Self-Discovery In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha

Siddhartha is a novel by Hermann Hesse about a boy who leaves his family to go on a spiritual journey of self-discovery. Throughout his journey, Siddhartha discovers many new people, new places, but most importantly, new feelings and emotions. After many years, he becomes overwhelmed with his life and it all just becomes too much. He lets go of everything he has learned, throws it all way, puts an end to what he thought was a terrible life. One word saves him. The most important moment in Siddhartha’s spiritual development is hearing Om. After leaving Kamala, a courtesan who teaches him the art of physical love, and his past life of being a rich man, Siddhartha feels miserable and contemplates committing suicide. He wanders aimlessly and
He felt desire towards Kamala. She taught him the art of love, but not being in love. Kamala says, “You [Siddhartha] are the best lover I’ve ever had. […] You have learned my art well, Siddhartha. […] You do not really love me¬—you love nobody” (73) and Siddhartha answers by saying, “Perhaps people like us cannot love. Ordinary people can—that is their secret” (73). At the time, Siddhartha believed someone like him could not love, neither him or Kamala. He thinks that is what differentiates them from the “ordinary people”. Kamala sees love as an art she must teach and Siddhartha as an art he must learn. They both get caught up in their thoughts, knowledge and awareness to the point of not being able to feel something. This is his whole problem, this is the reason he can not be enlightened. He is too determined to learn the art of love and therefore can not feel anything close to real affection. But after hearing Om, Siddhartha has finally found the most important emotion he needs to reach spiritual
So not only does Om save him from his own death, it also helps him find “Self”. Through Om, Siddhartha achieves a great peace inside of him of understanding life and loving everything around him. He has finally reached his goal, what he has been looking for throughout his whole journey, discovering who he truly is.
Siddhartha’s original goal with the Samanas is to destroy his soul to find himself. Siddhartha wishes to be selfless by destroying all his desires and stripping himself of all self unity:
Siddhartha had one single goal—to become empty, to become empty of thirst, desire, dreams, pleasure and sorrow—to let the Self die. No longer be part of left, to experience the peace of an emptied heart, to experience pure thought—that was his goal.