Siddhartha: Hermann Hesse and Siddhartha Essay

Submitted By agarrett109
Words: 604
Pages: 3

Siddhartha and the Good Life In Herman Hesse’s novel, Siddhartha, a young boy leaves his comfortable, promising life on a pursuit of enlightenment. Throughout Siddhartha’s nearly life long journey he encounters many new and different people and unfamiliar experiences. Siddhartha exemplifies themes of the Good Life all whilst he searches for the enlightenment he so yearns. Siddhartha will not die having lived an unlived life, he knows that nothing in excess is good, he is more than educated, but wise, and is fulfilled. Siddhartha knows what it is like to live a simple, well-balanced life, however, when his journey of enlightenment begins this all changed. As a Samana, he was nearly nude and starved, then while working for Kamaswami he experienced the opposite.
Years passed by; surrounded by the good life, Siddhartha hardly felt them fading away. He had become rich, for quite a while he possessed a house of his own and his own servants, and a garden before the city by the river. The people liked him, they came to him, whenever they needed money or advice, but there was nobody close to him, except Kamala. (Hesse, Sansara)
When Siddhartha actually reaches enlightenment at the end of the novel, it’s partly because his life becomes an example of everything in moderation and nothing in excess. When it comes to Aryuvedic happiness, when one is well balanced, their life is as well, and this holds true for Siddhartha. Siddhartha discusses often how many respected, honorable teachers have taught him, yet it never resonates within him and has a lasting effect. It’s wonderful to be told fascinating and uplifting stories, however, this can only inspire and affect to an extent. Siddhartha realizes this and acknowledges that to become enlightened, he has to create his own stories by living his life. “But where were the Brahmans, where the priests, where the wise men or penitent, who had succeeded in not just knowing this deepest of all knowledge but also to live it?” (Hesse, The Son of the Brahman) Siddhartha is prosperous; he is educated and blessed, but this is not a fulfilling life. To take this knowledge and apply it to life and what is throws at you, is to be learned. He lived and he learned, and that makes his life good. Many people leave home to find themselves, maybe for a year,