Siddhartha Theme Essay

Although there are many important themes in Siddhartha, one stands out from the rest. In the beginning, we see Siddhartha leave his fortunate lifestyle in search of meaning and enlightenment. This action not only set the story, but was a huge event when we consider the historical context of India at this time. From a fortunate, bright young man to a wise, enlightened one, the author allows our knowledge to piece together the significance of each decision he made along his journey.

India has always been a country of many traditions and customs. Even way back in its history where this story presumably takes place, social life and reputation was an element of everyone’s lives. Siddhartha was born into fortune and was the son of a Brahman. People liked him; he was smart, handsome, kind, etc. Although he had it all going for him, he knew something wasn’t right. He wasn’t satisfied with his life and needed to find meaning. In ancient India, this wasn’t normal at all. He was expected to become a successful and meaningful man, but he decided to give up his social standing for his personal feelings. The author definitely implemented this scene to give us an idea of the magnitude of this novel. Siddhartha had wanted
to find meaning so bad that he gave up his reputation and wealth and defied everything that was set out for him for this one goal.

As we can see, Siddhartha set out on an adventure for a single goal.
Much like the stories of grand quests we have read before, Siddhartha definitely implicates some common themes. He went from being a promising young man to a shell of what he used to be, although none of it mattered to him because he had found what he was looking for. As we know already, a very common element of a quest in literature is a gradual changing of the character. It is almost always done in a way where you can compare the character at the beginning to the character at the end and see a distinct difference. In the case of Siddhartha, he had found meaning and joy, and although he was lonely and often went through struggles, it was all to achieve the goal he set out on this quest
for.

But Hermann Hesse, the author, didn’t create another typical adventure tale; he created one that we could relate to. We’ve all had to make tough decisions that may have played a role in our future, and while they seem daunting at first, we realize we wouldn’t be the same without them. Siddhartha made a tough decision to give up what so many sought for in order to find something he wasn’t sure he knew quite yet. The result of his curiosity and determination not only brought enlightenment upon him but also made him a different man than the Siddhartha we knew at the beginning.

Although Siddhartha is a story of many lessons and important scenes, none plays a more important role in my opinion than the decision he had to face in the beginning. He could have stayed with the lifestyle that was given to him even though he did not like it, but he chose to travel on his own path; a path that felt righteous to him. This scene epitomizes the struggle that arises from such a decision in ancient India, and plays an unorthodox role in the beginning of a quest. Through every bit of struggle and suffering he had to endure, the fact that he left such a great life behind really gives us an understanding of Siddhartha’s character, because he is not just a man on a voyage to find meaning, he is a man on a mission to find enlightenment.