Rebellion In Herman Hesse's Siddhartha

All around the world from almost the beginning of time itself, humans have a history of rebelling against power and authority. Adam and Even did it in the Garden of Eden to God by eating from the Tree of Knowledge. The Israelites were able to flee their captors in Egypt. The United States of America was founded on the fact that people did not want to submit to the authority of the British Crown. Lastly, during the modern age kids, mainly teenagers, have decided to fight against the powers that hold them back in the form of their parents or even school authority. This type of rebellion was the major plot line in the book Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. The main character is a young man named Siddhartha who is the son of the Brahmin, a religion leader and highly educated member of the top social class in the caste system. Siddhartha is the type of young adult described by the author of the Alchemist, Paulo Coelho. Coelho says, "If someone isn't what them to be, the others become angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people are supposed to lead their lives, but none about his or her own." Siddhartha feels as though the way he is learning is not bringing him closer to enlightenment. His father believes that Siddhartha should grow up

Over the years Siddhartha and his friend Govinda both made great spiritual progress and both feel as though they are on their way to enlightenment. However, Siddartha only achieved this by pushing away everything that he held inside his heart. After three years of doing so, he realized that he could not continue to do this for much longer. When problems in his life do occur the head of the Samanas tell him to continue the way he has been dealing with his problems. Siddartha realizes that simply pushing away his will does not lead to true enlightenment and falls away from the Samanas