
*Side Note* Although this note is unrelated, I find myself needing to both apologize and beg for help. Firstly, I’m quite ashamed by how inconveniently late this post is, but I think that it is better to turn in late work then not at all. Continuing off of this, I must ask for the help of all you successful bloggers. I tried for 2 days on 2 different laptops to post on this site, and finally, assuming this post goes through, I was able to do it on my phone…. Is there something I could possibly be doing wrong? If any of you have any tips to stop this from becoming a reoccurring problem, I couldn't be more grateful….
Your analysis is really intresting. I like how you tied in the bits from the beginning of the chapter and the end to show progression through the story. I totally agree with you when you talk about Siddhartha denouncing the wisdom of others. This made me think about when Kamaswami asks Siddhartha if he had any skills and then looked down upon afterward by saying “What use is it? For example, fasting-what good does it do”(Hesse 58)? I think Hesse does this on purpose because Siddhartha has never given other people's views a chance and now he doesn't like it when people tell him that his skills are useless and he basically threw three years of his life away for nothing. *Side Note* I couldn’t post with my school google account, so I had to use my normal account. Have you tried that? :) Sorry if that doesn't help.
The importance in these two pages lie in the continental shift in Siddhartha's thinking. After leaving behind his friend and follower, Govinda, as well as meeting the Buddha, Siddhartha walks alone and lost in thought. He thinks about his teachers, and how they taught him much, but nothing about Siddhartha himself, then he has what can only be described as a 625th century a-ha moment. He recognizes that the only person that can teach him about himself, is himself. He says “I will get to know myself, the secret that is Siddhartha”(Hesse 36). This quote is foreshadowing his future relations with Kamala, a dark secret of lust that he discovers about himself. What happens after this quote however, shows the dramatic change in his thinking. “He looked around as if seeing the world for the first time”(Hesse 37). For the first time in the book, he graphically describes his surroundings, Something that he has never done before. The description of the environment symbolizes his rebirth as a new person, seeing life through a different lens, he no longer despises the nature around him, and instead embraces it. He starts to cherish and explore the world around him with a childlike curiosity. Soon however just like the changing seasons, Siddhartha will be changed by the new world he lives in, for the better or for worse.
I think that is interesting that you see a change in Siddhartha’s thinking after he parts with Buddha and Govinda. While I do think you make a good point, I think that Siddhartha is ultimately on his path to enlightenment. Even though it does not appear this way while he is spending time with and trying to please Kamala. In the end though it is all part of his path to enlightenment. I liked your analysis though because you pointed out something to me that I would not have noticed if I did not look at Siddhartha’s mind and feelings from a different perspective.
I find it interesting you looked at the sudden shift in his thinking. I agree that his childlike curiosity was a large shift in his thoughts. Siddhartha describing his surroundings for the first time in the book is huge. It's like he had tunnel vision the whole book, only considering his path for enlightenment. Then all of a sudden he noticed the world around him. As a reader it really helps you understand Siddhartha's thoughts, and you makes you feel like you are Siddhartha. This sets a tone making you feel like everything in his world is beautiful, and really shows Siddhartha appreciating the world for what it is. He looks at the world from a child's perspective, noticing things for what they are. If everyone looked at the world from his perspective we could move mountains...
" With a calm, silent, hidden smile not unlike a healthy child’s, the Buddha walked, Wearing the cloak and setting his feet down like all his monks, according to a precise regulation. But his face and his steps, his silently lowered gaze, his silently hanging arm, and every last finger on his silently hanging hand spoke of peace, spoke of perfection, did not seek, did not imitate, breathed gently in an everlasting calm, in an everlasting light, an inviolable peace.” (27)
This passage is written when Siddhartha and Govinda are about to converse with the Buddha. This description of Gautama includes Figures of Speech. A personification is used in the quote, “Every last finger on his silently hanging hand spoke of peace, spoke of perfection. Breathed gently in an everlasting calm.” The use of personification is used to amplify the effect of how at peace the Buddha seemed. By having his hand “speak” of perfection and “breath” gently, one can relate to the feelings of tranquility through these actions. The tone of this passage is reticent. Hesse portrays this tone by using hushed diction such as using, “calm, silent, hidden,” to describe Gautama's smile. He also describes his smile as “not unlike a healthy child’s” which is using a simile to create a visual image of the innocent grin that he wore. This paragraph is a prime example of visual imagery and character development. Hesse’s use of anaphoras give the passage a flow to it as well. Examples of these include, “his silently lowered gaze, his silently hanging arm, and every last finger on his silently hanging hand”, as well as “in an everlasting calm, in an everlasting light”. By the repetition of “silently” and “everlasting” the hushed and solemn tone.
In this passage of Siddhartha, Govinda, Siddhartha’s long term friend essentially betrays him. This is also the point when Siddhartha meets the Sublime One for the first time. It is at this point when Siddhartha parts from his teacher and his friend. This is ironic in the sense because in this passage Siddhartha says, “Will Govinda ever take a step alone, without me, prompted by his own soul?’ Look, now you have become a man and are choosing your own path. May you it to its end, O my friend! May find deliverance!” This quote explains the point of Govinda leaving Siddhartha. Siddhartha, in this quote, first questions Govinda’s manhood by saying that Govinda never does anything without doing it with Siddhartha. Siddhartha then goes on to say the Govinda finally has “stepped out his comfort zone” by going on his own path and leaving Siddhartha for Buddha. This path represents Govinda’s search for enlightenment. This is ironic because Siddhartha wants to help his friend Govinda but in order to do so he has to leave him. I think this is situational irony because normally to help someone you have to be with them but instead Siddhartha is leaving him. This foreshadows a little bit of Siddhartha’s future because he leaves his friend and lover Kamala later in the book. This is not even mentioning Siddhartha leaving his own family.
After speaking with Gotama, I found it interesting how Siddhartha was disappointed with the response he had received. It was as if he expected more from the Buddha just like with every teacher he had previously. However in this case, the only thing Gotama told him was “You are clever, shramana,...you know how to speak cleverly, my friend. Beware of excessive cleverness!” (Hesse pg 29) When it comes to word choice and phrasing, Herman Hesse is brilliant at making the reader think deeply about the meaning below the surface. With Gotama’s message, on the surface, the phrase as simple as the one above could be interpreted simply as be careful about how you speak. However, the deeper meaning is much more confusing but impactful. When Gotama said “you are a clever shramana” he is referring to Siddhartha’s yearn for knowledge and nirvana. How he was clever to leave his family for the shramana, then the shramana in search of Gotama, and finally, leaving his best friend Govinda. When Gotama says “you know how to speak clearly, my friend. Beware of excessive cleverness!” he is referring to Siddhartha’s ego. This is because when Siddhartha spoke to him, he spoke to him to prove how knowledgeable, and how great he was at interpreting his teacher’s lessons. While all this is wonderful, Gotama’s overall message is that Siddhartha should put aside everything he has learned from his teachers, and try to not focus as hard on every word they say. To not cling to them like a child clings to it’s mother. Later Siddhartha acknowledges this, “but he gave me Siddhartha, he gave me myself.” This is foreshadowing that Siddhartha will pause his quest for nirvana. For he is a different Siddhartha, intent on figuring out who this new one is.
I never realized how much more meaning you find in an entire book by simply rereading one section. Sentences that I originally hadn't bothered much with I found to hold a boatload of meaning. My favorite in this section is the multiple references and comparisons to a serpent. When first reading this book, I thought they were just visual guides, a way to help the audience see what the author wants you to see. But as I was scanning the pages of Awakening, an idea hit me. Snakes tend to be associated with deception. The are clandestine creatures, and often used to describe surreptitious characters. Even the Bible used a snake as an antagonist who cleverly swindles Adam and Eve. So I couldn’t help but stop and think about the purpose behind mentioning a serpent twice in one chapter. The reference that I found to be most important occurs on page 37. “While thinking these thoughts, Siddhartha halted again, suddenly, as if a serpent were lying in his path.” I truly believe that this is representing the moment Siddhartha realizes that he is unconsciously deceiving himself. The serpent in his path is the part of him that, in the past, had told him that he “had been his father’s son, had been a Brahmin, high-ranking, spiritual,” (Hesse 38) and now that the serpent has suddenly appeared in front of him, he realizes his self-deception, as well as the truth that he was “only Siddhartha, the awakened, and nothing more.” (Hesse 38) With this ground-breaking discovery, I flipped back to page 35, in which it says “He realized that one thing had left him like the old skin that leaves the serpent…” I felt like there had to be some connection to the second reference, that it couldn’t be a coincidence, and I have a feeling I was right. At this point, Siddhartha does feel as though he is making great discoveries about himself, except he hasn’t yet experienced his snake-in-the-path epiphany. So, to me, shedding his skin symbolizes his old misconceptions falling away, but the snake remains. The underlying misguided thoughts about himself are still in existence, that is until he sees this serpent, and he understands himself, and his true path, more clearly.
I totally agree with you. The first time I read the book I kinda just read it without putting meaning to the words, but then after analyzing the text there is so much more to it that I completely missed. I really like how you didn’t just add the one quote with the snake, but went back and tied it to the quote on the next page also. Your interpretation of the snake is really interesting. I feel like the snake could also represent a symbol of him being reborn and having a new purpose in his life. After seeing the snake he can now continue on his path, with no strings attached.
[Posting chapters 1-2 because my former blog post was on chapters 3-4]
pg. 4
This particular passage illustrates the potential of Siddhartha as well as the admiration and love that his best friend, Govinda has. The author uses powerful diction to convey the aura that Siddhartha possesses and also applies this language to Govinda's thoughts of Siddhartha becoming a influential being. It is also greatly accentuated that Govinda and Siddhartha's parents expect great things from him yet do not notice the inner turmoil that Siddhartha himself breeds internally within himself. The author emphasizes in this paragraph the great future that is laid before Siddhartha and what is expected of him. Because of this consistent pressure on Siddhartha; this may have contributing factor to Siddhartha's internal turmoil. Though he has incredible potential and has anything he wants in life, he is still malcontent with his place and seeks inner peace with himself and his surroundings. This is admirable in the fact that Siddhartha is willing to advocate for himself and his wants/needs.
Your analysis is really interesting. Siddhartha definitely has an inner turmoil and lots of things seem to fuel it. The main thing that implements his inner turmoil is wanting to find which path is right for him. He tries multiple different religions and faiths, but never gives them a long enough chance to teach him. His impatience seems to get him into trouble, but without it he would never have become the person he did. Another main thing that seems to affect his inner turmoil is his friend Govinda. Govinda is obviously his friend, but he doesn't really care about Govinda as much as Govinda cares about him. Govinda is like the child that wraps himself around their parents leg, it’s cute at first but then the parent gets annoyed after having to drag their child for a while.
You make several good points in your analysis. I agree with many of them. Like I see how you would say Siddhartha has a lot of potential for showing his appreciation for Govinda. I also agree with your statement of how Siddhartha’s parents’ influences put a lot of pressure on Siddhartha himself. This would explain a lot of Siddhartha’s actions later in the book. Siddhartha’s changes in personality may have been due all the pressure put on him to live up to his family’s expectations. With that being said, your analysis gave me more understanding to Siddhartha’s actions.
After Siddhartha left Govinda he wandered around wondering where to go. He took a ferry, but did not have any money to pay the man. The ferryman said “I expected no fare from you and no gift. You will give me the gift another time”(Hesse 46). This quote is extremely ironic because Siddhartha does eventually go back to the ferryman, but even then the ferryman still teaches him more than anyone else has in his entire journey. Hesse added this line in as foreshadowing, because as a reader no one thought that Siddhartha was gonna go back to some random ferryman. As it turns out though the “random” ferryman is the only person able to reach Siddhartha without making him automatically become turned off and go against their views. Another ironic quote on the same page is when the ferryman says “I have learned that too from the river: everything comes again”(Hesse 46)”! This quote is also ironic because when Siddhartha goes back to the ferryman he tells him that the river will teach everything he needs to know. The river does exactly that and Siddhartha becomes the person that he had always wanted to be, just from the river. The river and the ferryman play crucial roles in Siddhartha's journey and they are important things to pay attention to as the book progresses, even though they don’t seem significant when they are first introduced.
In this passage of Siddhartha, Siddhartha is meeting Kamala for the first time. Immediately, Siddhartha experiences lust for Kamala. This part of Siddhartha’s meeting with Kamala is ironic because the first part of Kamala’s name, Kama, symbolizes pleasure and lust. This not only explains Siddhartha’s lust for Kamala but Kamala’s lust for other things as well. In this passage Kamala says, “No, my worthy friend, he is not satisfactory. He must have clothes, lovely clothes, and shoes, lovely shoes, and lots of money in his pouch, and gifts for Kamala.” (Hesse 51). Here, Kamala is explaining why Siddhartha is currently not good enough for her. Kamala expresses that a man for her must have good clothes, shoes and lots of money to buy her gifts, thus showing that she cares for materialistic things, not so much the connection between two individuals. This marks yet another turning point for Siddhartha. Up until this point Siddhartha is on his path to enlightenment. He is trying to empty himself of impurities. This is not a step in the right direction for him because he ends up getting a job for Kamaswami and becomes rich and buys things he does not need. All of this is just to please Kamala. Siddhartha even gets Kamala pregnant. Siddhartha does not find this out until later in the book because Siddhartha leaves Kamala before Kamala gets a chance to tell him.
I agree with you how this is a turning point, but I think Siddhartha views this more as a detour of his actual goal in achieving nirvana. While Kamala is clearly materialistic, she doesn't love. While staying in the village, Siddhartha views Kamala more as a teacher then as a mistress or lover. He later tells Govinda of his many teachers and Kamala is among them. By viewing her as a teacher, in his mind, he has not become one of the child people. This is sort of ironic considering when you think of child associated with religion, you usually think of a disciple. Is Siddhartha not a shramana disciple? Kamala does tell him that he has remained one because he does not love.
Passage from page 45 “During the night, as he slept in the thatched hut of a ferryman by the river, Siddhartha had a dream: Govinda was standing before him, in an ascetic’s yellow robe. Govinda looked sad, and sadly he asked: “Why did you leave me?” Siddhartha then hugged Govinda, wound his arms around him, and as he drew him to his breast and kissed him, it was no longer Govinda, it was a woman, and full breasts welled out from the woman’s garment, and Siddhartha lay on her breast and drank.” The passage speaks of Siddhartha in his sleep while staying with the ferryman. His dream is extremely vivid, but I find what it signifies to be incredibly interesting. It seems that leaving Govinda was a fairly easy task for Siddhartha in my opinion. Siddhartha had always talked down to Govinda and did not see him as an individual, but more as a follower. I believe that although he did not express it, Siddhartha loved Govinda in a brotherly way. They had been together for many years and when they parted ways Govinda was clearly upset, but Siddhartha remained seemingly unaffected. After a short time passes, experiences the absence of his dear friend in the form of a dream. All he can do when Govinda says “Why did you leave me?” is hug him. I believe that this dream also signifies temptation. Much like the Sublime One, Siddhartha will face temptation head on. He dreams it and it becomes reality when he meets Kamala, and later in the book strays away from his path towards enlightenment because of this. “...it was no longer Govinda, it was a woman, and full breasts welled out from the woman’s garment, and Siddhartha lay on her breast and drank,” (Hesse 45). The Buddha was successful in his resistance to the temptation, but in the end Siddhartha was unable to control himself and when the time comes he abandons all he initially sought for.
I find it interesting how you compared Siddhartha's dream of Govida to the one of the woman. You can clearly tell that he has fallen to temptation because of Kamala, but I don't think he's completely abandoned his teaching. Later, he mentions the child people, and even though he does the same thing they do, drink, gamble, and have sex, he considers himself to be different. It's almost as if he views himself to be slightly more inferior then them because he has achieved enlightenment by discovering himself, and he is still a shaman (in his head). I believe Siddhartha thinks he still has a connection with religion the way the child people don't. This is because unlike them, he has gone to severe measures to try and achieve nirvana. Deep down, I think his goal is still to try and reach nirvana. The time he spends with Kamala and being a merchant is merely a detour. After all, Kamala does tell him that "in spite of all that, my dear, you have remained a shramana and you do not love me." (Hesse pg 58). If he doesn't love, he hasn't become one of the child people, which somehow doesn't make him any less religious and less likely to attain nirvana.
