ipl-logo

The Hebraic Journey In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha

1299 Words6 Pages

One of the most common themes in all of literature is the journey of a hero. Not only is this Hebraic cycle common in the literary world, but also in our human culture. All human beings go through their own Hero's journey. One example of such a journey would be the stages of human grief. Hermann Hesse's novel Siddhartha is considered by many readers to be symbolic of the circle of life itself. The character Siddhartha goes through a heroes journey that can relate to almost any human being, to find enlightenment or the hidden truth about life. However, Siddhartha's psychological journey takes him through the experiences of denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. These stages are described by Kubler Ross as the “stages …show more content…

Ross describes this as, "Having faced the facts, the person feels rage and a deep sense that the situation is unfair" (Ross 54). While Siddhartha does not openly say that he is angry, he does give subliminal hints through the text. Here Siddhartha monologues on how the Buddha has changed his world for the worst, "The Buddha has robbed me, Siddhartha thought, he has robbed me, and yet has given me much more. He has robbed me of my friend, the friend who believed in me and now believes in him, who was my shadow and is now Guatama's shadow" (Hesse 32). Siddhartha accuses the Buddha of robbing him of his friend. Siddhartha blames the Buddha for Govinda's decision of becoming a Buddhist, but he does not consider that Govinda can make choices on his own. Siddhartha's statements show his displaced anger towards Buddha, rather than toward the friend who abandoned him in favor of Guatama's. The anger stage of grief is the self-expressive stage of lashing out at others when the reality is that the person is struggling with feeling arising from a profound loss. Siddhartha obliviously thinks that it is unfair that Govinda is now a follower of the Buddha, having abandoned allegiance to Siddhartha, The situation capsulizes the anger Siddhartha felt from

Show More
Related

  • Dialectical Journal For Siddhartha

    1647 Words  | 7 Pages

    Siddhartha was an exemplary man who was loved by all. He was well educated, strong, handsome, and graceful. He pleased everyone, but he himself was never content. He did not find peace because the teachings of the elders and the customs of his culture were never enough for him. The quote is metaphor

    Read More

  • Essay Comparing Mccandless And Siddhartha

    902 Words  | 4 Pages

    Siddhartha realizes he is no longer comfortable just sitting around as the big fish in a little pond, and he would like to seek true illumination that he feels cannot be found in their town. As he states to his father, “I have come to tell you that I wish to leave your house tomorrow and join the ascetics.” (Hess, p. 10). In other words, he decides to break away from his childhood village and pursue enlightenment by practicing self-discipline (becoming an ascetic). Although he tries to reach nirvana in numerous different manners, his final goal never truly changes.

    Read More

  • Malcolm X Vs Siddhartha Essay

    864 Words  | 4 Pages

    I am not very religious. When I go to church, I feel more at peace. When I do not go to church, my life feels hectic and sometimes out of control. It is almost as if walking into the doors of the church have a calming factor to my life and I suddenly find that element missing from my life. Siddhartha embarks on a journey for himself to see what this element of his life is that is missing.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Middle Passage Rutherford's Life

    1410 Words  | 6 Pages

    Experiences Changes Lives Life is like a rollercoaster, life goes up to extreme heights, introduces fear and it can come down crashing in a matter of seconds. Life consists of many experiences and lessons. Life’s outcomes occur due to lessons learned by different experiences. In Charles Johnson’s Middle Passage Rutherford Calhoun the main character goes through a life changing experience when he runs away and steps onto the Republic, a ship where he believes will be the solution to his problems but it later turns out to be a nightmare and an absolute life changer. Life is lived in different ways and it is due to the different experiences and the different lessons learned.

    Read More

  • Compare The Different Paths To Enlightenment In Siddhartha

    70 Words  | 1 Pages

    Siddhartha's journey to enlightenment is not the only path to enlightenment, Based on this novel, there is no one set path to enlightenment, and one can find enlightenment by following their own path in life. If enlightenment is found by following one's own path, then that means that there are thousands, maybe even millions, of different paths to enlightenment. Govinda does not have to follow Siddhartha's path to attain

    Read More

  • Suffering The Deer By Alan Mcdonald's

    579 Words  | 3 Pages

    One main theme present in this essay is the fact that suffering is inevitable. Everyone goes through their own type of suffering. In the essay, the deer was tied up and it was struggling to be let free, where as Alan McDonald was suffering as he was burnt two times. At a closer view, all of the travellers were also suffering mentally. They very much wanted to free the deer

    Read More

  • Kite Runner Redemption Quotes

    659 Words  | 3 Pages

    Intro: Critically acclaimed author and psychiatrist, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross once said “Consciously or not, we are all on a quest for answers, trying to learn the lessons of life. We grapple with fear and guilt. We search for meaning, love, and power. We try to understand fear, loss, and time. We seek to discover who we are and how we can become truly happy.”

