Siddhartha Essay - 489 Words

Siddhartha In the novel Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, the main character experiences many ups and downs while on his journey to inner peace. First, he decides to live his life as a Samana. Later he abandons that life in return for a life as a rich man. In the end he decides that his rich life is unsatisfying and he begins the simple life of a ferryman. Herman Hesse writes about what it takes to obtain inner peace through his character Siddhartha. Siddhartha decides the way to obtain peace is by living like a Samana. Tomorrow at daybreak I will begin the life of the Samanas. (Pg 10) Siddhartha rids his life of all the things he doesnt need. Then he learns how to control his inner self, but is unable to gain inner†¦show more content†¦Later Siddhartha learns that none of these things are helping him gain peace and he no longer wants to be a Samana. Then Siddhartha begins to gamble and he gets rich. He becomes addicted to gambling and begins to put his life in danger. When he gambles, he gains many of the finer things in life like a garden, rich clothes and a lot of money. The only problem is, none of these things make him happy. He tries to buy his happiness, but it doesnt work. He staked high and unsparingly, hating himself, mocking himself. He won thousands, he threw thousands away, lost money . . . (Pg 29) Siddhartha even considers suicide because he is very unhappy. These problems are making him very old and sick. Siddhartha decides this life also doesnt make him happy so he decides to move on. This time around Siddhartha decides to become a ferryman. He gets rid of all the things that he doesnt need just like when he was becoming a Samana. He learns a lot through his new friend Vasudeva. Vasudeva guides Siddhartha and tells him to listen to what the river tells him. The River has taught me to listen; you will learn from it too. (Pg 105) Siddhartha learns a lot from listening to the river. Then Kamala comes back to him with his new son, but then Kamala dies because she gets bitten by a snake. This brings down Siddharthas morale. When he runs into Govinda after many years of not seeing him, he becomes happyShow MoreRelatedSiddhartha By Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha Essay2419 Words   |  10 PagesIn the short story â€Å"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. Th ese stages marked the journey Siddhartha underwent, and the destined metamorphism developed as he followed the path of enlightenment. 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