Siddhartha Essay

In his critically acclaimed novel, Siddhartha, Nobel Prize- winning author, Hermann Hesse, describes the journey that four of his characters, Gotama, Vasudeva, Govinda, and Siddhartha, must embark upon to achieve enlightenment. Each character finds enlightenment in a different way. Gotama, the Buddha, achieves Nirvana through his Buddhist ideals. Listening to the river’s teachings enlightens Vasudeva, the ferryman, and Siddhartha, the main character. Govinda, Siddhartha’s former best friend, reaches his goal by adopting the teachings of both Gotama and Siddhartha. Each of these characters offers an interesting perspective on how the ideas of inner peace and enlightenment are approached. The first enlightened character introduced is Gotama, the Buddha. He is called “The Illustrious One” and rumored to be all knowing and wise, “one whose words and breath are sufficient to heal the afflicted.” Gotama believes that one can attain enlightenment through his Buddhist teachings, which revolve around the Four Noble Truths, the truth of
In the beginning of the novel, Govinda is described as Siddhartha’s shadow, following Siddhartha in his quest for enlightenment. When Siddhartha and Govinda meet Gotama, Govinda leaves Siddhartha in order to learn from the Buddha. Many years later, Siddhartha and Govinda meet again. At this point, Siddhartha has attained enlightenment, but Govinda is still searching. Govinda finally achieves enlightenment when, after a long discussion with Siddhartha about the process through which they attempted to achieve Nirvana, Siddhartha summons him to kiss him on the forehead. When Govinda kisses his former friend, he sees all of Siddhartha’s former incarnations, human and animal, all of which share “this mask-like smile, this smile of unity over flowing forms.” These images allow Govinda to see the Siddhartha’s soul and achieve Nirvana for