“‘But in spite of all that, my dear, you have remained a shramana and you do not love me. You love no one, is that not so?’ ‘that may well be,’ Siddhartha said tiredly. ‘I am like you. You too do not love; otherwise how could you practice love as an art? People of our type are incapable of love. The child people are capable of it; that is their secret.’” (Hesse pg 58) I find it interesting how Siddhartha referred to people who love as the “child people.” It’s almost ironic because when someone hears that, they usually assume that they are religious. An example could be a child of christ or God. However, Siddhartha is saying that they aren’t because they are capable of everything that he has been taught to be indifferent about, love, sex, wealth and greed. When he says “people of our type are incapable of love” (Hesse pg 58), it’s almost as if he is somehow jealous of the child people. They have something that he doesn’t, they’re capable of feeling love, want, and desire. When Kamala says “you have remained a shramana and you do not love me” (Hesse pg 58), she proves that. Earlier on, she tells Siddhartha that he is “the best lover I have ever encountered.” (Hesse pg 58). At this point, the reader can assume that Kamala and Siddhartha have been together for a while and yet, he remains a shramana. I don’t believe that Siddhartha isn’t capable of love, but i think it’s more that he hasn’t found someone or something worth loving. He tells Kamala that he is like her and if she didn’t love, then she wouldn’t be in that practice. They say opposites attract each other and in a way, I do believe that Kamala and Siddhartha are opposites. This is because previously, she told him “some day when I am older, I would like to have a child of yours.” (Hesse pg. 58). Unlike Siddhartha, Kamala has expressed her desire to have a family with him and become one of the child people. While Kamala may want this, deep down Siddhartha is still looking to attain nirvana. He may have achieved enlightenment by discovering himself, but he hasn’t achieved his ultimate goal yet.
I think the use of "Child people" to refer to someone who is in love, is interesting. It is ironic that Siddhartha would say such a thing, because it is he who drastically changed for approval of Kamala. It was love that swayed him to stay in the city and pursue a merchant job. I found you connection between "child" people to Jesus, very interesting. I never looked at this quote and pulled that out of it.I agree with you when you say that Siddhartha IS capable of love, just not at this moment. Hesse leaves the reader kind of feeling a bit hopeless after this expert. I thought that the story might go on further to be joyous and the relationship between a rich girl and peasant would live on, but it turned the opposite way.
While I understand your viewpoint and analysis, I slightly disagree in that I feel Kamala and Siddhartha are actually quite similar. Their similarity is illustrated through their shared inability to love and their exchanges. Kamala herself is unable to love, and I believe Hesse uses her to illustrate lust as that is what her name means. Therefore, she is unable to attain the concept of love and similarly, Siddhartha is denied love because of his lifestyle and his quest to peace and enlightenment.
“... Siddhartha had a dream: Govinda was standing before him, in an ascetic’s yellow robe. Govinda looked sad, and sadly he asked: “Why did you leave me?” Siddhartha then hugged Govinda, wound his arms around him, and as he drew him to his breast and kissed him, it was no longer Govinda, it was a woman, and full breasts welled out from the woman’s garment, and Siddhartha lay on her breast and drank.” (Hesse, Pg 45)
When Siddhartha dreams about Govinda transforming into a beautiful woman states a transitional moment in Siddhartha’s life. In my opinion, this dream symbolizes him moving away from his previous ascetic life that he shared with Govinda. And once Govinda turned into a woman it symbolizes him going forwards toward a new life of desire, which soon he’ll share with Kamala. This sudden change risks Siddhartha’s senses and imagination. However, I believe his encounter with the washerwoman at the village makes him consider when he will enter the world of desire again. I realized that Siddhartha had rejected her, despite desiring her, which lead me to think that Siddhartha indicates an awareness of the difference between obeying one’s inner voice rather than to his impulse. When Siddhartha decides to become Kamala’s lover, he is essentially making a conscious choice to enter the world of desire, and he becomes attached to it rapidly. Furthermore, later on after he encounters Kamala, Siddhartha gets his haircut and shaves. When I read this passage, it felt as if Siddhartha had completely broken away from the spiritual world, where he had be working so hard in, when he shaves and has his hair trimmed. After this transformation he has acknowledged his own physical body in order to fit into the materialistic world.
Our ideas are similar in the way that we see Govinda transforming into the woman was somewhat symbolic. I said that it just meant that he was moving on with his life; he was transitioning to not being with Govinda anymore. Reincarnation is believed in their culture, but only after death. Perhaps, Hesse was trying to show that after leaving Govinda and the “life” they shared together, he was reincarnated (reborn) into a new man? One that lusts for women and cares about, as you put it, the materialistic life by trimming his hair and cutting his beard. You also mentioned that him doing that was just quitting on what he tried so hard to get to, but maybe it isn’t the end, it’s only the beginning of his new life and of him exploring the possibilities that come with it. Maybe for him to discover himself, he must experience different aspects of life, and that’s why Hesse included it in the novel.
In this passage, it is the first time in his journey where Siddhartha hesitates. Throughout his endeavors he has usually remained calm, confident and easy going. He went with the flow. All of the sudden when he see’s Kamala, he gets flustered and wonders if he should go and talk to her. As the pages go on, the reader truly understands the power of love. In this case, love is guiding Siddhartha wrong, which is a present theme in this part. Because of his lust over Kamala, he will do whatever it takes, as stated on page 47, “He was given a robe, led into the bushes, and emphatically warned to vanish immediately and unseen from the grove.Ge gladly did what he was told.” I picture Siddhartha with a subtle grin on his face. He did not mind all of the absurdity because it was all in the sake of getting to know Kamala. His willingness to pursue Kamala no matter what is exemplified in a quote on page 26, “If i were rich, I would give you pieces of gold for them. But it will be hard for you to acquire as much money as you need with power. For you need a great deal of money to be Kamala’s friend”. This quote is so selfish and cringe worthy. However, Siddhartha goes along with her petty comment and proceeds to kiss her. At the beginning of the book, he would not give a person like that the time of day. But it is his love for Kamala that he will tolerate anything, which is a big jump when it comes to Siddhartha’s character development.
Siddhartha’s path is clearly hindered through the introduction of Kamala and his own lust/desires that emerge upon the encounter. He is easily ensnared by her beauty and charms as he diverts from his original purpose of seeking peace and enlightenment. In a section of the passage, it states “Breathing deeply, he remained standing there, and at this moment he was like a child bewildered by the abundance of knowledge and things worthy of learning that had been revealed to him.” Siddhartha formerly, a chapter back, had just been “reborn”; he looked at the world with a new understanding and saw meaning in many different objects and colors after his meeting with Gotama and departure from Govinda. Yet all this is quickly forgotten as soon as he meets Kamala as he is once again “born again”, like a child. And this new information he is presented with will only divert him from his path. This can be likened to the biblical story of Adam/Eve and the Garden of Eden. Where they are tempted by the serpent and the idea of the forbidden fruit that holds higher knowledge. Similarly, Kamala is like a temptation to Siddhartha and changes his thoughts just as Adam and Eve were deceived; as they were formerly obedient and good caretakers of the Garden. This illustrates the development of Siddhartha and some reader’s turmoil; because we have just witnessed Siddhartha’s change in perception about the world around him and suddenly he encounters Kamala and it seems as if the recent eye opening experience has just been forgotten and tossed aside.
I totally agree with this post and I even found something to improve it! When he refers to himself as a child he means he is untainted by the surroundings and he sees things through a new lens. However this can also be exemplified as he as a newborn baby who is easily manipulated and influenced by others around him. His innocence is his downfall and people like Kamala are the ones taking advantage of it. Molding him into the people he thinks he is above, the so called child people, this is a case of dramatic irony as he calls himself a child in a good way, while referring to others as child people in a negative connotation.
After Siddhartha leaves his life of wealth and he searches for something to alleviate his malcontent, he stumbles upon the ferryman once more and takes up his offer to reside with him. What I found interesting in this passage is that Siddhartha feels a sudden love for the river and Vasudeva interprets this as the river speaking to Siddhartha. Yet the way Siddhartha responds alludes back to all his former encounters with teachers and shramanas and the Buddha. He responds in saying “In this too, I will learn from you.” yet this is a marked turning point when Vasudeva replies, telling Siddhartha that it is not him that he should learn from, but the river. Hesse uses the river to compare to various points in Siddhartha’s life journey; ex: he has aimed low (shramanas) and sunk to the bottom, deciding to aid Vasudeva as a simple oarman. He has also risen high as a wealthy merchant yet he is here now, in simplicity, ready to learn yet again, but not from a teacher or individual but from a river. Hesse also uses the river as a symbol to show the new rise of the “child Siddhartha” (pg 78) and the changed attitude that he possesses.
I never considered the statements Vasudeva says in response to Siddhartha, when he says he will be his mentor. His response of telling Siddhartha to let the river teach him is definitely different than his past, because it is still him finding his own path toward enlightenment. Since the beginning Siddhartha always emphasized he must find his own path, but always ironically immediately found refuge under others teachings. Vasudeva breaks this chain, this lets the reader know it is going to be different this time, that Siddhartha will finally find the answers he so desperately thirsts for. It is quenched by the simple, complex nature of the river.
Your analysis is really interesting. You are totally correct when you say that Siddhartha is now learning from a river versus human teachers in the past. It is so ironic how the one thing that could teach him so much throughout his whole lifetime turned out to be the river that he passed forty years ago. Also it is even more ironic how the night before he had tried to drown himself in the same river that saved his life by teaching him how to love himself. When he wakes up and explains how he is reborn, it is like he is now a child again and the river is his parent that guides him along.
blog post #3: Page 50 In this passage Siddhartha, a changed man, has just stepped into a new town and immediately his eye lands on Kamala, a beautiful woman who resides in a mansion just outside the town. He dresses himself and shaves his beard, all once very important to him, to help impress this woman. In the quote on page 50 he begs her to take him as his student, something he just said he would never be again. “I would like to ask you to be my friend and teacher, for I know nothing about the art of which you are the mistress”(Hesse 50). This is a very important part of the story as it shows the exact moment in which lust takes control of Siddhartha. The diction used in the quote itself is a warning to the reader. Hesse uses the word mistress to describe Kamala, a word used to describe a woman who is in a sexual relationship with a taken man. While Siddhartha is not taken by a woman, he is taken by his religion and his values, his desire is turning him away from those very values that he once held so close to his heart. This thirst for love is further exemplified by Kamala's name, a name which translates to, you guessed it, lust. Siddhartha is becoming a student of lust.
I definitely agree, I find it so ironic that just as Siddhartha is saying finally I must find my own path to truth, he immediately changes his focus to Kamala, lust and the world of temptation and pleasure. I am always surprised by how fast Siddhartha changed , and reminds me of how he is human too, and that he too has to deal with temptation. I love the Epithet Hesse uses of Kamala to show she is lust, and and pleasure. It's like Hesse is foreshadowing what she is like, and is writing exactly what she is, but it's hidden in her name. I didn't notice the use of the word mistress, but agree it is like she is stealing Siddhartha away from his path to enlightenment, religion, and values.
When Siddhartha returns to the ferryman, he was somewhat lost. After leaving Kamala, he wanted to find a new path to enlightenment, but he was tired and didn’t know where to go. The ferryman found Siddhartha and taught him the way of listening to the river, to teach him about life. However just as Siddhartha seemed to have found peace, Kamala came back with Siddhartha’s son. Kamala soon after died, and left Siddhartha with the young boy. This is one of Siddhartha’s final challenges to reach enlightenment, how he deals with Kamala’s death. In response to the ferryman, when asked why he feels no grief, Siddhartha replied, “No my dear how should I be sad? I, who have been rich and happy have become richer and happier now. My son has been given to me.” (Hesse 128) Siddhartha’s lack of sorrow, and actually the opposite feeling of happiness is a large step in the right direction for Siddhartha. The fact he says rich to richer, and happy to happier really exaggerates the feeling and tone Hesse sets, like Siddhartha know how to deal with sadness, to focus on the good. However, think Kamala’s death should’ve been mourned, rather than celebrated. The fact Kamala died on the same bed as the ferryman’s wife, is showing that Siddhartha has been following the footsteps of him. Siddhartha’s path is as uncertain as the direction the current pushes one on a river, but at least he is on the correct vessel.
I agree with this post and have something to add as well. When asked about how Siddhartha felt about the death of Kamala he replied with a comment about being even more rich and happy than before, because he now has his son. This however is foreshadowing to the pain his son will become, because in Siddhartha's life, the richer he got the worse it was for him in the end. So using the word "rich" in Siddhartha's reply to the boat man is truly foreshadowing to a dark time ahead. Written in purposely by the mastermind that is Hermann Hesse.
In this section of text Siddhartha realizes his situation. He has hit rock bottom, he admits it and accepts it himself, saying “I am now standing again under the sun, under which I once stood as a little child. I have nothing, I know nothing, I can do nothing, I have learned nothing. How wondrous this is!”(Hesse 84) He finds new strength in this, knowing nothing can get worse because there is nothing to get worse. He is just as he was born, a blank slate waiting to be written on. Only now, now that he is completely blank, does his inner voice return. Free from the mountain of thoughts above it, his inner voice breaks free and speaks to him again. He compares himself to a child but this time it means something more, Hesse yet again bringing back the same old similly is not meant to bore the reader, it exemplifies the many layers Siddhartha had to peel back in order to reach this level of enlightenment. The struggles he had to endure in order to reach this point.
I love how you compare Siddhartha to a new slate waiting to be written on. I would have never thought about that, the thing I always think of when describing Siddhartha being reborn is a new born baby because they have not been influenced by anyone or anything yet, they are free to choose their own path. Another example I would have used to describe him being reborn is on page 80 when he thinks “What a wonderful sleep this had been!...Might he really have died, have perished, and been reborn in a new shape”(Hesse 80)? This quote describes the first instance when he wakes up and realizes he has been reborn.
Siddhartha when he first was on his own path stumbled upon a beautiful woman named Kamala, after trading greetings, Siddhartha fell madly in love. He gave up his religion, shaved his beard, and did whatever he could to try to be with Kamala. Siddhartha´s decision to do this is a huge step backwards, and a big turning point in the story. Siddhartha compares himself to a stone in a river, trying to achieve a goal, he told Kamala what he learned about himself was. “ When you throw a rock in the water, it will speed on the fastest course to the bottom of the water. This is how it is when Siddhartha has a goal. Siddhartha does nothing, he waits, he fasts, but he passes through the things of the world like a rock through water.¨ Siddhartha is definately like a rock on water, slowly, but whole heartedly, pushing himself toward his goal. Generally that is true about humans, and their nature, because without the push for whatever they are doing, what is the point of life. It is ironic thought that just as Siddhartha drops his religion, and values, he falls to the bottom of his quest for enlightenment, his lowest low.
I find it interesting in the fact that you view Siddhartha and Kamala's relationship as "love". I slightly disagree in that I feel both of them share something; more of a mutual understanding and a fleeting indulgence of desire and worldly wants rather and actual love. However, your analysis of Siddhartha and his downfall in comparison to the river is an excellent observation.
Siddhartha has just ran away from his old life and Kamala. He ran to the river where his journey began and sat there in agony saying “Dead was the songbird he had dreamed of. Dead was the bird in his heart”(Hesse 77). The bird is a symbol to represent his freedom being taken away, because he decided to run away from his life. The maxim flight is freedom is a good representation of this, the bird is not just there to be a cute animal. A few pages later Siddhartha wakes up feeling refreshed and finding purpose in his new life when he says in his mind “He pondered and pondered his transformation, listened to the bird as it sang for joy”(Hesse 87). Siddhartha woke up next to the river and felt outstanding, he has been reborn. The bird in this situation represents him being free. He is as free as a child, he can choose any path he wants now. Hesse adds the birds in multiple situations on purpose to guide the reader through the story as a depiction of freedom and rebirth.
You and I both wrote about the songbird but with different interpretations. I'll admit, I did think of the bird first as freedom because it can fly. However, I feel like it doesn't represent freedom as much as it does Siddhartha. This is because between pages 77 and 87 Siddhartha attempts suicide. I'm afraid I don't see the connection between the two. How does freedom lead to suicide?
You received a reply pointing out that Siddhartha wanting to commit suicide is not freedom, and therefor, your interpretation doesn’t fit. I disagree, sometimes, leaving your current life if it’s not what you want is freedom. The bird dying represented Siddhartha’s will dying. After he “died” (slept) he woke up completely feeling refreshed and “reborn” as you mentioned. This is where the bird comes to play again. The bird being a symbol for freedom, even though it has died it still applies. When it died so did Siddhartha and when he awoke and the tone changed, the freedom aspect shone through again. Good use of bringing the MAXIM into your blog post. And, yes, the bird is mentioned multiple times to depict freedom!
While Siddhartha is with Kamala, he dreams of a small, rare songbird in a golden cage. He dreams that he finds it dead, “the little bird was dead and lay stiff on the bottom of the cage. He took it out, weighed it a moment in his hand, then threw it away onto the street outside.” (Hesse 64). At that moment, Siddhartha realizes that “with this dead bird he had thrown away everything valuable and good” (Hesse 64). When he wakes up, he decides to leave. This is because the small golden cage represents Siddhartha’s purpose in life, while the bird represents himself and his spirit. When the bird died in his dream, so did the Siddhartha who was a womanizer, a gambler, and a merchant. Without the bird the golden cage is empty and can not fulfill it’s purpose. Just like the empty golden cage in his dream, Siddhartha has no purpose in life. Later on, Kamala “opened the door of the cage, took the bird out, and let it fly away. She looked after the bird for a long time” (Hesse 67). When Kamala released the bird, she also released Siddhartha. She knows that Siddhartha won’t come back to her, and that just like the bird, he needs to be able to find the right path for himself. The last time the songbird is mentioned is when Siddhartha is wandering through the forest. While “the songbird of his dream was dead. The bird in his heart was dead” (Hesse 68). By having the bird represent Siddhartha, Herman Hesse is foreshadowing that Siddhartha will try and commit suicide. This is because “there was nothing left in the world that could attract him, nothing that could bring him pleasure or console him” (Hesse 68). Siddhartha’s spirit left him when the bird left his heart and dream. Without it, he’s lost to wandering the forest alone.
