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How Did Siddhartha Change

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How Did Siddhartha Change
The book, Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, is about a young boy named Siddhartha who wanted to become enlightened. Siddhartha vastly changed throughout the book, and Hesse used several techniques to describe his changes- this includes how the characters fulfilled the mentor roles to him, the various symbols that Siddhartha encounters, and his character development. Siddhartha goes on a journey and meets several mentors, which includes Govinda, Kamala, the river, and the ferryman, Vasudeva. All of these different mentors each individually taught Siddhartha different lessons in life. Each person developed and changed Siddhartha, so he was a completely different person at the end of the book than the introduction. Hermann Hesse also included many …show more content…
It first started with Govinda, who was Siddhartha’s shadow. Govinda always showed him the path he should be taking, so he is making the right choices. Govinda constantly helped Siddhartha make decisions, and he was always by him until Siddhartha left the Samana’s. Govinda always helped Siddhartha when he was in need, and always helped him when he had any difficulties or problems. Another mentor in Siddhartha includes Kamala, who was Siddhartha's lover, and she taught him how to love. Siddhartha said, “I would like to ask you to be my friend and teacher, for I do not know anything of the art of which you are mistress,” (Hesse, 44). Kamala was a mentor for Siddhartha, even though it was not a necessary goal for when a person becomes enlightened. She also helped him get a job as a local merchant in the town, so he could get some money. To add on, another mentor would be Vasudeva, who is a ferryman. When Siddhartha was starting his journey, he met Vasudeva, and he thought that Vasudeva seemed troubled. He didn’t quite understand the value of sitting in a boat all day, paddling, drifting off the shore, repeating the same routine every day. But most importantly, Siddhartha felt deep affection for him because Vasudeva taught him how to listen. Not only to listen to people, but also to the river. In the novel, Vasudeva said, “The river has taught me to listen; you will learn from it too” (Hesse, 86). The river was also a mentor for Siddhartha. The enchanting sounds and ripples that flow across surface, stood out to

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