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Herman Hesse's Siddhartha

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According to Siddhartha, in Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha, one can reach enlightenment or contentment, by experiencing all life has to offer and learning to silently listen instead of seeking the answer. “The worldly pleasures and riches are not good I already learned as a child. For a long time I knew it, but I have experienced it only now. And now I know it, know it not only by heart, but also with my heart, with my eyes, with my stomach” (77). After dreaming of a dead bird, Siddhartha makes the decision to leave Kamala. He eventually encounters his childhood friend, Govinda, who watches over and protects Siddhartha while he sleeps. As soon as Siddhartha awakens, he has a meaningful talk with Govinda. This causes him to remember the time when …show more content…

Siddhartha reaches contentment when he experiences all that life has to offer. We are told that Siddhartha “learned as a child” that “worldly pleasures and riches are not good,” but it was not until this moment that he truly “experienced it.” At this point in the story, Siddhartha has gained massive wealth, and has more money at his fingertips than he could ever possibly need. He accomplished this through being a merchant. In this sense, Siddhartha has now experienced all that life has to offer because wealth and riches have allowed Siddhartha the opportunity to do …show more content…

Nothing but listener now, immersed in hearing, entirely empty, taking everything in, absorbing, he felt he had now learned everything there was to learn about listening” (105). When Siddhartha’s only son ran away, Siddhartha was profoundly affected--feeling pain and seeing the world in a new light. He begins to see himself as being like the child people, even to the point that he envies them. One day, he looked into the river and listened, changing him. He recalled his past experiences and the pain from losing his son slowly begins to heal. Continuing to listen to the river, Siddhartha is able to discover more about the world. Siddhartha reaches contentment when he silently listened to the river instead of seeking his answer. We are told that Siddhartha was “...nothing but listener now…”. This implies that he previously went in search for his answer but it was only now that he listened. Additionally, Siddhartha “...immersed in hearing, entirely empty, taking everything in,

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