“Like a potter’s wheel, which once set in motion continues to turn for a long time, only slowly losing momentum and winding down, in Siddhartha’s soul the wheel of asceticism, the wheel of thinking, the wheel of discrimination, continued to turn for a long time.” (Pg 60)
This quote lies in the middle of Siddhartha's journey, when he is working for Kamaswami, making very good money, and is in a relationship with Kamala. To an average person, these norms seem ideal. From Hesse’s characterization of Siddhartha leading up to this point, these are not his ideal norms. His goal is to reach his inner peace by learning from others, and by staying humble. Hesse uses a simile to compare his internal thoughts and drives. He is saying that these morals still reside in him and continue to linger in his mind, however it fades as his new life engulfs him. Siddhartha in a way has found a very temporary form of enlightenment, which is Kamala. His love for Kamala is what stirs him away from his journey. It is the love for her that is driving him to get nicer clothes, and buy gifts. She is slowing the momentum of his passions that he has ever has since his youth. This is why love is so dangerous sometimes. The idea that you would do anything (disregarding your morals and passions) for the acceptance and attention from that person. I do understand that Kamala is healthy for Siddhartha to a certain degree, (his first true experience of a relationship) however this quote exemplifies his present desires still stirring in him. A relationship is not healthy unless both people have similar goals, and wishes in the world. It is this spiritual wheel inside Siddhartha who pushes him to get past this life of wealth and materialism, and to keep searching.
I agree with you that love can be dangerous. I think you can expand this idea from Siddhartha and Kamala to the relationship he has with his son. This is because his son treats him like a servant. While Siddhartha is willing to do anything for him, his son doesn't want a a son and father relationship. With Kamala, Siddhartha is willing to become a wealthy merchant and buy lavish gifts to make her happy. The only difference between the two is Kamala wanted a relationship while his son didn't. Love is dangerous, it ended up getting Kamala killed by the poisonous snake because she was looking for Siddhartha, and his son resents him.
“You will learn it,' said Vasudeva, 'but not from me.It was the river that taught me how to listen; you too will learn how fromt the river. The river knows everything, one can learn everything from it.. You have already learned from the river that it is good to strive downwards, to sink, to seek the depths.”(Hesse 92) In Siddhartha, Vasudeva, the ferryman, is a guide for both the river and the path to enlightenment. The ferryman is placed between the ordinary world and enlightenment, and those who search for enlightenment whom are open to guidance will find what they need within the ferryman. Many teachers of wisdom appear during Siddhartha’s journey,however each fails to lead Siddhartha to enlightenment. Vasudeva, the ferryman, shows Siddhartha how to find enlightenment within himself. The first time Vasudeva encounters Siddhartha, Siddhartha solely only desired to cross the river, and that is all Vasudeva helps him do. Vasudeva is not a teacher who will simply tell Siddhartha what he should know and do, but Vasudeva is a guide who will lead him where he desires to go. Years later, Siddhartha searches for knowledge from the river itself, and Vasudeva guides him in his attempts to hear what the river has to say. Siddhartha himself becomes a ferryman after he reaches enlightenment. He guides people back and forth across the river and eventually helps Govinda find enlightenment. It seems that ferrymen are the only ones able to help others find enlightenment.
Passage from page 79 ““Om!” he uttered to himself. “Om!” And knew about the Brahma, knew the indestructibility of life, knew again all the godliness he had forgotten,” (Hesse 79). His path had been forgotten, and much like the songbird in his dream, his spirit had died. Siddhartha is fully prepared to commit suicide by drowning himself in the river but the Om “pierced his consciousness,” (Hesse 79). He had abandoned all that he had originally found, yet once he realized what he had become he did not seek to find himself again. Siddhartha’s immediate thoughts were how discontent he was with what he had become, and the Om saves him. Some rest under the tree also helps his rationalization, he did not reconsider killing himself after awakening. He is able to revive and revitalize his desire to reach enlightenment, no longer was he tempted by the needs of ordinary people. This is most definitely a turning point in the story, Siddhartha had lost himself in money, relations with Kamala, and material items. He is able to pull himself away from his spiritually empty life and see how unfulfilling it truly is. While his initial desire to kill himself is extreme, his former teachings managed to cross his mind. Even after years of being lost, a moment of fear before death sets him back on his path, ultimately leading to him being at peace
By choosing the life and deciding to become a ferryman, Siddhartha is slowly learning things that could not be possibly taught to him before by teachers. As the river teaches him, day by day, Siddhartha begins to change and abide by his internal thoughts, becoming more and more open. He learns more about himself and most importantly, comes to value others and their thoughts, stories and opinions. As he ferries people across the river, “He understood them, he understood and shared their lives, which were not led by thoughts and insights, but solely by drives and wishes. And he felt like them.” This change in Siddhartha is a far cry from whom he used to be; he becomes more open minded and accepting of others rather than his former selfish individual that cared for his own happiness, contentment and ego. He understands them and rather than looking down on them as he formerly would (ex. With Kamala he looked down upon the “ child people” and with the shramanas he was taught to scorn the typical villagers.) he begins to see them in a new light and appreciate their rage of emotions, their silliness, and looks upon them fondly, as an older brother would a younger mischievous sibling. This change in his personality and attitude is significant in that it shows to growth of Siddhartha from the beginning his journey until now.
Siddhartha has lived with Vasudeva for quite a long time now and gotten used to the ferryman lifestyle. One day Siddhartha sat next to the ferryman and Vasudeva told him to listen to the river, Siddhartha did as told, but the fought the process at first. Once he gave in and put his whole mind into listening to the river “At that moment Siddhartha stopped fighting with destiny, stopped suffering. On his face the serenity of knowledge blossomed”(Hesse 119). This is the moment that Siddhartha accomplishes his journey. This is one of the most important parts in the book. Siddhartha has finally reached enlightenment, the one thing he has wanted since he left his home and family. He left his friend and went through multiple teachings to try and find that moment, but it turns out the only thing that could get him to his goal was sitting by a river and finding his true happiness. As a reader this is mind blowing because he has tried so hard throughout the whole book to discover enlightenment and then it just happens so quickly when you think he is just having a nice day in the sun with his friend.
This is definitely one of the most important parts of the book, and the fact that it happens so fast really surprised me as a reader as well, however, I think the suddenness of it symbolizes something, it shows that enlightenment is not found by those who look for it. It will come to you when you are ready. Vasudeva leaving right afterwards also symbolizes new beginnings in a different way than "I felt like a child" that was used many times in the book, his empty pallet is foreshadowing to Siddhartha having to find a new ferryman, who is given to him in the form of Govinda.
In this passage, Siddhartha, a newly enlightened man, meets his old friend, Govinda once again. As they speak it is clear Govinda does not recognize Siddhartha. This exemplifies the change Govinda has gone through. As young adults Siddhartha lead Govinda on a quest, he was a thirster, a searcher always looking to find himself. Now that they have grown old they have switched places. Govinda is now the thirster wandering endlessly with the buddhists in search of knowledge and wisdom. Govinda not recognizing Siddhartha is symbolism for his blindness to what is around him because he is so focused on finding enlightenment. Despite his closed mindedness Siddhartha does not mock Govinda like before, he understands him just like he understands the people he ferries. When Siddhartha asks Govinda to spend a night in his hut with him, Govinda sleeps on the pallet that once belonged to Vasudeva, here Siddhartha shows to the reader that he now respects Govinda, something the younger version of himself did not do. This exemplifies the transformation Siddhartha has gone through, he has shedded his ego and found enlightenment at last.
I think you make a very good point in saying that Siddhartha is a "thirster" and a searcher. What I find particularly interesting is that you see Govinda in that position now as opposed to Siddhartha; I suppose this is because Siddhartha is ahead of Govinda in terms of fully attaining peace and enlightenment? My question to you is, why do you think the author might have decided to put Govinda in Siddhartha's former role? What is the purpose of making Govinda blind to all around him except for his search to the path of enlightenment?
I agree that Govinda's inability to recognize Siddhartha shows the change gone through by Siddhartha. However I also think that the overthinking of Govinda trying to find enlightenment gets in the way of the true lonely path. The teachings were holding Siddhartha back, because the only way siddhartha cold find enlightenment, is by finding happiness within himself and his life. The author and Siddhartha always looked at Govinda like he was one step behind Siddhartha, but now that Siddhartha has quenched his thirst for enlightenment, Govinda is caught a little behind, and Siddhartha teaches him that the way to enlightenment is to learn it for yourself. I think that Siddhartha letting Govinda sleep where Vasudeva once slept, is symbolism for Siddhartha starting Vasudeva's role.
I see the point you make in how Govinda does not recognize Siddhartha at first and this represents the changes he has gone through. However, I think that Siddhartha is still the teacher and Govinda is still the follower or thirster. This aspect remains the same from the beginning of the story. It is ultimately Siddhartha, though, that helps Govinda reach enlightenment in the end. I think that it is through Siddhartha’s teaching in the end of how enlightenment must be experienced that eventually leads to Govinda reaching enlightenment.
Blog #5 “I did it without any specific intention. Or perhaps what I meant was, that love this very stone, and the river, and all these things we are looking at and from which we can learn.”( Hesse 138)
After SIddhartha had been the ferryman for quite some time, his old friend Govinda returns. He still hasn’t found the answers he seeks, and although he has received all of the teachings from the buddha, hasn’t reached enlightenment. At first Govnda comes to here from “a wise ferryman.” He doesn’t recognize Siddhartha at first, but after some time, Siddhartha reveals his identity. Govinda then decides to learn from Siddhartha and the river. This is a huge full circle part of the novel. At the beginning, Govinda was just along with Siddhartha, to be there and learn from him when he found enlightenment. But because they parted ways, he didn’t. Then Govinda started finding it for himself, and ironically found Siddhartha, who was already enlightened. He learned enlightenment from Siddhartha, just like he was planning to at the beginning of the book. This is a huge part of the story for not only Govinda, but also Siddhartha. Just like the buddha, who devoted his life to teaching others the eight fold path, SIddhartha devotes his life to teaching others to learn from the river, with Govinda. The reason this is a big part for Govinda too is more obvious. He still hasn’t found enlightenment, even after following the Buddha, but the cool part of Govinda learning from Siddhartha is it isn’t REALLY Siddhartha teaching him. It’s the river, and Govinda following same path as Siddhartha did.
I agree that the river and Siddhartha teaching Govinda is one big cycle within the book. I never really thought of it that way. However, I agree partially on the river teaching Govinda. This is because I view the river more as a helping stone instead of a teacher. I think Govinda found Enlightenment defiantly with the help of the river, but he did it on his own. The river didn't teach Siddhartha it influenced him. While the river influenced Govinda and Siddhartha, both had to discover enlighenment on their own.
After Kamala dies, Siddhartha takes it upon himself to raise his son in the tent where he and Vasudeva live. While taking care of him, Siddhartha notices how spoiled the child is, for he is used to servants and a lavish lifestyle. Vasudeva asks Siddhartha “Do you not shame him every day and do you not make things still harder for him through your kindness and patience? Are you not forcing him, this high-strung and spoiled boy, to live in a hut with two old banana munchers...?” (Hesse 93). This is ironic because Siddhartha is confining the boy to a hut with “two old banana munchers” just like how his father wanted to keep him with the brahmins. Unlike his father though, Siddhartha isn’t able to make the sacrifice of letting his son go. When Siddhartha left the brahmins, his father told him to come back if he found happiness and teach it to him, Siddhartha never went back. I believe that this is a subconscious fear of Siddhartha. His son will leave him and never look back, just like he did. Siddhartha is clearly not ready to let go, this is because he found something worth loving. Even though his son treats him like he is a servant, he loves the boy. He is willing to do anything for him. Siddhartha has learned to love, he has learned the secret of the child people.
In this last chapter of Siddhartha, both Govinda and Siddhartha are reunited once again. All throughout the book, Siddhartha and Govinda’s friendship was tested. In the end, they finally came together to meet after the long journeys they have been through. In the beginning of the book if was questionable whether or not Siddhartha valued and respected his and Govinda’s friendship. “Siddhartha, smiling with his old eyes, said: ‘Do you call yourself a seeker, O Venerable One…’” (Hesse 121). “Will you say a word to me, Honored One?” (Hesse 121). These two quotes exemplify a conversation between Siddhartha and Govinda. In these two quotes, two different epithets are used. Govinda and Siddhartha call each other “Venerable One” and “Honored One”, respectively. Venerable means to be well respected, especially because of age or wisdom. I think with this encounter the answer is made clear that both of them have respect for each other, even though at this point Govinda does not know it is Siddhartha he is talking to. This final meeting point leaves the reader with a satisfied mood knowing that the friendship between Siddhartha and Govinda has been remedied and any question of their friendship has been answered. In the end, Siddhartha helps his friend reach enlightenment. He does this by explaining that enlightenment cannot be taught but instead it has to be experienced.
“He remembered how once, as a youth, he had compelled his father to let him go and join the ascetic, how he had taken leave of him, how he had gone and never returned. Had not his father also suffered the same pain that he was now suffering for his son? ”
When Siddhartha interacts with his son, Siddhartha does not realize he is trying to make his son similar to his own image, but his son realizes it and dislikes Siddhartha for doing so. Even though Vasudeva reminds Siddhartha that no one can determine the boy’s calling, Siddhartha is blinded by the art of love, and he ignores something he already knows, everyone must follow his own voice to enlightenment. He even has learned for himself that no one can teach how they can reach enlightenment, and that enlightenment must be found within. Siddhartha tries to determine his son’s life just as his father had once tried to his, and he attempts to impose his views on his son. This passage reminded me that Siddhartha has now come full circle. Just as Siddhartha’s son ran away from his own father, he runs away in search of his own path.
I am glad you stated how Siddhartha's life has made a circle. I never thought of it this way. I did, however, find irony in Siddhartha's behavior towards his own son. Young Siddhartha wishes to leave, but Old Siddhartha wants him to stay and live his lifestyle. Since Old Siddhartha finally reached enlightenment by the river, he disregards his previous belief that one must go their own path to enlightenment. Like you suggested, it's as if Siddhartha forgot what prompted his journey to enlightenment in the first place. I believe this passage emphasizes the cycle that Siddhartha, and presumably everyone, is trapped in. It could be argued that he is trapped in a cycle of dissatisfaction. Siddhartha reached enlightenment and a state of being free of desire, but he cannot be happy with his son's wish to leave. Just when we thought Siddhartha had escaped the cycle, he gets sucked back in.
I find it extremely interesting that the topic of your blog post is on Siddhartha being a father. I actually had not fully comprehended that Siddhartha himself was trying to impose his views upon his son; in which you bring up an excellent point that this essentially ties the entire book together by having Siddhartha come full circle and for a second, be in the shoes of his former father.
In these pages, Siddhartha and Vasudeva talk about how much they adore the river. They reminisce about how the river has taught them that there is no such thing as time; we are all just flowing and going through the motions of life. They believe that the river is not a river, but, “a voice of life, the voice of what is, eternal becoming”(pg.85). Siddhartha and Vasudeva often sit in silence and listen to the river. On page 84, Siddhartha says, “Is it not true, friend, that the river has many voices, very many voices? Does it not have the voice of a king, of a warrior, of a bull, of a night bird, of a woman giving birth, of a man sighing, and a thousand other voice too?” He loves the idea that a river never stops flowing;that it never gets caught up on one occurrence. This is what he means when he says that the river has many voices. It sees many places and encounters various types of different life. This whole phrase is a personification as well. Obviously, the river does not have “voices”, but Siddhartha thinks of it as a living creature because it is so similar to his life in the sense that it's ongoing. Because the river is a figure of nature, and not living, it is open to interpretation of what is resembles. I understand the symbolism of the river, and how it is also a sense of community when travelers pass, but I wonder how Vasuveda is so enlightened by it. I know it is suppose to be the simplicity behind it, but I believe that enlightenment is living through others, and learning from others; much like Siddhartha. It is interesting to me how Vasuveda is one of few people who have reached their inner peace in the book, yet he is always so lonely and bored.
Selected passage Page 113 “The wound burned with him for a long time. Siddhartha had to ferry many travelers who had a son or daughter along, and he saw none of them without envying them,” (Hesse 113). Siddhartha had been somewhat avoiding an actual relationship in which he loved someone. He left his father at a fairly young age, he parted ways with Govinda without any issues, and he had left Kamala without even acknowledging her opinion on the matter. He then meets his son, and he wants to be there for the boy and raise him, teach him, love him. His son was not accustomed to a life without materials, so he runs away back to where he came from. Siddhartha had never felt love until his son arrived in his life, it’s almost as if he lost the only person he had ever loved. Growing up people had loved Siddhartha for his potential, insight, and general abilities, but he did not seem to care. Karma truly found its way to Siddhartha. Fully able to leave behind all material possessions without a hitch, he encounters the one thing he does not wish to let go of, and it wounds him when he must do so. As ironic as it may be, Siddhartha learns from it. He learned sympathy, and was able to finally relate to the “child people”. All he had given up he had understood why people felt the need to have it.