    Read More

  • Wisdom In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha

    322 Words  | 2 Pages

    Siddhartha discovers his inner peace when he goes through diverse experiences, and gains wisdom. As a young kid, Siddhartha grows up being a Brahmin’s son. His father and elders taught Siddhartha

    Read More

  • Finding Meaning In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha

    958 Words  | 4 Pages

    The book Siddhartha is about a young man who goes on a journey to find his true meaning in life and to find enlightenment. It takes him a while to realize his purpose in life but eventually finds it through a ferryman. In the book, Siddhartha experiences two forms of suffering:physical and mental. He goes through the physical pain of the Samaras but also passes through the mental pain of finding his way and dealing with his son. He also finds joy in his son and being enlightened.

    Read More

  • Self And Enlightenment In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha

    770 Words  | 4 Pages

    Each individual embarks on his or her own hero’s journey in life, some finding peace and enlightenment while others suffer greatly. In Hermann Hesse’s novel Siddhartha, the author slowly shows Siddhartha’s path towards finding the self and enlightenment through conflict and resolution. Finding himself is difficult, but once he does, Siddhartha is released from sorrow and depression, which finally enables him to reach enlightenment and peace. Hesse portrays Siddhartha’s spiritual hero’s journey by using unique conflicts to reveal his true self through independence, mindfulness, and responsibility.

    Read More

  • The Similarities Between Siddhartha And Kamala

    186 Words  | 1 Pages

    During Siddhartha’s path to enlightenment, he meets a woman named Kamala whom he shows interest in, but he realizes he cannot love her. Siddhartha says to Kamala, “Perhaps people like us cannot love. Ordinary people can love– that is their secret” (73). In order to reach enlightenment, one needs to be able to love; however, Siddhartha, on his journey, has drained so much life out of himself, that he is unable to give off love to a woman he likes. Siddhartha and Kamala are different from ordinary people because they want something else from the world.

    Read More

  • Siddhartha's Journey To Enlightenment In Siddhartha

    1030 Words  | 5 Pages

    This will begin the three main stages of Siddhartha’s journey to enlightenment. In stage one, “The Calling” Siddhartha believes he is called to journey with a group of Samanas or wandering ascetics, who train their mind through severe self-discipline. Siddhartha argues with his father after telling him he wants to join the Samanas, but his father eventually sees Siddhartha’s purpose driven attitude and ultimately allows him to begin his journey. Govinda, Siddhartha’s best friend joins him and after finding a group of Samanas, they join them in the self-torture and self-denial that Siddhartha believes will lead them to enlightenment.

    Read More

  • Influences In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha

    720 Words  | 3 Pages

    Any individual lives their life with many different types of influences, coming from both objects and people. In Hermann Hesse’s novel Siddhartha, a man unknowingly travels down the path of enlightenment. The man known as Siddhartha travels to seek the knowledge he longs for and encounters multiple influences along the way. These influences play an important role in the novel for him. Some of the influences in Siddhartha’s life include Kamala, his son, and the river since they help him to understand what he seeks and are the main reasons for him achieving enlightenment.

    Read More

  • A Separate Peace A Bildungsroman Analysis

    1458 Words  | 6 Pages

    A Separate Peace: a Good Example of a Bildungsroman Someone once said “Falling asleep is a lot like growing up, it just happens and you never remember the exact moment.” A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, is a prime example of a novel about growing up, or coming of age. This story is classified as a bildungsroman. According to an online resource, literarydevices.net, the definition of bildungsroman is, ... a special kind of novel that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of its main character from his or her youth to adulthood…starts with a loss or tragedy that disturbs main character emotionally...

    Read More

  • Father Son Relationships In Herman Hesse's Siddhartha

    948 Words  | 4 Pages

    At first his father declines, and Siddhartha then respectfully

    Read More

More about The Hebraic Journey In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha

Open Document