Compare And Contrast Siddhartha And Siddhartha
Essay Topic #1 Day after day, we are under the impression that we have to strive to conform to a strict set of religious, political, and social mindsets. It seems that it is imperative that we do not differentiate ourselves from others. A seeker’s journey is different, however. Seekers are individuals who look for meaning in life through their actions and through their journeys, not because of the ideals that they were brought up with. When seekers break away from the norms of society, they become captivated by a pursuit of a new philosophy. In seeker stories such as Siddhartha and The Stranger, Siddhartha and Meursault’s quest for an alternate lifestyle are satisfied when they break away from the fundamentals of their society, discover different
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In Siddhartha, Siddhartha comes from the highest social caste in India. He has everything that he could ever ask for and he is expected by society to conform to the role of his father. “He had begun to feel that the love of his father and mother, and also the love of his friend Govinda, would not always make him happy, give him peace, satisfy and suffice him.”(3) Siddhartha knows that on a social and religious level, he has reached the precipice of society’s expectations. There is no individual in society. Society is about the collective where one thought defines existence. But then again what is existence? Like Siddhartha, Meursault also begins to break away from society. Day after day he observes people coming and going from soccer games, while he sits on his balcony. This symbolizes his detachment from the world. Though he is physically present in it, he is mentally very far apart. “It occurred to me that anyway one more Sunday was over, that Maman was buried now, that I was going back to work, and that, really, nothing had changed.”(24) Meursault realizes that there is no meaning to this monotonous lifestyle. He believes that humans are just going through the motions; there is no purpose in life unless one makes meaning of one’s
In Siddhartha, Siddhartha comes from the highest social caste in India. He has everything that he could ever ask for and he is expected by society to conform to the role of his father. “He had begun to feel that the love of his father and mother, and also the love of his friend Govinda, would not always make him happy, give him peace, satisfy and suffice him.”(3) Siddhartha knows that on a social and religious level, he has reached the precipice of society’s expectations. There is no individual in society. Society is about the collective where one thought defines existence. But then again what is existence? Like Siddhartha, Meursault also begins to break away from society. Day after day he observes people coming and going from soccer games, while he sits on his balcony. This symbolizes his detachment from the world. Though he is physically present in it, he is mentally very far apart. “It occurred to me that anyway one more Sunday was over, that Maman was buried now, that I was going back to work, and that, really, nothing had changed.”(24) Meursault realizes that there is no meaning to this monotonous lifestyle. He believes that humans are just going through the motions; there is no purpose in life unless one makes meaning of one’s