“Siddhartha” is a novel about a man searching for enlightenment. It is well known that Siddhartha’s entire goal revolves around purifying Atman, and reaching Nirvana. So when he discovers his Hubris, Kamala, and becomes so entirely led astray, the reader doubts his ability to ever make it back on his path. It wasn’t until Siddhartha “felt death in his heart and horror in his breast” (page 73) that he was able to rouse himself from his stupor and attempt to rediscover his journey. In the next chapter a few pages later, By the River, words that either mean death or pertain to it are mentioned at every opportunity.The tone here is so utterly melancholy that it is difficult to point out that Siddhartha’s unhappiness is his own fault. When he sees his reflection, he disgraces it “and spat in it” (page 78). This disgust towards his reflection is symbolizing the current condition of his soul. He understands how far he has fallen and it hurts him to have to mend the shattered pieces of his spirituality. Unfortunately for him, his pain is necessary so that he can turn over a new leaf and begin again, and so that his past can be washed away as though it were flowing down the common river motif.
The poem “The situation is intolerable” has to do with racism and the clear inequalities among African Americans and white people. “Aren’t we civilized, too? Shoes shined, each starched cuff unyielding.” They behaved identically, dressed similarly, and were people like everybody else, they were simply treated as lesser beings. “The terrain: all around us dark and the perimeter flames, but the stars-tiny, missionary stars,” They shined above all the hatred and although the world around them is dark and contains hatred they continue to shine and provide a glimmer of light in an otherwise shadowy place. When we think of stars we think of wishes, could it be in fact that the stars represent people’s wishes for equality in the world? “So what if we were born up a creek and knocked flat with a paddle,” They come from different backgrounds but they live in the same world. “Our situation is intolerable, but what’s worse is to sit here and do nothing. O yes. O mercy on our souls.” Although they sit in a position of undesirable standards, they possess the ability to change things by not just sitting around and witnessing these injustices. This leaves behind an idea that someone must take action.
Selected Passage: pg 27 - 29
ReplyDeleteSiddhartha's encounter with Gotama seemingly marked a turning point in his journey of seeking enlightenment. The exchange between the two leaves Siddhartha considerably altered in the way he thinks. He finds a flaw in the teaching and exposes that to the Buddha who in turn responds wisely in saying that the teaching was not intended to be argued over and that it has an ultimate purpose of aiding others in their path of liberation from suffering. This particular passage validates the intelligence of Siddhartha but also brings to attention his ego and slight arrogance. Yet he is honest in telling Gotama that he is afraid his ego will only be pacified if he follows the teachings of the Buddha. This essentially lays out an important theme of Siddhartha's journey, showing that he is often trapped in illusions of teachings (ex. the shramanas) and that he fails to reach enlightenment through the guidance of elders or extensive knowledge of others. However, after the encounter with Buddha, Siddhartha vows to penetrate his inner self as Gotama has. He also states that only Gotama's teaching has not seduced him or placed a false illusion on his ego and thoughts. In leaving Gotama after accepting that he could not be taught enlightenment, the rest of his journey is documented in Siddhartha seeking peace without external teachings and guidance. As a reader, this particular passage was slightly puzzling in the fact that Siddhartha seemed to have met the ultimate one whom attained eternal peace yet he himself was lacking and simply could not accept it.
Janice, I agree with your stance on Siddhartha’s meeting with the Sublime One. I also believe that after meeting with the Sublime One, Siddhartha, finds a flaw in his teaching and turns slightly away from him. Then after Siddhartha still models his journey after the Sublime One. He still seeks to assist people in relieving them of their suffering. You do make a good point in how this passage was slightly confusing. I don’t think Siddhartha completely turned away the Sublime One’s teachings because like I said he did follow nearly the same journey as Buddha.
DeleteSelected Passage: pg's 4-7
ReplyDeleteThis section of text where Siddhartha examines his own self, marks the beginning of his transformation. Unsatisfied with his life, he starts questioning his teachers and religion. He is not happy with his teachers, they had not given him the tranquility and peace he was promised. He longs for more, to fill himself with the enlightenment they can no longer provide. He questions his religion, he practices rituals every day but what is the purpose? He washes himself but does that really help? Rituals do not seem to quench the thirst he has for knowledge, or wash away the sin of discontent. He questions his father, a wise man and a good man, is a person as good as him at peace? If so why did he still long for more but purify himself every day? Siddhartha has everything in life so why isn't he at peace? What do you give to a man who has everything? These questions that whirl in Siddhartha's head everyday are the reason he is no longer happy. They are the seed of his journey and will soon sprout and lead him on an adventure to appease his heart. An expedition that leads him far away from the safe haven of his home, but closer than ever to finding peace with himself.
Our ideas are rather similar in that Siddhartha reaches various points in his journey where it marks a significant change in his thought process and how he may perceive his path to enlightenment. However, I believe as he continues, every encounter he has quenches a few of his questions. Also, a significant literary device I noticed is that strong diction used to describe Siddhartha's mother and father and Govinda's love for him. As a reader, it is always a relief to see the main character accepted by the community, yet also puzzling for the fact he is not content even with so much love and support around him.
DeleteI agree that Siddhartha leaving at the beginning was a huge turning point in the story, he defied his father, because he wanted to discover nirvana for himself. He thought that because all the 60, 70, 80, year olds all still hadn’t reached it, so the path he was taught must have not been the right one. He seemed really arrogant at the beginning, thinking the way of the elders was the wrong way, he kept speaking as if the world revolved around him, for example at the beginning when he said all the women loved him, his father, mother, Govinda all people respect and admire him. He said Govinda compared him to a god. This is an example of Siddhartha's ego clouding his thoughts.
DeleteI agree with your idea that Siddhartha left on his quest to travel far away from his safe haven to find his inner peace. In a way its almost contradicting. He is leaving behind a comfortable and secure life in search for his idea of comfortable. This also is a prime example of the maxim, "The real reason for quests is self knowledge". This maxim is suppose to emphasize that every journey one takes always has a greater meaning, and always can benefit oneself.However, this is Siddhartha's literal intention. With all of these questions at hand, one more would be what made Siddhartha crave this need for enlightenment when his life is so superb, and everyone around him is so accepting and loving?
DeleteThis Is Andrew, I was not able to post under my schools Google account
ReplyDelete“And the last hour of the night, before day broke, he came back again, went into the room, and looked at the youth standing there. The boy looked big to him and alien.
“Siddhartha,” he said, “what are you waiting for?”
“You know.”
“Are you going to keep standing there, till daylight, till noon, till night?”
“I'm going to stand here and wait.”
“You’ll get tired, Siddhartha.”
“I’ll get tired.”
“You will fall asleep, Siddhartha.”
“I will not fall asleep.”
“You’ll die, Siddhartha.”
“I will die.”
“And would you rather die than obey your father?”
“Siddhartha will do what his father tells him.”
The first daylight shone into the room. The brahmin saw that Siddhartha's knees were shaking slightly. But he saw no wavering in Siddharts face. They eyes were fixed on the distance. Then the father realized that Siddhartha was already no longer home with him, that he had left him already” (Hesse, pp 9-10).
This life changing conversation marks one of the most important turns in the story. Siddhartha has begun his journey mentally, even though he is still physically present. This passage takes place in Siddhartha’s and his father’s home. Although Siddhartha is physically standing in his house, he is already on his journey to find Enlightenment. At first, he refers to himself as “I”, but as the conversation goes on, he switches from “I” to “Siddhartha”. The way he switches makes him seem like he is no longer the old Siddhartha his father knows. Siddhartha is set on following his destiny. “The brahmin saw that Siddhartha's knees were shaking slightly. But he saw no wavering in Siddhartha's face” (Hesse, p. 10). Hesse characterizes Siddhartha as a patient young man, who is determined to follow his path. Siddhartha uses simple sentences when answering his father, showing that he is prepared and not discouraged. He answers his father directly by repeating his father’s words in his answers firmly to show that he can take care of himself and go on. “Are you going to keep standing there, till daylight, till noon, till night?” Siddhartha answers that he will be standing here and wait really shows that he is really patience. I find it interesting that he is trying to convince Siddhartha to stay, but he doesn't directly tell him to obey. Remember how Siddhartha says “Siddhartha will do what his father tells him.”(Hesse, p.10) and yet his father still wouldn't command him. It marks his father love and he would his son and let him follow his path. This the the last conversion from father to son.
Your stance on this section of text is very similar to mine, Another point you missed however is that his short and to the point responses seemingly lack the respect that he has for his father. Just four pages earlier he speaks of his father as an "irreproachable man" a man who is both noble and wise. This lack of respect in the conversation above symbolize how strongly Siddhartha feels about the situation, His father can feel that, which is why instead of telling him no, he goes back to his room and watches Siddhartha from afar, analyzing and testing his son on how committed he is to his ideas. The longer Siddhartha stands outside the more anxious and scared his father gets because he knows that his son has transformed and he can no longer keep him enclosed.
DeleteAnother example from the text that would also support your analysis is on the page right before your quote when Siddhartha says “ With your permission, my father. I have come to say that I long to leave your house tomorrow and join the ascetics” (pg 9). This quote would have made your analysis stronger because it provides background information to the fight that you were describing on the next page. I really like how you pointed out that Siddhartha switches from “I” to third person, that was a really interesting observation that I didn’t notice when I was reading the book.
DeleteSelected passage: pgs 18-21
ReplyDeleteThis passage is the part of the book where Siddhartha realizes that he no longer wants to be a samana. He is talking to Govinda about how he no longer wants to continue and he says “ Soon, Govinda, your friend will leave this path of the samanas, which he has followed with you for such a long time. I suffer from thirst, O Govinda, and my thirst has not lessened on this long samana path”(Hesse 18). This quote proves that Siddhartha can’t handle the samana lifestyle any longer. He is realizing that he will not be able to reach Nirvana if he continues on the path he is currently on. Hesse continues to say Govinda’s name multiple times to make the reader pay attention to his character, because Govinda doesn't want Siddhartha to leave the samana’s but in the future it is actually the opposite that happens. Govinda ends up leaving the samana’s to join a journey of buddhism. Siddhartha knows that he wants to leave, but he doesn't know where to go yet, so he ends up staying with the samana’s for three more years. Until the word of the first Buddhist spreads. Govinda is talking to Siddhartha again when he says “ O Siddhartha… Tell me friend, should we not also go there and hear the teaching from the lips of the Buddha” (Hesse 21)? The table is turned now and the once loyal Govinda is now looking for a new faith to follow. Hesse used “ O Govinda” and “O Siddhartha” to show how they both want to leave their current faith. This quote provides evidence that Govinda has hopped on board with Siddhartha and together they can find a group that suits their needs. Now they can continue on their journey to Nirvana by starting with a visit to Gautama, the Buddha.
I agree that leaving the samanas was a turning point in the book. He felt like starvation, and self deprivation wasn't accomplishing anything, however he learned a lot from the Samanas that he uses throughout the book, such as patience, and the ability to go without food and water. He and Govinda start to separate at this part, because as the Buddha comes along, Siddhartha feels like his path to enlightenment is flawed, where Govinda wanted to learn from him. Leaving the Samanas was an example of Siddhartha finding his own path to enlightenment. I didn’t notice the repetition, but I agree that Hesse probably used it to emphasize Govinda’s desire to have Siddhartha stay.
DeleteI agree how ironic it is for Govinda to be the one not wanting to leave, but later leaving Siddhartha for Gautama. You know how in stories they're always like "one can not survive while another one lives?" This may be a stretch and sound completely ridiculous, but it's almost as if in order for Siddhartha to reach enlightenment, he has to have his spiritual connection "die" and having Govinda's "live." I noticed that you had mentioned Siddhartha not being able to handle the Samana life, I think it's not that he can't handle it, but he's impatient. I think he had high hopes for them, and expected to have achieved nirvana already through their teachings.
Delete“Only Kamala had been dear, had been valuable to him-but was she still thus? Did he still need her, or she him? Did they not play a game without an ending? Was it necessary to live for this? No, it was not necessary! The name of the game was Sansara, a game for children, a game which was enjoyable to play once, twice, ten times-but for ever and ever again?”
ReplyDelete“Siddhartha then knew that the game was over, that he could not play it anymore. Shivers ran over his body inside of him, so he felt something had died.”(Pg 90)
In the bliss of the peach garden under the stars, one of the most important turning points in the story occurs. It is the moment he realizes that city life, and a life of wealth and sex isn’t meaningful forever. It is when he decides to leave Kamala, and his wealth to quench his thirst for enlightenment. He sat under his peach tree in his garden at this part, and considers if it is right for him to own a living thing, or if it is just a silly game. He questions why everything in the city is like the kid’s game Sansara. The author draws a strong comparison between Kamala and the citizens of the city to children, to show that Siddhartha considers there ways pointless, He thinks their accomplishments are similar to that of a child crawling for the first time. He questions if leaving his father Govinda, and Gotama was important to finding peace. He reflects on what he learned, the important people in his life, and what they taught him, and decided to leave. To find enlightenment he needed to go somewhere else. This is an example of repetition, because earlier in the story he left the samanas, his father, and Govinda, for the same reasons, because he didn’t think he could find meaning with them. As a reader you feel confident that he is going to find meaning elsewhere, but sorrowful that he is leaving Kamala and all the great things about city life behind.
I find your point intriguing, that a recurrence in the story is that he leaves all the people he has a relationship with. Every time he leaves it seems to be a turning point, he always seems to leave for the same reason though, to further his knowledge. I agree that him leaving Kamala was possibly the most devastating considering she is bearing his child, but I understand why he left. He had become so obsessed with material items and completely abandons the journey he initially left for so when he realizes his mistakes he changes his life
DeleteSelected Passage: Pg 15-16
ReplyDeleteIn the scene where Siddhartha is expressing his displeasure towards Govinda about the leader of the shramanas, you can see that he yearns for knowledge. However, his ego is getting in the way of what he seeks. Siddhartha doesn’t understand how he can possibly reach nirvana when his teacher “has reached sixty and still has not attained nirvana. He will get to be seventy and eighty; and you and I, too, we will get old, and we will do our practices and fast and meditate. But we will not attain nirvana; neither will he” (Hesse 15). When Siddharth speaks of the oldest shraman, his tone gives away that he looks down upon him. This is because when he first met the shraman, he had high hopes for their teachings. He thought that if he followed their teachings, then he could somehow achieve nirvana. Later Siddhartha exclaims:
“It is impossible to learn anything! In my opinion, that thing that we call ‘learning’ does not exist. The only thing that exists, my friend, is a knowing that is everywhere, which is atman, which is in me and in you and in every being. And I am beginning to believe that this knowing has no greater enemy than wanting to know, that learning.” (Hesse pg 16)
When Siddhartha tells Govinda “that thing that we call ‘learning’ does not exist,” you can see today’s western ideas in him. He has to be the best, whether it’s asking the best questions, or the one who understand the teachings the best. Siddhartha is very competitive; he puts seeking nirvana before his family, and while Govinda and his teachers are there to help him, he must succeed on his own. He doesn’t realize that his ego and wanting to be the smartest is actually his weakness and not his strength.
I agree with your stance on this text, it is definitely the resurgence of his ego that is shown in this passage. I think this is furthermore proved just six pages later, after spellbinding the old samana his friend, Govinda says 'It is hard, it is very hard to spellbind an old samana. Truly had you remained there, you would soon have learned how to walk on water."
Delete"I do not desire to walk on water," Said Siddhartha. "let old samanas content themselves with such tricks.'(Hesse 23)
This brash statement solidified that his ego has returned and made him impatient, he wants to achieve nirvana too fast, learn too fast, and it blinds his vision. He thinks he is above the old and wise samanas a thought a Siddhartha from years past never would have conceived.
Your analysis is really interesting. It made me think about how Siddhartha and Govinda were fighting about how Siddhartha thought that they would not reach nirvana if they stayed with the samanas, but then three pages later Govinda was the one who wanted them to leave the Samanas for the Buddha. It is really ironic how after their disagreement they ended up staying with the Samanas for three more years, even though he was just talking about wanting to leave. I like how you tied in the fact that his ego played a huge role in his decisions with the Samanas, I had not thought about that in my reflection.
