Symbols In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha
A chair is just a chair. A person is just a person. A saying is just a saying. But is it really? Or can they be symbols of something? Can they mean something else? In the novel Siddhartha, Hesse uses different symbols in the book to explain things. For example, he uses the smile as a true symbol of a person who has reached enlightenment. Siddhartha was able to recognize Gotama in a crowd of people by his peaceful smile. Later in the novel when he meets Vasudeva he flashes a smile to him that radiates understanding and peace. Finally when Siddhartha is at the end of his journey and reaches enlightenment he too gives a smile. Hesse uses symbols like these to explain Siddhartha’s journey to nirvana. He also uses sayings, people and objects to
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The River can be used as a timeline to mark Siddhartha’s milestones on his path. In the beginning, when Siddhartha decides to leave home he is by the river. He comes to the realization that his father, the holiest man he knows still washes away his sins every day. Again, he sits by the river when he decides to leave the Samanas and abandon his wealth and Kamala. Finally when he does reach enlightenment it's when he hears Om from the river. "They have heard its voice and listened to it, and the river has become holy to them, as it has to me ‘Have you also learned that secret from the river; that there is no such thing as time?’ That the river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current, in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere and that the present only exists for it, not the shadow of the past nor the shadow of the future." (Hesse). Hesse uses the river as a symbol of connection between Siddhartha's inner and outer self. The river itself divides two different worlds. "Siddhartha, as ferryman, helps people to cross the water which separates the city, the outer world of extroversion, superficial excitement, and wild pleasures, from the introverted, lonely, and ascetic world of forests and mountains." (Detroit). The river is often a subtle sign of a transition between the different worlds Siddhartha lives in. The fact that he is a ferryman when he reaches Nirvana is not a
The River can be used as a timeline to mark Siddhartha’s milestones on his path. In the beginning, when Siddhartha decides to leave home he is by the river. He comes to the realization that his father, the holiest man he knows still washes away his sins every day. Again, he sits by the river when he decides to leave the Samanas and abandon his wealth and Kamala. Finally when he does reach enlightenment it's when he hears Om from the river. "They have heard its voice and listened to it, and the river has become holy to them, as it has to me ‘Have you also learned that secret from the river; that there is no such thing as time?’ That the river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth, at the waterfall, at the ferry, at the current, in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere and that the present only exists for it, not the shadow of the past nor the shadow of the future." (Hesse). Hesse uses the river as a symbol of connection between Siddhartha's inner and outer self. The river itself divides two different worlds. "Siddhartha, as ferryman, helps people to cross the water which separates the city, the outer world of extroversion, superficial excitement, and wild pleasures, from the introverted, lonely, and ascetic world of forests and mountains." (Detroit). The river is often a subtle sign of a transition between the different worlds Siddhartha lives in. The fact that he is a ferryman when he reaches Nirvana is not a