Reflective Statement Siddhartha

Reflective Statement: Siddhartha In the novel, Siddhartha, written by Herman Hesse we see a young boy not fulfilled and happy living a life filled with luxuries and nobleness. When discussing Siddhartha my understanding of the cultural and context was developed immensely when seeing the perspective of my peers. Firstly, when looking at Siddhartha we see his struggles contemplating suicide. Some may think discussing this topic is not the right thing to do. While others believe it opens up to a larger audience. While teenagers and adults struggle with crisis’s in their life and Siddhartha explored those topics. Secondly, Siddhartha does not find enjoyment in living a luxurious life where he can have whatever he wants and not have to work for it. He wants to go out in the world and discover new opportunities. Siddhartha is so used to putting others first and making them happy even though he is miserable in his own life. He takes this time to go find himself and see what he really wants to be in his life and how he wants to live it. Lastly, when discussing Siddhartha with my class during the interactive oral I never knew how much of Herman Hesse’s life was connected with the book. Herman Hesse struggled with his children, suicide, and his childhood. I believe this book was a very big relief for Hesse. He

was able to write a book about a fictional character but, in a way put his thoughts and feelings on certain topics in. So, overall we see the young boy, Siddhartha go on a journey just trying to find what he wants in life. Trying to find himself and go through lust, greed, serenity, and eventually finds peace throughout. We see many different characters throughout have a different influence and teach a different lesson. That is why when discussing Siddhartha my understanding of the cultural and context was developed immensely when seeing the perspective of my peers.
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