DeleteGood back and forth, guys! :)
DeleteMs. Ballard
Selected Passage: Pg 43-44
ReplyDeleteSiddhartha was left in solitude after journeying out to find Nirvana. Siddhartha's departures left behind his family and his lifelong companion, Govinda. After this realization, he commenced walking out into the world on his own. Siddhartha not only saw the world for what it is, but experienced it. "He saw and acknowledged visibility, he sought his home in the world, did not seek reality, did not aim at any beyond," (Hesse 43). Siddhartha begins to really see the world and all of it's beauty only when he finds himself without anyone else. "Light and shadow ran through his eyes, star and moon ran through his heart," (Heese 44). Siddhartha exposed himself to the vast and glorious world that is all around him and feels intertwined with it. He also finds himself thinking of the words he spoke to the "Sublime One" and how the only way for him to reach enlightenment would be to experience what the Buddha had experienced. He had acknowledged that you cannot teach content that you must experience. This is seemingly a turning point in the story. Siddhartha was always being taught how to reach Nirvana or the proper way to steer his life. He had always been with somebody who meant a great deal to him whether it be his parents, or his close friend Govinda. His desire for knowledge exceeds any affection he has or ever will be shown. Siddhartha himself is unable to display affection to those who care for him. Siddhartha is strong for being able to live by himself, but self-centered for demolishing any bonds he makes with people.
Your analysis is accurate and well written and I slightly agree with the second part of the last sentence. "-but self centered for demolishing any bonds he makes with people." I believe the Siddhartha may be making an unconscious decision of breaking his bonds with his close friends and family. Self-centered probably wouldn't be the best word to describe Siddhartha's predicament as he clearly cares for his parents and his best friend Govinda. I believe Siddhartha is taking account for himself and voluntarily attempting to change his life so that he can be internally satisfied. That seems almost admirable yet I think the traits that stand out most to many readers is his arrogance and ego. I would probably describe Siddhartha as intelligent and someone who advocates for his heart desires.
DeleteI agree with you on how talking to the Sublime One was a turning point. However, I disagree with him not being able to display affection. I can definitely see where you may think that, but Siddhartha is a survivor. He has a very strong will, while his moral compass is mostly pointing in the right direction. You say his knowledge exceeds any affection, I disagree. I think it's one of those things that he can learn. He has already taught himself how to live on his own, and staying strict to his religion. However, I do think he takes having Govinda's company for granted. I believe that without Govinda, Siddhartha will be able to teach himself how to feel like a normal human being because as I mentioned before, he's a survivor.
DeleteOur ideas are very similar in that we both see that Siddhartha left his close family and friends to experience what the world has to offer him. For example, after leaving the samanas Siddhartha strives to empty himself of hunger, thoughts, etc. He then meets Buddha. This is where my idea differs slightly, I believe that Siddhartha parts slightly from Buddha’s teachings. Though, I do agree that Siddhartha meeting Buddha is a major turning point in the story. I just interpret differently. Your analysis was really helpful though. Your analysis helped me make more sense of the presentations we were doing in class, Friday.
DeleteYour analysis is very well written. To some extent I agree with your idea that Siddhartha is unable to show affection in the first part of the book. However, I also see Janice’s point of view that he only is advocating for his hearts desires which is very important for one to live a happy life. However, Siddhartha spent his whole life seeking this inner peace, and disregarding his loved ones, that it was not as full as it could have been. This is because he was so caught up in getting to the destination(enlightenment) that he forgot about the journey. He occasionally will have these “awakenings” and realizations such as after meeting the Buddha, however he always sinks back into the mindset of only wanting inner peace. In the expert you used, the polarity between “light and shadow” should not be overlooked. This contrast describes the drastic change in the world through Siddhartha’s eyes.
DeleteDo you think he realizes how to show affection later on??
ReplyDeleteMs. Ballard
In the beginning passage of Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, the main character, Siddhartha, begins to search deep within himself to find who he really is. He begins to question his close friends and family. He even begins to question those he looks up to, such as Buddha and his other teachers. Before meeting the Sublime One, Siddhartha ends up going his own way. What Siddhartha eventually tries to do is to empty himself of everything. These things include hunger, his mind, etc. This is an important element for later in the story because when Siddhartha meets Kamala he becomes very materialistic. He then has to find his old self. An interesting thing I noticed in this first passage was Hermann Hesse’s use of syntax. In the first chapter he uses a lot of commas. When you think of commas in literature, they are meant to symbolize pauses. If you think of this from Siddhartha’s perspective he is pausing to think. In the second chapter Hesse’s sentence structure is very short. This represents how Siddhartha’s character changes abruptly within the first two chapters. These two elements give a little bit of foreshadowing for later in the book in how Siddhartha has many turning points in his life where he has to sit and think of who he really is.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete“Hot dreams flared from his enlarged eyes, the nails grew long on his withering fingers, as did, on his chin, the dry and bristly beard. His gaze grew icy when it encountered women.”(13)
ReplyDeleteThe narrator uses temperature based diction to portray Siddhartha's personality. “Hot dreams” is used to emphasize the daydreams and fatigue that Siddhartha encounters during his days with the Samanas. When one thinks of something hot, they might think of fire, or a burning stove. Such objects are too scorching to come near, and they take a while to cool down once they are controlled. Hesse used the word “Hot” to describe Siddhartha's bold and uncontrollable dreams, whether it be daydreams, hallucinations, or his dreams in life,(it does not specify). The literal definition of icy in this sentence is, without warmth of feeling; coldly unfriendly. When I think of something icy, I think of something that remains still and solemn. This is the way Siddhartha feels and acts towards women while he is with the Samanas, because he is living so simplistic. Also, this diction that he uses speaks to our senses, especially using hot and icy as ways to describe his personal attributes, which is why it is such good use of imagery. Hesse’s word choice gives a bold, and apparent change of tone in the story. It started from him craving change and wanting to see the world, but then once he see’s it, he is agitated. This conflict with his inner self is expressed through Hesse's bold diction, and it gives the passage a sharp, and agitated tone. This passage also vividly describes his characteristics in the last fourteen days. It is automatically apparent that he is fatigued, and growing weaker by Hesse’s fragile diction such as, “withering fingers”. In this passage, temperature based diction is used to portray an overt sense of change in Siddhartha as he starts on his journey of seeking enlightenment.
As I reread the second chapter, a paragraph struck my attention about Siddhartha:
ReplyDelete“Siddhartha learned much among the samanas, he learned to follow many paths away from his ego. He followed the path of unselfing through pain, through the voluntary suffering and overcoming of pain, of hunger, of thirst, of fatigue. He followed the path of unselfing through meditation, through thinking till the mind was empty of all notions. He learned to follow those and other paths, he left himself a thousand time... But though the paths led away from the ego, in the end they always led back to the ego... dwelling in nothingness, in animal, in rock, the return was inevitable since he found himself again, in sunlight or in moonlight, in shade or in rain and again was ego and Siddhartha, and again felt the torment of the onerous cycle.” (Hesse, Pg 15)
This paragraph illustrates Siddhartha’s effort to reach enlightenment. In addition, it represents his struggle through the process. Through this process, the samanas encourage Siddhartha to unself himself, so that he can free his mind to gain spiritual fulfillment. To unself, Siddhartha must ignore the needs of his body by resisting pain, hunger, thirst, and fatigue. Siddhartha and Govina both determine to unself through the ways of the samanas, however the paragraph portrays in our minds that Siddhartha succeeds but fails over and over. Beyond the subject of Siddhartha attempting to unself, I noticed that the reason Siddhartha wanted to become a part of the Samana was because he could not reach enlightenment on his own inside his village so he decided to venture forth to seek a new method. Which leads me to think that, Siddhartha is very impatient, trying to reach Nirvana, becauses he is effortlessly trying to reach the enlightenment on his own, but him switching methods gets him very close to float away from his ego with each method until he eventually returns back within himself. This temporary progress causes Siddhartha to become very frustrated.
I agree with you when you say that Siddhartha fails over and over, but I do not believe he is impatient. Siddhartha devotes years of his life towards furthering his knowledge and wisdom. He practically says himself that teaching can only go so far, and that in order to reach the same level of enlightenment as the Buddha you must experience the things he experienced. “That is why I resume my wandering-not to seek a different, better teaching, for I know there is none; but to leave all teachings and all teachers and to reach my goal alone or die,” (Hesse 33). He continues to devote more of his life to finding himself, patience was not the issue
DeleteAfter the Buddha’s teachings, and after Govinda became a disciple, Siddhartha decides to let Govinda find his own salvation. When Siddhartha has Govinda go, it sets a bittersweet tone. Bitter because Govinda, who was with him from the start, is finally on his own; and sweet because Siddhartha and Govinda are finally is on their own paths to salvation. Hesse uses questions when Govinda speaks, to him to show that Govinda is looking for approval, like he is a child, wanting to feel like he is making the right decision. Siddhartha, in a wise moment tells Govinda to create his own path. Hesse, to show the sudden change in Siddhartha, says he “awakened as if he had been asleep.”(Hesse 31) This simile really shows the wise decision of Siddhartha, saying he was asleep before, like his vision had become clear. The author also uses very powerful diction in this section, repeating the word always, to exaggerate how long Govinda was with him, and how different it will be when he is gone. As a reader, it helps make you more aware of the significance of this moment, of Siddhartha’s decision for them to part ways. This moment is a big turning point for Siddhartha, because he finally is alone.
ReplyDeleteOops forgot the quote...
Delete“But you my honoured friend, don’t you also want to walk the path of salvation? Would you want to hesitate, do you want to wait any longer?’
Siddhartha awakened as if he had been asleep, when he heard Govinda’s words.For a long time, he looked into Govinda’s face. Then he spoke quietly, in a voice without mockery: ‘Govinda, my friend, now you have taken this step, now you have chosen this path. Always oh Govinda, you’ve been my friend, you’ve always walked one step behind me... I Behold, now you are choosing your path for yourself.; I wish that you would go it up to its end, oh my friend, that you shall find salvation!” (Hesse 31)
I chose a passage in a similar area to yours, but I really like your analysis of the text. I had not thought about the part when he says “Awakened as if he had been asleep” (Hesse 31). This quote really adds emphasis to how it felt to leave Govinda. I had interpreted the text meaning that Siddhartha was kinda self centered, but he was really just wanting to follow his own path even if it meant leaving his friend behind. I knew that Siddhartha felt horrible about leaving his friend, but that quote makes me feel more sympathy towards the fact that Siddhartha didn’t just leave Govinda because he wanted felt like it.
DeleteGovinda and Siddhartha have met Gautama, the Buddha himself. Govinda decides he is going to stay with Gautama, but Siddhartha is going to leave to find what suits his needs and he says to his friend “You have not really heard my benediction, O Govinda. Let me repeat it: May you walk this path to its end! May you find deliverance” (Hesse 29)! This quote lets the reader know that Siddhartha is willing to leave his friend to find the path that is right for him. It’s not that Siddhartha wants to leave his friend, but he choses to leave because he doesn't want to hold Govinda back. Hesse does this to shock the reader because no one thought that Siddhartha would have left his friend that had followed him in the first place. Another quote that provides evidence that Siddhartha is dedicated to his path is two pages later when he is talking to the Buddha, he says “And that small gap, that small break shatters and abolishes the whole eternal and unified law of the world” (Hesse 31). The text shows that the Buddha was a very important person at the time and many people were traveling to see him, out of those people nobody had the nerve to stand up to him except Siddhartha. He did not mean it to be rude, but he spoke to Gautama like this because he wanted answers behind his theories.
ReplyDeleteGreat analysis! I think there is an interesting side note about your second quote. When he speaks to the Buddha he mentions a small gap that if broken abolishes the law of the world. For Siddhartha that small gap was Govinda, Shortly after the conversation with the Buddha Siddhartha has a massive change of mindset that I describe in my literary analysis. It was as if Govinda was that one hole in Siddhartha's mesh that caused his shift of thinking. This quote is also foreshadowing because soon after this shift in thinking, the laws that had been placed by his many teachers began to fall, replaced by greed and lust.
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ReplyDelete(Blog post #1)
ReplyDeleteDuring my reading of these beginning passages, I noticed an interesting contrast in the personalities as well as in the relationship between Siddhartha and Govinda.
From the beginning, the author defines Govinda as Siddhartha’s shadow (pg 4),which to my understanding means having the same aspirations and goals, but the difference is that Govinda is attempting to achieve these joint goals by simply following Siddhartha’s path and imitating his decisions. Govinda wants to reach nirvana, but he is a natural follower, he needs the teachings of others to guide him. On the other hand, Siddhartha continuously questions every teaching he is given, denouncing the wisdom of others and searching for his own path, much to Govinda’s dismay.
In this way the author has created somewhat of a divide between these characters who were, from the first sentence, defined as friends. In my return to this section, I found examples of Siddhartha often expressing this divide through degrading dialogue between the two of them. The first occasion begins on page 17, when Siddhartha speaks of how all of the Brahmin have failed to discover “the path of paths.” Continuing on page 18, Govinda expresses his distress at these words, and Siddhartha responds “in a voice containing as much sadness as mockery, in a soft, in a somewhat sad and somewhat mocking voice.”This somewhat mocking voice tells us that Siddhartha is aware of Govinda’s devoted nature towards the teachings of others, and regards him more lowly because of it. He even states that he “always thought Govinda would remain with the semanas.
These conflicting attitudes leave wonder when pondering if our protagonists are going to reach enlightenment. Is it possible for Govinda, who seems only capable of whole-heartedly following, or Siddhartha, who seems devoted to this finding his path, year arrogant and somewhat flighty at the same time?
*Side Note*
Although this note is unrelated, I find myself needing to both apologize and beg for help. Firstly, I’m quite ashamed by how inconveniently late this post is, but I think that it is better to turn in late work then not at all. Continuing off of this, I must ask for the help of all you successful bloggers. I tried for 2 days on 2 different laptops to post on this site, and finally, assuming this post goes through, I was able to do it on my phone…. Is there something I could possibly be doing wrong? If any of you have any tips to stop this from becoming a reoccurring problem, I couldn't be more grateful….
Your analysis is really intresting. I like how you tied in the bits from the beginning of the chapter and the end to show progression through the story. I totally agree with you when you talk about Siddhartha denouncing the wisdom of others. This made me think about when Kamaswami asks Siddhartha if he had any skills and then looked down upon afterward by saying “What use is it? For example, fasting-what good does it do”(Hesse 58)? I think Hesse does this on purpose because Siddhartha has never given other people's views a chance and now he doesn't like it when people tell him that his skills are useless and he basically threw three years of his life away for nothing.
Delete*Side Note*
I couldn’t post with my school google account, so I had to use my normal account. Have you tried that? :) Sorry if that doesn't help.
Selected pages 36-37:
ReplyDeleteThe importance in these two pages lie in the continental shift in Siddhartha's thinking. After leaving behind his friend and follower, Govinda, as well as meeting the Buddha, Siddhartha walks alone and lost in thought. He thinks about his teachers, and how they taught him much, but nothing about Siddhartha himself, then he has what can only be described as a 625th century a-ha moment. He recognizes that the only person that can teach him about himself, is himself. He says “I will get to know myself, the secret that is Siddhartha”(Hesse 36). This quote is foreshadowing his future relations with Kamala, a dark secret of lust that he discovers about himself. What happens after this quote however, shows the dramatic change in his thinking. “He looked around as if seeing the world for the first time”(Hesse 37). For the first time in the book, he graphically describes his surroundings, Something that he has never done before. The description of the environment symbolizes his rebirth as a new person, seeing life through a different lens, he no longer despises the nature around him, and instead embraces it. He starts to cherish and explore the world around him with a childlike curiosity. Soon however just like the changing seasons, Siddhartha will be changed by the new world he lives in, for the better or for worse.
I think that is interesting that you see a change in Siddhartha’s thinking after he parts with Buddha and Govinda. While I do think you make a good point, I think that Siddhartha is ultimately on his path to enlightenment. Even though it does not appear this way while he is spending time with and trying to please Kamala. In the end though it is all part of his path to enlightenment. I liked your analysis though because you pointed out something to me that I would not have noticed if I did not look at Siddhartha’s mind and feelings from a different perspective.
DeleteI find it interesting you looked at the sudden shift in his thinking. I agree that his childlike curiosity was a large shift in his thoughts. Siddhartha describing his surroundings for the first time in the book is huge. It's like he had tunnel vision the whole book, only considering his path for enlightenment. Then all of a sudden he noticed the world around him. As a reader it really helps you understand Siddhartha's thoughts, and you makes you feel like you are Siddhartha. This sets a tone making you feel like everything in his world is beautiful, and really shows Siddhartha appreciating the world for what it is. He looks at the world from a child's perspective, noticing things for what they are. If everyone looked at the world from his perspective we could move mountains...
