Siddhartha Analysis

Although Siddhartha’s view of the world and the world’s view of him changes vastly throughout the novel, Siddhartha’s core personality and behaviors remain unchanged. Siddhartha has three main views of the world in the novel. The first is when he leaves his home on a journey of self-discovery with his friend Govinda. The second is during his time with Kamala and Kamaswami as a wealthy merchant. Lastly, the third is during his time with Vasudeva, his son and the river.

At the beginning of the novel Siddhartha believes he has learned everything he can from teachers and books, so he sets off with his friend Govinda to learn and travel with the samanas. During this period of his life he believes teachers and doctrines cannot teach wisdom. He believes that to become wiser, one must experience life for themselves rather than being taught. Siddhartha and Govinda leave their life as ascetics to seek out the sublime one’s words, but even after this experience Siddhartha still believes that wisdom cannot be taught through words and books. He says to the sublime one that he continues in his wanderings “... not to seek another, better doctrine, because I know there is none, but to leave behind all teachings and teachers, and either to
He “listens” to the river almost everyday and finds a sense of unity and tranquility. He sees that the river exists only in the present, it is simultaneously upstream, downstream, in the ocean and at it’s source. After his son runs away, Siddhartha wants to go after him, but realizes he himself had done the same thing to his own father years ago to live with the samanas, and lets him go. Siddhartha , with Vasudeva’s guidance listens to the river for something he had not yet heard and for the first time he hears the river’s voices merge into one, giving his soul a sense of