Herman Hesse's Siddhartha

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If all life has meaning, then what is the meaning of life? How can one achieve the truth, the worldly comprehension of life? The answer resides in the will of the individual, in the path they take. In the novel “Siddhartha” by Herman Hesse Siddhartha goes on a spiritual journey to achieve nirvana. Though he begins at the life of a Samana, he gradually becomes enthralled to the fore of nature. Through multiple experiences he finds himself unfulfilled, however when he encounters the river he discovers what he has been seeking throughout his whole journey. After being unable to achieve nirvana through the life of a Samana, Siddhartha leaves behind his former lifestyle to begin anew. “Immediately he moved on again and began to walk quickly and…show more content…
He comes to the realization that all the events of his life and all lives flow within the same body of water. “That the river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current, in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere, and that the present only exists for it, not the shadow of the past, nor the shadow of the future.” (107) All the experiences that the individual an encounter flows on continuous river of time. One timeline, composed from start to finish. Renewed, rejoiced, and restored, this is Siddhartha’s soul. He has re-payed the debt he had with the Vasudeva. A passage across the river in exchange for rejuvenation. (49) When Siddhartha listened attentively to this river, to this song of a thousand voices; when he did not listen to the sorrow or laughter, when he did not bind his soul to any one particular voice and absorb it in his self, but heard them all, the whole, the unity, then the great song of a thousand voices consisted of one word: Om—perfection.” (136) The river has fully opened Siddhartha’s senses. The river’s holiness has unlocked his mind, heart, and sound. With his enlightened self he can now prosper with his knowledge, and overtake Vasudeva’s duty. (137) He is now the guide to the river. The builder of the bridge to self-realization and mutual comprehension of life. Siddhartha is the

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