ReplyDelete" With a calm, silent, hidden smile not unlike a healthy child’s, the Buddha walked, Wearing the cloak and setting his feet down like all his monks, according to a precise regulation. But his face and his steps, his silently lowered gaze, his silently hanging arm, and every last finger on his silently hanging hand spoke of peace, spoke of perfection, did not seek, did not imitate, breathed gently in an everlasting calm, in an everlasting light, an inviolable peace.” (27)
ReplyDeleteThis passage is written when Siddhartha and Govinda are about to converse with the Buddha. This description of Gautama includes Figures of Speech. A personification is used in the quote, “Every last finger on his silently hanging hand spoke of peace, spoke of perfection. Breathed gently in an everlasting calm.” The use of personification is used to amplify the effect of how at peace the Buddha seemed. By having his hand “speak” of perfection and “breath” gently, one can relate to the feelings of tranquility through these actions. The tone of this passage is reticent. Hesse portrays this tone by using hushed diction such as using, “calm, silent, hidden,” to describe Gautama's smile. He also describes his smile as “not unlike a healthy child’s” which is using a simile to create a visual image of the innocent grin that he wore. This paragraph is a prime example of visual imagery and character development. Hesse’s use of anaphoras give the passage a flow to it as well. Examples of these include, “his silently lowered gaze, his silently hanging arm, and every last finger on his silently hanging hand”, as well as “in an everlasting calm, in an everlasting light”. By the repetition of “silently” and “everlasting” the hushed and solemn tone.
Selected Passage 28-30
ReplyDeleteIn this passage of Siddhartha, Govinda, Siddhartha’s long term friend essentially betrays him. This is also the point when Siddhartha meets the Sublime One for the first time. It is at this point when Siddhartha parts from his teacher and his friend. This is ironic in the sense because in this passage Siddhartha says, “Will Govinda ever take a step alone, without me, prompted by his own soul?’ Look, now you have become a man and are choosing your own path. May you it to its end, O my friend! May find deliverance!” This quote explains the point of Govinda leaving Siddhartha. Siddhartha, in this quote, first questions Govinda’s manhood by saying that Govinda never does anything without doing it with Siddhartha. Siddhartha then goes on to say the Govinda finally has “stepped out his comfort zone” by going on his own path and leaving Siddhartha for Buddha. This path represents Govinda’s search for enlightenment. This is ironic because Siddhartha wants to help his friend Govinda but in order to do so he has to leave him. I think this is situational irony because normally to help someone you have to be with them but instead Siddhartha is leaving him. This foreshadows a little bit of Siddhartha’s future because he leaves his friend and lover Kamala later in the book. This is not even mentioning Siddhartha leaving his own family.
After speaking with Gotama, I found it interesting how Siddhartha was disappointed with the response he had received. It was as if he expected more from the Buddha just like with every teacher he had previously. However in this case, the only thing Gotama told him was “You are clever, shramana,...you know how to speak cleverly, my friend. Beware of excessive cleverness!” (Hesse pg 29) When it comes to word choice and phrasing, Herman Hesse is brilliant at making the reader think deeply about the meaning below the surface. With Gotama’s message, on the surface, the phrase as simple as the one above could be interpreted simply as be careful about how you speak. However, the deeper meaning is much more confusing but impactful. When Gotama said “you are a clever shramana” he is referring to Siddhartha’s yearn for knowledge and nirvana. How he was clever to leave his family for the shramana, then the shramana in search of Gotama, and finally, leaving his best friend Govinda. When Gotama says “you know how to speak clearly, my friend. Beware of excessive cleverness!” he is referring to Siddhartha’s ego. This is because when Siddhartha spoke to him, he spoke to him to prove how knowledgeable, and how great he was at interpreting his teacher’s lessons. While all this is wonderful, Gotama’s overall message is that Siddhartha should put aside everything he has learned from his teachers, and try to not focus as hard on every word they say. To not cling to them like a child clings to it’s mother. Later Siddhartha acknowledges this, “but he gave me Siddhartha, he gave me myself.” This is foreshadowing that Siddhartha will pause his quest for nirvana. For he is a different Siddhartha, intent on figuring out who this new one is.
ReplyDeleteI never realized how much more meaning you find in an entire book by simply rereading one section. Sentences that I originally hadn't bothered much with I found to hold a boatload of meaning. My favorite in this section is the multiple references and comparisons to a serpent. When first reading this book, I thought they were just visual guides, a way to help the audience see what the author wants you to see. But as I was scanning the pages of Awakening, an idea hit me.
ReplyDeleteSnakes tend to be associated with deception. The are clandestine creatures, and often used to describe surreptitious characters. Even the Bible used a snake as an antagonist who cleverly swindles Adam and Eve. So I couldn’t help but stop and think about the purpose behind mentioning a serpent twice in one chapter. The reference that I found to be most important occurs on page 37. “While thinking these thoughts, Siddhartha halted again, suddenly, as if a serpent were lying in his path.”
I truly believe that this is representing the moment Siddhartha realizes that he is unconsciously deceiving himself. The serpent in his path is the part of him that, in the past, had told him that he “had been his father’s son, had been a Brahmin, high-ranking, spiritual,” (Hesse 38) and now that the serpent has suddenly appeared in front of him, he realizes his self-deception, as well as the truth that he was “only Siddhartha, the awakened, and nothing more.” (Hesse 38)
With this ground-breaking discovery, I flipped back to page 35, in which it says “He realized that one thing had left him like the old skin that leaves the serpent…” I felt like there had to be some connection to the second reference, that it couldn’t be a coincidence, and I have a feeling I was right. At this point, Siddhartha does feel as though he is making great discoveries about himself, except he hasn’t yet experienced his snake-in-the-path epiphany. So, to me, shedding his skin symbolizes his old misconceptions falling away, but the snake remains. The underlying misguided thoughts about himself are still in existence, that is until he sees this serpent, and he understands himself, and his true path, more clearly.
I totally agree with you. The first time I read the book I kinda just read it without putting meaning to the words, but then after analyzing the text there is so much more to it that I completely missed. I really like how you didn’t just add the one quote with the snake, but went back and tied it to the quote on the next page also. Your interpretation of the snake is really interesting. I feel like the snake could also represent a symbol of him being reborn and having a new purpose in his life. After seeing the snake he can now continue on his path, with no strings attached.
DeleteBlog Post #2:
ReplyDelete[Posting chapters 1-2 because my former blog post was on chapters 3-4]
pg. 4
This particular passage illustrates the potential of Siddhartha as well as the admiration and love that his best friend, Govinda has. The author uses powerful diction to convey the aura that Siddhartha possesses and also applies this language to Govinda's thoughts of Siddhartha becoming a influential being. It is also greatly accentuated that Govinda and Siddhartha's parents expect great things from him yet do not notice the inner turmoil that Siddhartha himself breeds internally within himself. The author emphasizes in this paragraph the great future that is laid before Siddhartha and what is expected of him.
Because of this consistent pressure on Siddhartha; this may have contributing factor to Siddhartha's internal turmoil. Though he has incredible potential and has anything he wants in life, he is still malcontent with his place and seeks inner peace with himself and his surroundings. This is admirable in the fact that Siddhartha is willing to advocate for himself and his wants/needs.
Your analysis is really interesting. Siddhartha definitely has an inner turmoil and lots of things seem to fuel it. The main thing that implements his inner turmoil is wanting to find which path is right for him. He tries multiple different religions and faiths, but never gives them a long enough chance to teach him. His impatience seems to get him into trouble, but without it he would never have become the person he did. Another main thing that seems to affect his inner turmoil is his friend Govinda. Govinda is obviously his friend, but he doesn't really care about Govinda as much as Govinda cares about him. Govinda is like the child that wraps himself around their parents leg, it’s cute at first but then the parent gets annoyed after having to drag their child for a while.
DeleteYou make several good points in your analysis. I agree with many of them. Like I see how you would say Siddhartha has a lot of potential for showing his appreciation for Govinda. I also agree with your statement of how Siddhartha’s parents’ influences put a lot of pressure on Siddhartha himself. This would explain a lot of Siddhartha’s actions later in the book. Siddhartha’s changes in personality may have been due all the pressure put on him to live up to his family’s expectations. With that being said, your analysis gave me more understanding to Siddhartha’s actions.
DeleteAfter Siddhartha left Govinda he wandered around wondering where to go. He took a ferry, but did not have any money to pay the man. The ferryman said “I expected no fare from you and no gift. You will give me the gift another time”(Hesse 46). This quote is extremely ironic because Siddhartha does eventually go back to the ferryman, but even then the ferryman still teaches him more than anyone else has in his entire journey. Hesse added this line in as foreshadowing, because as a reader no one thought that Siddhartha was gonna go back to some random ferryman. As it turns out though the “random” ferryman is the only person able to reach Siddhartha without making him automatically become turned off and go against their views. Another ironic quote on the same page is when the ferryman says “I have learned that too from the river: everything comes again”(Hesse 46)”! This quote is also ironic because when Siddhartha goes back to the ferryman he tells him that the river will teach everything he needs to know. The river does exactly that and Siddhartha becomes the person that he had always wanted to be, just from the river. The river and the ferryman play crucial roles in Siddhartha's journey and they are important things to pay attention to as the book progresses, even though they don’t seem significant when they are first introduced.
ReplyDeleteSelected Passage 51-53
ReplyDeleteIn this passage of Siddhartha, Siddhartha is meeting Kamala for the first time. Immediately, Siddhartha experiences lust for Kamala. This part of Siddhartha’s meeting with Kamala is ironic because the first part of Kamala’s name, Kama, symbolizes pleasure and lust. This not only explains Siddhartha’s lust for Kamala but Kamala’s lust for other things as well. In this passage Kamala says, “No, my worthy friend, he is not satisfactory. He must have clothes, lovely clothes, and shoes, lovely shoes, and lots of money in his pouch, and gifts for Kamala.” (Hesse 51). Here, Kamala is explaining why Siddhartha is currently not good enough for her. Kamala expresses that a man for her must have good clothes, shoes and lots of money to buy her gifts, thus showing that she cares for materialistic things, not so much the connection between two individuals. This marks yet another turning point for Siddhartha. Up until this point Siddhartha is on his path to enlightenment. He is trying to empty himself of impurities. This is not a step in the right direction for him because he ends up getting a job for Kamaswami and becomes rich and buys things he does not need. All of this is just to please Kamala. Siddhartha even gets Kamala pregnant. Siddhartha does not find this out until later in the book because Siddhartha leaves Kamala before Kamala gets a chance to tell him.
I agree with you how this is a turning point, but I think Siddhartha views this more as a detour of his actual goal in achieving nirvana. While Kamala is clearly materialistic, she doesn't love. While staying in the village, Siddhartha views Kamala more as a teacher then as a mistress or lover. He later tells Govinda of his many teachers and Kamala is among them. By viewing her as a teacher, in his mind, he has not become one of the child people. This is sort of ironic considering when you think of child associated with religion, you usually think of a disciple. Is Siddhartha not a shramana disciple? Kamala does tell him that he has remained one because he does not love.
DeletePassage from page 45
ReplyDelete“During the night, as he slept in the thatched hut of a ferryman by the river, Siddhartha had a dream: Govinda was standing before him, in an ascetic’s yellow robe. Govinda looked sad, and sadly he asked: “Why did you leave me?” Siddhartha then hugged Govinda, wound his arms around him, and as he drew him to his breast and kissed him, it was no longer Govinda, it was a woman, and full breasts welled out from the woman’s garment, and Siddhartha lay on her breast and drank.”
The passage speaks of Siddhartha in his sleep while staying with the ferryman. His dream is extremely vivid, but I find what it signifies to be incredibly interesting. It seems that leaving Govinda was a fairly easy task for Siddhartha in my opinion. Siddhartha had always talked down to Govinda and did not see him as an individual, but more as a follower. I believe that although he did not express it, Siddhartha loved Govinda in a brotherly way. They had been together for many years and when they parted ways Govinda was clearly upset, but Siddhartha remained seemingly unaffected. After a short time passes, experiences the absence of his dear friend in the form of a dream. All he can do when Govinda says “Why did you leave me?” is hug him. I believe that this dream also signifies temptation. Much like the Sublime One, Siddhartha will face temptation head on. He dreams it and it becomes reality when he meets Kamala, and later in the book strays away from his path towards enlightenment because of this. “...it was no longer Govinda, it was a woman, and full breasts welled out from the woman’s garment, and Siddhartha lay on her breast and drank,” (Hesse 45). The Buddha was successful in his resistance to the temptation, but in the end Siddhartha was unable to control himself and when the time comes he abandons all he initially sought for.
I find it interesting how you compared Siddhartha's dream of Govida to the one of the woman. You can clearly tell that he has fallen to temptation because of Kamala, but I don't think he's completely abandoned his teaching. Later, he mentions the child people, and even though he does the same thing they do, drink, gamble, and have sex, he considers himself to be different. It's almost as if he views himself to be slightly more inferior then them because he has achieved enlightenment by discovering himself, and he is still a shaman (in his head). I believe Siddhartha thinks he still has a connection with religion the way the child people don't. This is because unlike them, he has gone to severe measures to try and achieve nirvana. Deep down, I think his goal is still to try and reach nirvana. The time he spends with Kamala and being a merchant is merely a detour. After all, Kamala does tell him that "in spite of all that, my dear, you have remained a shramana and you do not love me." (Hesse pg 58). If he doesn't love, he hasn't become one of the child people, which somehow doesn't make him any less religious and less likely to attain nirvana.
DeleteSelected Passage: Pg 58
ReplyDelete“‘But in spite of all that, my dear, you have remained a shramana and you do not love me. You love no one, is that not so?’ ‘that may well be,’ Siddhartha said tiredly. ‘I am like you. You too do not love; otherwise how could you practice love as an art? People of our type are incapable of love. The child people are capable of it; that is their secret.’” (Hesse pg 58)
I find it interesting how Siddhartha referred to people who love as the “child people.” It’s almost ironic because when someone hears that, they usually assume that they are religious. An example could be a child of christ or God. However, Siddhartha is saying that they aren’t because they are capable of everything that he has been taught to be indifferent about, love, sex, wealth and greed. When he says “people of our type are incapable of love” (Hesse pg 58), it’s almost as if he is somehow jealous of the child people. They have something that he doesn’t, they’re capable of feeling love, want, and desire. When Kamala says “you have remained a shramana and you do not love me” (Hesse pg 58), she proves that. Earlier on, she tells Siddhartha that he is “the best lover I have ever encountered.” (Hesse pg 58). At this point, the reader can assume that Kamala and Siddhartha have been together for a while and yet, he remains a shramana. I don’t believe that Siddhartha isn’t capable of love, but i think it’s more that he hasn’t found someone or something worth loving. He tells Kamala that he is like her and if she didn’t love, then she wouldn’t be in that practice. They say opposites attract each other and in a way, I do believe that Kamala and Siddhartha are opposites. This is because previously, she told him “some day when I am older, I would like to have a child of yours.” (Hesse pg. 58). Unlike Siddhartha, Kamala has expressed her desire to have a family with him and become one of the child people. While Kamala may want this, deep down Siddhartha is still looking to attain nirvana. He may have achieved enlightenment by discovering himself, but he hasn’t achieved his ultimate goal yet.
I think the use of "Child people" to refer to someone who is in love, is interesting. It is ironic that Siddhartha would say such a thing, because it is he who drastically changed for approval of Kamala. It was love that swayed him to stay in the city and pursue a merchant job. I found you connection between "child" people to Jesus, very interesting. I never looked at this quote and pulled that out of it.I agree with you when you say that Siddhartha IS capable of love, just not at this moment. Hesse leaves the reader kind of feeling a bit hopeless after this expert. I thought that the story might go on further to be joyous and the relationship between a rich girl and peasant would live on, but it turned the opposite way.
DeleteWhile I understand your viewpoint and analysis, I slightly disagree in that I feel Kamala and Siddhartha are actually quite similar. Their similarity is illustrated through their shared inability to love and their exchanges. Kamala herself is unable to love, and I believe Hesse uses her to illustrate lust as that is what her name means. Therefore, she is unable to attain the concept of love and similarly, Siddhartha is denied love because of his lifestyle and his quest to peace and enlightenment.
Delete“... Siddhartha had a dream: Govinda was standing before him, in an ascetic’s yellow robe. Govinda looked sad, and sadly he asked: “Why did you leave me?” Siddhartha then hugged Govinda, wound his arms around him, and as he drew him to his breast and kissed him, it was no longer Govinda, it was a woman, and full breasts welled out from the woman’s garment, and Siddhartha lay on her breast and drank.” (Hesse, Pg 45)
ReplyDeleteWhen Siddhartha dreams about Govinda transforming into a beautiful woman states a transitional moment in Siddhartha’s life. In my opinion, this dream symbolizes him moving away from his previous ascetic life that he shared with Govinda. And once Govinda turned into a woman it symbolizes him going forwards toward a new life of desire, which soon he’ll share with Kamala. This sudden change risks Siddhartha’s senses and imagination. However, I believe his encounter with the washerwoman at the village makes him consider when he will enter the world of desire again. I realized that Siddhartha had rejected her, despite desiring her, which lead me to think that Siddhartha indicates an awareness of the difference between obeying one’s inner voice rather than to his impulse. When Siddhartha decides to become Kamala’s lover, he is essentially making a conscious choice to enter the world of desire, and he becomes attached to it rapidly. Furthermore, later on after he encounters Kamala, Siddhartha gets his haircut and shaves. When I read this passage, it felt as if Siddhartha had completely broken away from the spiritual world, where he had be working so hard in, when he shaves and has his hair trimmed. After this transformation he has acknowledged his own physical body in order to fit into the materialistic world.
