Short Story

Siddhartha’s desperation

Every teenager and young adult wants, at least to some degree, to go out and discover themselves. For some people, that means going on extreme adventures of self-discovery. Two such men that go on these types of adventures are Siddhartha and Chris McCandless (aka Alexander Supertramp). While one is fictional and one entirely real, their stories are both very eye opening when it comes to the topic of really living and finding yourself, and the way that these two men did so was both very different, yet very much alike. They are very similar in the way that nature had a very, very important role in both of their lives, as well as in the way that both of their emotional/mental states were not always one hundred percent stable. However, the fact that McCandless had a very inadequate upbringing and had a negative reaction to social life compared to urban life, while Siddhartha had a very commendable upbringing and did not hate society with a burning passion, really shows how different these two men really were.

Describe the four sights that the young Siddhartha Guatama experienced upon leaving the palace. Reflect on the significance of each of the four sights.

Siddhartha becomes a rich man and soon loses his desire to search for Nirvana.  Along with Kamala, a man named Kamaswami influences Siddhartha.  He convinces Siddhartha that material possessions can "fill" his life.  Siddhartha takes the advice, and he begins to live his life for money.  He starts to gamble and to compromise his true beliefs for material pleasure. While living in the village, Siddhartha slips into a deep depression.  He feels that he has lost a part of his soul, and he attempts to commit suicide.  However, during this attempt, Siddhartha becomes reborn and longs once again for Nirvana (http://splavc.spjc.cc.fl.us/hooks/ew/SmithSidd.html).  At this time, Siddhartha meets a ferryman named Vasudeva.  Vasudeva fascinates Siddhartha the way Buddha did (Welch 71).  Vasudeva tells Siddhartha that the way to find inner peace is by listening to the river.  He also tells Siddhartha that the river will teach him two things; however, Siddhartha must learn these things on his own.  Siddhartha's relationship with the ferryman is the key for Siddhartha to reach Nirvana.  Eventually, Siddhartha takes the place of Vasudeva as ferryman, and he soon attains

The relationship between Govinda and Siddhartha forms a circular path. As young boys set on reaching enlightenment, they offer one another a sense of

“Yes, he thought breather deeply, I will no longer try to escape from Siddhartha. I will learn from myself, be my own pupil; I will learn from myself the secret of Siddhartha.” (Page 32)

There have been many teachers in one’s lifetime, some more important than others. These teachers and instructors affect different people in different ways, and lessons are learned that are important to prepare for real life situations. In the book Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, a young Brahmin named Siddhartha is not content with his current spiritual self. Siddhartha is directed to spiritual enlightenment and Nirvana because of his guidance and teaching from Kamala, Kamaswami, and Vasudeva.

Werner seeks to change his destiny while Siddhartha searches for himself. Werner from All the Light We Cannot See and Siddhartha from Siddhartha set out on journeys to change the inevitable. Although Werner and Siddhartha’s journey’s on searching and seeking are very different due to the time periods, they can be compared by using Joseph Campbell’s monomyth theory, most prominently separation and initiation. Both journeys tell an exquisite story, by starting with leaving their normal world.

“Siddhartha,” he said, “why are you waiting?” “You know why.” “Will you go on standing and waiting until it is day, noon, evening?” “I will stand and wait.” “You will grow tired, Siddhartha.”

Siddhartha’s original goal was he “wanted to rid [him]self of the Self, to conquer it, but [he] could not conquer it” (31). Siddhartha had devoted himself to trying to rid himself of the pain of life but “he could only deceive it, could only fly from it, could only hide from it” (31). Siddhartha realises his whole life he has been running from himself, and running from the pain of life. Siddhartha has always been afraid of himself. Siddhartha was constantly trying to be like so many holy people, when in truth he should have just tried to be himself. He was trying hard to be something he was not, that he forgot who he was.

The book begins in a village in ancient India. The main character, Siddhartha, is destined for greatness because he has mastered the ways of his religion very young. Siddhartha believes the Brahmins of his religion have done what they are expected to do, but have not reached enlightenment. This leads him to leaving the village and traveling with the Samanas in search of the meaning of life. He travels with them for 3 years, along with his friend, Govinda. He believes he has become as enlightened as possible with the Samanas, and he and his friend leave in search of Gotama, a man rumored to be enlightened and teaching others. Once there, Govinda quickly and completely accepts the teachings of Gotama, but Siddhartha rejects him as his teacher and goes to reach enlightenment without a teacher.

It was the second day of my stay in the land of my mother. Uchendu called me forth, along with his children. Men sat on mats of goatskin; women were on the higher earth, on plant mats of beige sisal. The brother of my mother ground his teeth, tugging his beard. It showed his age, bright and dull at once with the silver of an elder. He spoke to all of us slowly, thinking of his speech, yet he addressed me first in saying, "It is Okonkwo that I primarily wish to speak to, but I want all of you to note what I am going to say. I am an old man and you are all children. I know more about the world than any of you. If there is any one among you who thinks he knows more let him speak up." He waited, and no one spoke. I greatly wished to speak of my knowledge, the knowledge of a man who had been through suffering, but I waited

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.

Siddhartha has been a character of many things; he continuously evolves throughout the story in search of enlightenment until he attains nirvana. In Hermann Hesse’s novel, Siddhartha, he appears to have a unique way of describing his characters and the way they transform. Throughout this novel, Siddhartha’s character constantly changes as he makes new discoveries about himself. In this excerpt, Hesse’s use of imagery, syntax and juxtaposition displays the realization Siddhartha has of being present in the world through self-indulgence. Hermann Hesse’s use of imagery articulates Siddhartha’s character as someone who has a meticulous attention to detail, a keen eye for his surroundings.

In the short story “Siddhartha” by Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha, the protagonist of the story was led on a journey to reach enlightenment. Through his many realizations occurring in stages and phases, Siddhartha experienced emotional, mental and physical changes. These stages marked the journey Siddhartha underwent, and the destined metamorphism developed as he followed the path of enlightenment.