Our ideas are similar in the way that we see Govinda transforming into the woman was somewhat symbolic. I said that it just meant that he was moving on with his life; he was transitioning to not being with Govinda anymore. Reincarnation is believed in their culture, but only after death. Perhaps, Hesse was trying to show that after leaving Govinda and the “life” they shared together, he was reincarnated (reborn) into a new man? One that lusts for women and cares about, as you put it, the materialistic life by trimming his hair and cutting his beard. You also mentioned that him doing that was just quitting on what he tried so hard to get to, but maybe it isn’t the end, it’s only the beginning of his new life and of him exploring the possibilities that come with it. Maybe for him to discover himself, he must experience different aspects of life, and that’s why Hesse included it in the novel.
DeletePg 42-43
ReplyDeleteIn this passage, it is the first time in his journey where Siddhartha hesitates. Throughout his endeavors he has usually remained calm, confident and easy going. He went with the flow. All of the sudden when he see’s Kamala, he gets flustered and wonders if he should go and talk to her. As the pages go on, the reader truly understands the power of love. In this case, love is guiding Siddhartha wrong, which is a present theme in this part. Because of his lust over Kamala, he will do whatever it takes, as stated on page 47, “He was given a robe, led into the bushes, and emphatically warned to vanish immediately and unseen from the grove.Ge gladly did what he was told.” I picture Siddhartha with a subtle grin on his face. He did not mind all of the absurdity because it was all in the sake of getting to know Kamala. His willingness to pursue Kamala no matter what is exemplified in a quote on page 26, “If i were rich, I would give you pieces of gold for them. But it will be hard for you to acquire as much money as you need with power. For you need a great deal of money to be Kamala’s friend”. This quote is so selfish and cringe worthy. However, Siddhartha goes along with her petty comment and proceeds to kiss her. At the beginning of the book, he would not give a person like that the time of day. But it is his love for Kamala that he will tolerate anything, which is a big jump when it comes to Siddhartha’s character development.
Blog Post #3
ReplyDelete[Page 46; Chapters 5-6]
Siddhartha’s path is clearly hindered through the introduction of Kamala and his own lust/desires that emerge upon the encounter. He is easily ensnared by her beauty and charms as he diverts from his original purpose of seeking peace and enlightenment. In a section of the passage, it states “Breathing deeply, he remained standing there, and at this moment he was like a child bewildered by the abundance of knowledge and things worthy of learning that had been revealed to him.” Siddhartha formerly, a chapter back, had just been “reborn”; he looked at the world with a new understanding and saw meaning in many different objects and colors after his meeting with Gotama and departure from Govinda. Yet all this is quickly forgotten as soon as he meets Kamala as he is once again “born again”, like a child. And this new information he is presented with will only divert him from his path. This can be likened to the biblical story of Adam/Eve and the Garden of Eden. Where they are tempted by the serpent and the idea of the forbidden fruit that holds higher knowledge. Similarly, Kamala is like a temptation to Siddhartha and changes his thoughts just as Adam and Eve were deceived; as they were formerly obedient and good caretakers of the Garden. This illustrates the development of Siddhartha and some reader’s turmoil; because we have just witnessed Siddhartha’s change in perception about the world around him and suddenly he encounters Kamala and it seems as if the recent eye opening experience has just been forgotten and tossed aside.
I totally agree with this post and I even found something to improve it! When he refers to himself as a child he means he is untainted by the surroundings and he sees things through a new lens. However this can also be exemplified as he as a newborn baby who is easily manipulated and influenced by others around him. His innocence is his downfall and people like Kamala are the ones taking advantage of it. Molding him into the people he thinks he is above, the so called child people, this is a case of dramatic irony as he calls himself a child in a good way, while referring to others as child people in a negative connotation.
DeleteBlog Post #4
ReplyDelete[ Page 82; chapters 7-8]
After Siddhartha leaves his life of wealth and he searches for something to alleviate his malcontent, he stumbles upon the ferryman once more and takes up his offer to reside with him. What I found interesting in this passage is that Siddhartha feels a sudden love for the river and Vasudeva interprets this as the river speaking to Siddhartha. Yet the way Siddhartha responds alludes back to all his former encounters with teachers and shramanas and the Buddha. He responds in saying “In this too, I will learn from you.” yet this is a marked turning point when Vasudeva replies, telling Siddhartha that it is not him that he should learn from, but the river. Hesse uses the river to compare to various points in Siddhartha’s life journey; ex: he has aimed low (shramanas) and sunk to the bottom, deciding to aid Vasudeva as a simple oarman. He has also risen high as a wealthy merchant yet he is here now, in simplicity, ready to learn yet again, but not from a teacher or individual but from a river. Hesse also uses the river as a symbol to show the new rise of the “child Siddhartha” (pg 78) and the changed attitude that he possesses.
I never considered the statements Vasudeva says in response to Siddhartha, when he says he will be his mentor. His response of telling Siddhartha to let the river teach him is definitely different than his past, because it is still him finding his own path toward enlightenment. Since the beginning Siddhartha always emphasized he must find his own path, but always ironically immediately found refuge under others teachings. Vasudeva breaks this chain, this lets the reader know it is going to be different this time, that Siddhartha will finally find the answers he so desperately thirsts for. It is quenched by the simple, complex nature of the river.
DeleteYour analysis is really interesting. You are totally correct when you say that Siddhartha is now learning from a river versus human teachers in the past. It is so ironic how the one thing that could teach him so much throughout his whole lifetime turned out to be the river that he passed forty years ago. Also it is even more ironic how the night before he had tried to drown himself in the same river that saved his life by teaching him how to love himself. When he wakes up and explains how he is reborn, it is like he is now a child again and the river is his parent that guides him along.
Deleteblog post #3:
ReplyDeletePage 50
In this passage Siddhartha, a changed man, has just stepped into a new town and immediately his eye lands on Kamala, a beautiful woman who resides in a mansion just outside the town. He dresses himself and shaves his beard, all once very important to him, to help impress this woman. In the quote on page 50 he begs her to take him as his student, something he just said he would never be again. “I would like to ask you to be my friend and teacher, for I know nothing about the art of which you are the mistress”(Hesse 50). This is a very important part of the story as it shows the exact moment in which lust takes control of Siddhartha. The diction used in the quote itself is a warning to the reader. Hesse uses the word mistress to describe Kamala, a word used to describe a woman who is in a sexual relationship with a taken man. While Siddhartha is not taken by a woman, he is taken by his religion and his values, his desire is turning him away from those very values that he once held so close to his heart. This thirst for love is further exemplified by Kamala's name, a name which translates to, you guessed it, lust. Siddhartha is becoming a student of lust.
I definitely agree, I find it so ironic that just as Siddhartha is saying finally I must find my own path to truth, he immediately changes his focus to Kamala, lust and the world of temptation and pleasure. I am always surprised by how fast Siddhartha changed , and reminds me of how he is human too, and that he too has to deal with temptation. I love the Epithet Hesse uses of Kamala to show she is lust, and and pleasure. It's like Hesse is foreshadowing what she is like, and is writing exactly what she is, but it's hidden in her name. I didn't notice the use of the word mistress, but agree it is like she is stealing Siddhartha away from his path to enlightenment, religion, and values.
DeleteWhen Siddhartha returns to the ferryman, he was somewhat lost. After leaving Kamala, he wanted to find a new path to enlightenment, but he was tired and didn’t know where to go. The ferryman found Siddhartha and taught him the way of listening to the river, to teach him about life. However just as Siddhartha seemed to have found peace, Kamala came back with Siddhartha’s son. Kamala soon after died, and left Siddhartha with the young boy. This is one of Siddhartha’s final challenges to reach enlightenment, how he deals with Kamala’s death. In response to the ferryman, when asked why he feels no grief, Siddhartha replied, “No my dear how should I be sad? I, who have been rich and happy have become richer and happier now. My son has been given to me.” (Hesse 128) Siddhartha’s lack of sorrow, and actually the opposite feeling of happiness is a large step in the right direction for Siddhartha. The fact he says rich to richer, and happy to happier really exaggerates the feeling and tone Hesse sets, like Siddhartha know how to deal with sadness, to focus on the good. However, think Kamala’s death should’ve been mourned, rather than celebrated. The fact Kamala died on the same bed as the ferryman’s wife, is showing that Siddhartha has been following the footsteps of him. Siddhartha’s path is as uncertain as the direction the current pushes one on a river, but at least he is on the correct vessel.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this post and have something to add as well. When asked about how Siddhartha felt about the death of Kamala he replied with a comment about being even more rich and happy than before, because he now has his son. This however is foreshadowing to the pain his son will become, because in Siddhartha's life, the richer he got the worse it was for him in the end. So using the word "rich" in Siddhartha's reply to the boat man is truly foreshadowing to a dark time ahead. Written in purposely by the mastermind that is Hermann Hesse.
DeleteBlog #4
ReplyDeletePage 84
In this section of text Siddhartha realizes his situation. He has hit rock bottom, he admits it and accepts it himself, saying “I am now standing again under the sun, under which I once stood as a little child. I have nothing, I know nothing, I can do nothing, I have learned nothing. How wondrous this is!”(Hesse 84) He finds new strength in this, knowing nothing can get worse because there is nothing to get worse. He is just as he was born, a blank slate waiting to be written on. Only now, now that he is completely blank, does his inner voice return. Free from the mountain of thoughts above it, his inner voice breaks free and speaks to him again. He compares himself to a child but this time it means something more, Hesse yet again bringing back the same old similly is not meant to bore the reader, it exemplifies the many layers Siddhartha had to peel back in order to reach this level of enlightenment. The struggles he had to endure in order to reach this point.
I love how you compare Siddhartha to a new slate waiting to be written on. I would have never thought about that, the thing I always think of when describing Siddhartha being reborn is a new born baby because they have not been influenced by anyone or anything yet, they are free to choose their own path. Another example I would have used to describe him being reborn is on page 80 when he thinks “What a wonderful sleep this had been!...Might he really have died, have perished, and been reborn in a new shape”(Hesse 80)? This quote describes the first instance when he wakes up and realizes he has been reborn.
DeleteSiddhartha when he first was on his own path stumbled upon a beautiful woman named Kamala, after trading greetings, Siddhartha fell madly in love. He gave up his religion, shaved his beard, and did whatever he could to try to be with Kamala. Siddhartha´s decision to do this is a huge step backwards, and a big turning point in the story. Siddhartha compares himself to a stone in a river, trying to achieve a goal, he told Kamala what he learned about himself was. “ When you throw a rock in the water, it will speed on the fastest course to the bottom of the water. This is how it is when Siddhartha has a goal. Siddhartha does nothing, he waits, he fasts, but he passes through the things of the world like a rock through water.¨ Siddhartha is definately like a rock on water, slowly, but whole heartedly, pushing himself toward his goal. Generally that is true about humans, and their nature, because without the push for whatever they are doing, what is the point of life. It is ironic thought that just as Siddhartha drops his religion, and values, he falls to the bottom of his quest for enlightenment, his lowest low.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting in the fact that you view Siddhartha and Kamala's relationship as "love". I slightly disagree in that I feel both of them share something; more of a mutual understanding and a fleeting indulgence of desire and worldly wants rather and actual love. However, your analysis of Siddhartha and his downfall in comparison to the river is an excellent observation.
DeleteSiddhartha has just ran away from his old life and Kamala. He ran to the river where his journey began and sat there in agony saying “Dead was the songbird he had dreamed of. Dead was the bird in his heart”(Hesse 77). The bird is a symbol to represent his freedom being taken away, because he decided to run away from his life. The maxim flight is freedom is a good representation of this, the bird is not just there to be a cute animal. A few pages later Siddhartha wakes up feeling refreshed and finding purpose in his new life when he says in his mind “He pondered and pondered his transformation, listened to the bird as it sang for joy”(Hesse 87). Siddhartha woke up next to the river and felt outstanding, he has been reborn. The bird in this situation represents him being free. He is as free as a child, he can choose any path he wants now. Hesse adds the birds in multiple situations on purpose to guide the reader through the story as a depiction of freedom and rebirth.
ReplyDeleteYou and I both wrote about the songbird but with different interpretations. I'll admit, I did think of the bird first as freedom because it can fly. However, I feel like it doesn't represent freedom as much as it does Siddhartha. This is because between pages 77 and 87 Siddhartha attempts suicide. I'm afraid I don't see the connection between the two. How does freedom lead to suicide?
DeleteYou received a reply pointing out that Siddhartha wanting to commit suicide is not freedom, and therefor, your interpretation doesn’t fit. I disagree, sometimes, leaving your current life if it’s not what you want is freedom. The bird dying represented Siddhartha’s will dying. After he “died” (slept) he woke up completely feeling refreshed and “reborn” as you mentioned. This is where the bird comes to play again. The bird being a symbol for freedom, even though it has died it still applies. When it died so did Siddhartha and when he awoke and the tone changed, the freedom aspect shone through again. Good use of bringing the MAXIM into your blog post. And, yes, the bird is mentioned multiple times to depict freedom!
DeleteSelected Passages: Pg 64-68
ReplyDeleteWhile Siddhartha is with Kamala, he dreams of a small, rare songbird in a golden cage. He dreams that he finds it dead, “the little bird was dead and lay stiff on the bottom of the cage. He took it out, weighed it a moment in his hand, then threw it away onto the street outside.” (Hesse 64). At that moment, Siddhartha realizes that “with this dead bird he had thrown away everything valuable and good” (Hesse 64). When he wakes up, he decides to leave. This is because the small golden cage represents Siddhartha’s purpose in life, while the bird represents himself and his spirit. When the bird died in his dream, so did the Siddhartha who was a womanizer, a gambler, and a merchant. Without the bird the golden cage is empty and can not fulfill it’s purpose. Just like the empty golden cage in his dream, Siddhartha has no purpose in life. Later on, Kamala “opened the door of the cage, took the bird out, and let it fly away. She looked after the bird for a long time” (Hesse 67). When Kamala released the bird, she also released Siddhartha. She knows that Siddhartha won’t come back to her, and that just like the bird, he needs to be able to find the right path for himself. The last time the songbird is mentioned is when Siddhartha is wandering through the forest. While “the songbird of his dream was dead. The bird in his heart was dead” (Hesse 68). By having the bird represent Siddhartha, Herman Hesse is foreshadowing that Siddhartha will try and commit suicide. This is because “there was nothing left in the world that could attract him, nothing that could bring him pleasure or console him” (Hesse 68). Siddhartha’s spirit left him when the bird left his heart and dream. Without it, he’s lost to wandering the forest alone.
“Like a potter’s wheel, which once set in motion continues to turn for a long time, only slowly losing momentum and winding down, in Siddhartha’s soul the wheel of asceticism, the wheel of thinking, the wheel of discrimination, continued to turn for a long time.” (Pg 60)
ReplyDeleteThis quote lies in the middle of Siddhartha's journey, when he is working for Kamaswami, making very good money, and is in a relationship with Kamala. To an average person, these norms seem ideal. From Hesse’s characterization of Siddhartha leading up to this point, these are not his ideal norms. His goal is to reach his inner peace by learning from others, and by staying humble. Hesse uses a simile to compare his internal thoughts and drives. He is saying that these morals still reside in him and continue to linger in his mind, however it fades as his new life engulfs him. Siddhartha in a way has found a very temporary form of enlightenment, which is Kamala. His love for Kamala is what stirs him away from his journey. It is the love for her that is driving him to get nicer clothes, and buy gifts. She is slowing the momentum of his passions that he has ever has since his youth. This is why love is so dangerous sometimes. The idea that you would do anything (disregarding your morals and passions) for the acceptance and attention from that person. I do understand that Kamala is healthy for Siddhartha to a certain degree, (his first true experience of a relationship) however this quote exemplifies his present desires still stirring in him. A relationship is not healthy unless both people have similar goals, and wishes in the world. It is this spiritual wheel inside Siddhartha who pushes him to get past this life of wealth and materialism, and to keep searching.
I agree with you that love can be dangerous. I think you can expand this idea from Siddhartha and Kamala to the relationship he has with his son. This is because his son treats him like a servant. While Siddhartha is willing to do anything for him, his son doesn't want a a son and father relationship. With Kamala, Siddhartha is willing to become a wealthy merchant and buy lavish gifts to make her happy. The only difference between the two is Kamala wanted a relationship while his son didn't. Love is dangerous, it ended up getting Kamala killed by the poisonous snake because she was looking for Siddhartha, and his son resents him.
Delete“You will learn it,' said Vasudeva, 'but not from me.It was the river that taught me how to listen; you too will learn how fromt the river. The river knows everything, one can learn everything from it.. You have already learned from the river that it is good to strive downwards, to sink, to seek the depths.”(Hesse 92)
ReplyDeleteIn Siddhartha, Vasudeva, the ferryman, is a guide for both the river and the path to enlightenment. The ferryman is placed between the ordinary world and enlightenment, and those who search for enlightenment whom are open to guidance will find what they need within the ferryman. Many teachers of wisdom appear during Siddhartha’s journey,however each fails to lead Siddhartha to enlightenment. Vasudeva, the ferryman, shows Siddhartha how to find enlightenment within himself. The first time Vasudeva encounters Siddhartha, Siddhartha solely only desired to cross the river, and that is all Vasudeva helps him do. Vasudeva is not a teacher who will simply tell Siddhartha what he should know and do, but Vasudeva is a guide who will lead him where he desires to go. Years later, Siddhartha searches for knowledge from the river itself, and Vasudeva guides him in his attempts to hear what the river has to say. Siddhartha himself becomes a ferryman after he reaches enlightenment. He guides people back and forth across the river and eventually helps Govinda find enlightenment. It seems that ferrymen are the only ones able to help others find enlightenment.
Passage from page 79
ReplyDelete““Om!” he uttered to himself. “Om!” And knew about the Brahma, knew the indestructibility of life, knew again all the godliness he had forgotten,” (Hesse 79). His path had been forgotten, and much like the songbird in his dream, his spirit had died. Siddhartha is fully prepared to commit suicide by drowning himself in the river but the Om “pierced his consciousness,” (Hesse 79). He had abandoned all that he had originally found, yet once he realized what he had become he did not seek to find himself again. Siddhartha’s immediate thoughts were how discontent he was with what he had become, and the Om saves him. Some rest under the tree also helps his rationalization, he did not reconsider killing himself after awakening. He is able to revive and revitalize his desire to reach enlightenment, no longer was he tempted by the needs of ordinary people. This is most definitely a turning point in the story, Siddhartha had lost himself in money, relations with Kamala, and material items. He is able to pull himself away from his spiritually empty life and see how unfulfilling it truly is. While his initial desire to kill himself is extreme, his former teachings managed to cross his mind. Even after years of being lost, a moment of fear before death sets him back on his path, ultimately leading to him being at peace
Blog Post #4
ReplyDelete[Page 113; OM & Govinda]
By choosing the life and deciding to become a ferryman, Siddhartha is slowly learning things that could not be possibly taught to him before by teachers. As the river teaches him, day by day, Siddhartha begins to change and abide by his internal thoughts, becoming more and more open. He learns more about himself and most importantly, comes to value others and their thoughts, stories and opinions. As he ferries people across the river, “He understood them, he understood and shared their lives, which were not led by thoughts and insights, but solely by drives and wishes. And he felt like them.” This change in Siddhartha is a far cry from whom he used to be; he becomes more open minded and accepting of others rather than his former selfish individual that cared for his own happiness, contentment and ego. He understands them and rather than looking down on them as he formerly would (ex. With Kamala he looked down upon the “ child people” and with the shramanas he was taught to scorn the typical villagers.) he begins to see them in a new light and appreciate their rage of emotions, their silliness, and looks upon them fondly, as an older brother would a younger mischievous sibling. This change in his personality and attitude is significant in that it shows to growth of Siddhartha from the beginning his journey until now.
^^^ Sorry, this is actually blog post #5
DeleteSiddhartha has lived with Vasudeva for quite a long time now and gotten used to the ferryman lifestyle. One day Siddhartha sat next to the ferryman and Vasudeva told him to listen to the river, Siddhartha did as told, but the fought the process at first. Once he gave in and put his whole mind into listening to the river “At that moment Siddhartha stopped fighting with destiny, stopped suffering. On his face the serenity of knowledge blossomed”(Hesse 119). This is the moment that Siddhartha accomplishes his journey. This is one of the most important parts in the book. Siddhartha has finally reached enlightenment, the one thing he has wanted since he left his home and family. He left his friend and went through multiple teachings to try and find that moment, but it turns out the only thing that could get him to his goal was sitting by a river and finding his true happiness. As a reader this is mind blowing because he has tried so hard throughout the whole book to discover enlightenment and then it just happens so quickly when you think he is just having a nice day in the sun with his friend.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely one of the most important parts of the book, and the fact that it happens so fast really surprised me as a reader as well, however, I think the suddenness of it symbolizes something, it shows that enlightenment is not found by those who look for it. It will come to you when you are ready. Vasudeva leaving right afterwards also symbolizes new beginnings in a different way than "I felt like a child" that was used many times in the book, his empty pallet is foreshadowing to Siddhartha having to find a new ferryman, who is given to him in the form of Govinda.
DeleteBlog #5
ReplyDeleteSelected passage pages 121-123:
In this passage, Siddhartha, a newly enlightened man, meets his old friend, Govinda once again. As they speak it is clear Govinda does not recognize Siddhartha. This exemplifies the change Govinda has gone through. As young adults Siddhartha lead Govinda on a quest, he was a thirster, a searcher always looking to find himself. Now that they have grown old they have switched places. Govinda is now the thirster wandering endlessly with the buddhists in search of knowledge and wisdom. Govinda not recognizing Siddhartha is symbolism for his blindness to what is around him because he is so focused on finding enlightenment. Despite his closed mindedness Siddhartha does not mock Govinda like before, he understands him just like he understands the people he ferries. When Siddhartha asks Govinda to spend a night in his hut with him, Govinda sleeps on the pallet that once belonged to Vasudeva, here Siddhartha shows to the reader that he now respects Govinda, something the younger version of himself did not do. This exemplifies the transformation Siddhartha has gone through, he has shedded his ego and found enlightenment at last.
I think you make a very good point in saying that Siddhartha is a "thirster" and a searcher. What I find particularly interesting is that you see Govinda in that position now as opposed to Siddhartha; I suppose this is because Siddhartha is ahead of Govinda in terms of fully attaining peace and enlightenment? My question to you is, why do you think the author might have decided to put Govinda in Siddhartha's former role? What is the purpose of making Govinda blind to all around him except for his search to the path of enlightenment?
DeleteI agree that Govinda's inability to recognize Siddhartha shows the change gone through by Siddhartha. However I also think that the overthinking of Govinda trying to find enlightenment gets in the way of the true lonely path. The teachings were holding Siddhartha back, because the only way siddhartha cold find enlightenment, is by finding happiness within himself and his life. The author and Siddhartha always looked at Govinda like he was one step behind Siddhartha, but now that Siddhartha has quenched his thirst for enlightenment, Govinda is caught a little behind, and Siddhartha teaches him that the way to enlightenment is to learn it for yourself. I think that Siddhartha letting Govinda sleep where Vasudeva once slept, is symbolism for Siddhartha starting Vasudeva's role.
DeleteI see the point you make in how Govinda does not recognize Siddhartha at first and this represents the changes he has gone through. However, I think that Siddhartha is still the teacher and Govinda is still the follower or thirster. This aspect remains the same from the beginning of the story. It is ultimately Siddhartha, though, that helps Govinda reach enlightenment in the end. I think that it is through Siddhartha’s teaching in the end of how enlightenment must be experienced that eventually leads to Govinda reaching enlightenment.
DeleteBlog #5
ReplyDelete“I did it without any specific intention. Or perhaps what I meant was, that love this very stone, and the river, and all these things we are looking at and from which we can learn.”( Hesse 138)
After SIddhartha had been the ferryman for quite some time, his old friend Govinda returns. He still hasn’t found the answers he seeks, and although he has received all of the teachings from the buddha, hasn’t reached enlightenment. At first Govnda comes to here from “a wise ferryman.” He doesn’t recognize Siddhartha at first, but after some time, Siddhartha reveals his identity. Govinda then decides to learn from Siddhartha and the river. This is a huge full circle part of the novel. At the beginning, Govinda was just along with Siddhartha, to be there and learn from him when he found enlightenment. But because they parted ways, he didn’t. Then Govinda started finding it for himself, and ironically found Siddhartha, who was already enlightened. He learned enlightenment from Siddhartha, just like he was planning to at the beginning of the book. This is a huge part of the story for not only Govinda, but also Siddhartha. Just like the buddha, who devoted his life to teaching others the eight fold path, SIddhartha devotes his life to teaching others to learn from the river, with Govinda. The reason this is a big part for Govinda too is more obvious. He still hasn’t found enlightenment, even after following the Buddha, but the cool part of Govinda learning from Siddhartha is it isn’t REALLY Siddhartha teaching him. It’s the river, and Govinda following same path as Siddhartha did.
I agree that the river and Siddhartha teaching Govinda is one big cycle within the book. I never really thought of it that way. However, I agree partially on the river teaching Govinda. This is because I view the river more as a helping stone instead of a teacher. I think Govinda found Enlightenment defiantly with the help of the river, but he did it on his own. The river didn't teach Siddhartha it influenced him. While the river influenced Govinda and Siddhartha, both had to discover enlighenment on their own.
DeleteAfter Kamala dies, Siddhartha takes it upon himself to raise his son in the tent where he and Vasudeva live. While taking care of him, Siddhartha notices how spoiled the child is, for he is used to servants and a lavish lifestyle. Vasudeva asks Siddhartha “Do you not shame him every day and do you not make things still harder for him through your kindness and patience? Are you not forcing him, this high-strung and spoiled boy, to live in a hut with two old banana munchers...?” (Hesse 93). This is ironic because Siddhartha is confining the boy to a hut with “two old banana munchers” just like how his father wanted to keep him with the brahmins. Unlike his father though, Siddhartha isn’t able to make the sacrifice of letting his son go. When Siddhartha left the brahmins, his father told him to come back if he found happiness and teach it to him, Siddhartha never went back. I believe that this is a subconscious fear of Siddhartha. His son will leave him and never look back, just like he did. Siddhartha is clearly not ready to let go, this is because he found something worth loving. Even though his son treats him like he is a servant, he loves the boy. He is willing to do anything for him. Siddhartha has learned to love, he has learned the secret of the child people.
ReplyDeleteSelected Passage 121-123
ReplyDeleteIn this last chapter of Siddhartha, both Govinda and Siddhartha are reunited once again. All throughout the book, Siddhartha and Govinda’s friendship was tested. In the end, they finally came together to meet after the long journeys they have been through. In the beginning of the book if was questionable whether or not Siddhartha valued and respected his and Govinda’s friendship. “Siddhartha, smiling with his old eyes, said: ‘Do you call yourself a seeker, O Venerable One…’” (Hesse 121). “Will you say a word to me, Honored One?” (Hesse 121). These two quotes exemplify a conversation between Siddhartha and Govinda. In these two quotes, two different epithets are used. Govinda and Siddhartha call each other “Venerable One” and “Honored One”, respectively. Venerable means to be well respected, especially because of age or wisdom. I think with this encounter the answer is made clear that both of them have respect for each other, even though at this point Govinda does not know it is Siddhartha he is talking to. This final meeting point leaves the reader with a satisfied mood knowing that the friendship between Siddhartha and Govinda has been remedied and any question of their friendship has been answered. In the end, Siddhartha helps his friend reach enlightenment. He does this by explaining that enlightenment cannot be taught but instead it has to be experienced.
“He remembered how once, as a youth, he had compelled his father to let him go and join the ascetic, how he had taken leave of him, how he had gone and never returned. Had not his father also suffered the same pain that he was now suffering for his son? ”
ReplyDeleteWhen Siddhartha interacts with his son, Siddhartha does not realize he is trying to make his son similar to his own image, but his son realizes it and dislikes Siddhartha for doing so. Even though Vasudeva reminds Siddhartha that no one can determine the boy’s calling, Siddhartha is blinded by the art of love, and he ignores something he already knows, everyone must follow his own voice to enlightenment. He even has learned for himself that no one can teach how they can reach enlightenment, and that enlightenment must be found within. Siddhartha tries to determine his son’s life just as his father had once tried to his, and he attempts to impose his views on his son. This passage reminded me that Siddhartha has now come full circle. Just as Siddhartha’s son ran away from his own father, he runs away in search of his own path.
I am glad you stated how Siddhartha's life has made a circle. I never thought of it this way. I did, however, find irony in Siddhartha's behavior towards his own son. Young Siddhartha wishes to leave, but Old Siddhartha wants him to stay and live his lifestyle. Since Old Siddhartha finally reached enlightenment by the river, he disregards his previous belief that one must go their own path to enlightenment. Like you suggested, it's as if Siddhartha forgot what prompted his journey to enlightenment in the first place. I believe this passage emphasizes the cycle that Siddhartha, and presumably everyone, is trapped in. It could be argued that he is trapped in a cycle of dissatisfaction. Siddhartha reached enlightenment and a state of being free of desire, but he cannot be happy with his son's wish to leave. Just when we thought Siddhartha had escaped the cycle, he gets sucked back in.
DeleteI find it extremely interesting that the topic of your blog post is on Siddhartha being a father. I actually had not fully comprehended that Siddhartha himself was trying to impose his views upon his son; in which you bring up an excellent point that this essentially ties the entire book together by having Siddhartha come full circle and for a second, be in the shoes of his former father.
DeletePages 84-85
ReplyDeleteIn these pages, Siddhartha and Vasudeva talk about how much they adore the river. They reminisce about how the river has taught them that there is no such thing as time; we are all just flowing and going through the motions of life. They believe that the river is not a river, but, “a voice of life, the voice of what is, eternal becoming”(pg.85). Siddhartha and Vasudeva often sit in silence and listen to the river. On page 84, Siddhartha says, “Is it not true, friend, that the river has many voices, very many voices? Does it not have the voice of a king, of a warrior, of a bull, of a night bird, of a woman giving birth, of a man sighing, and a thousand other voice too?” He loves the idea that a river never stops flowing;that it never gets caught up on one occurrence. This is what he means when he says that the river has many voices. It sees many places and encounters various types of different life. This whole phrase is a personification as well. Obviously, the river does not have “voices”, but Siddhartha thinks of it as a living creature because it is so similar to his life in the sense that it's ongoing. Because the river is a figure of nature, and not living, it is open to interpretation of what is resembles. I understand the symbolism of the river, and how it is also a sense of community when travelers pass, but I wonder how Vasuveda is so enlightened by it. I know it is suppose to be the simplicity behind it, but I believe that enlightenment is living through others, and learning from others; much like Siddhartha. It is interesting to me how Vasuveda is one of few people who have reached their inner peace in the book, yet he is always so lonely and bored.
Selected passage Page 113
ReplyDelete“The wound burned with him for a long time. Siddhartha had to ferry many travelers who had a son or daughter along, and he saw none of them without envying them,” (Hesse 113). Siddhartha had been somewhat avoiding an actual relationship in which he loved someone. He left his father at a fairly young age, he parted ways with Govinda without any issues, and he had left Kamala without even acknowledging her opinion on the matter. He then meets his son, and he wants to be there for the boy and raise him, teach him, love him. His son was not accustomed to a life without materials, so he runs away back to where he came from. Siddhartha had never felt love until his son arrived in his life, it’s almost as if he lost the only person he had ever loved. Growing up people had loved Siddhartha for his potential, insight, and general abilities, but he did not seem to care. Karma truly found its way to Siddhartha. Fully able to leave behind all material possessions without a hitch, he encounters the one thing he does not wish to let go of, and it wounds him when he must do so. As ironic as it may be, Siddhartha learns from it. He learned sympathy, and was able to finally relate to the “child people”. All he had given up he had understood why people felt the need to have it.
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ReplyDelete“Siddhartha” is a novel about a man searching for enlightenment. It is well known that Siddhartha’s entire goal revolves around purifying Atman, and reaching Nirvana. So when he discovers his Hubris, Kamala, and becomes so entirely led astray, the reader doubts his ability to ever make it back on his path. It wasn’t until Siddhartha “felt death in his heart and horror in his breast” (page 73) that he was able to rouse himself from his stupor and attempt to rediscover his journey. In the next chapter a few pages later, By the River, words that either mean death or pertain to it are mentioned at every opportunity.The tone here is so utterly melancholy that it is difficult to point out that Siddhartha’s unhappiness is his own fault. When he sees his reflection, he disgraces it “and spat in it” (page 78). This disgust towards his reflection is symbolizing the current condition of his soul. He understands how far he has fallen and it hurts him to have to mend the shattered pieces of his spirituality. Unfortunately for him, his pain is necessary so that he can turn over a new leaf and begin again, and so that his past can be washed away as though it were flowing down the common river motif.
ReplyDeleteBlog Post #3: The situation is intolerable
ReplyDeleteThe poem “The situation is intolerable” has to do with racism and the clear inequalities among African Americans and white people. “Aren’t we civilized, too? Shoes shined, each starched cuff unyielding.” They behaved identically, dressed similarly, and were people like everybody else, they were simply treated as lesser beings. “The terrain: all around us dark and the perimeter flames, but the stars-tiny, missionary stars,” They shined above all the hatred and although the world around them is dark and contains hatred they continue to shine and provide a glimmer of light in an otherwise shadowy place. When we think of stars we think of wishes, could it be in fact that the stars represent people’s wishes for equality in the world? “So what if we were born up a creek and knocked flat with a paddle,” They come from different backgrounds but they live in the same world. “Our situation is intolerable, but what’s worse is to sit here and do nothing. O yes. O mercy on our souls.” Although they sit in a position of undesirable standards, they possess the ability to change things by not just sitting around and witnessing these injustices. This leaves behind an idea that someone must take action.