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Laura Andreasen – Brigham Young University – 2009 Page 1 Siddhartha Siddhartha Siddhartha Siddhartha Concept Concept Concept Concept & Vocabulary & Vocabulary & Vocabulary & Vocabulary Analysis Analysis Analysis Analysis Literary Text Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse The Dover Thrift Edition, 1999 Organizational Patterns The novel is split into two “parts.” Part 1 consists of 23 pages and covers the protagonists first “journey” as an extreme ascetic. Part 2 contains the last 57 pages and details Siddhartha’s second “journey” in which he explores and rejects worldliness and ultimately becomes at one with himself and the world. Each part is split into more manageable sections that might be classified as chapters, but are sectioned off not with numbers, but titles. The sections are organized as follows: Part 1: The Son of the Brahman—pages 1-7 With the Samanas—pages 7-14 Gotama—pages 14-20 Awakening—pages 20-23 Part 2: Kamala—pages 25-34 With the Child-People—pages 34-40 Samsara—pages 40-46 By the River—pages 46-63 The Son—pages 63-74 Govinda—pages 74-81 Central Question/Enduring Issue True Wisdom is Found in “Self”. Siddhartha’s path to enlightenment leads him back to himself. After he tries several lifestyles, tries to learn from the best teachers, looks to external sources to find the meaning in life, and makes numerous mistakes, Siddhartha finds what he is looking for deep inside his own soul. His own culmination of experiences and beliefs brings him a better understanding of life than he could learn from any one person or solitary experience. In finding himself, he finds wisdom and contentment. This search for

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SiddharthaSiddharthaSiddharthaSiddhartha

ConceptConceptConceptConcept & Vocabulary& Vocabulary& Vocabulary& Vocabulary AnalysisAnalysisAnalysisAnalysis Literary Text

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

The Dover Thrift Edition, 1999 Organizational Patterns

The novel is split into two “parts.” Part 1 consists

of 23 pages and covers the protagonists first “journey”

as an extreme ascetic. Part 2 contains the last 57 pages

and details Siddhartha’s second “journey” in which he

explores and rejects worldliness and ultimately becomes

at one with himself and the world.

Each part is split into more manageable sections that might be classified as

chapters, but are sectioned off not with numbers, but titles. The sections are

organized as follows:

Part 1:

The Son of the Brahman—pages 1-7

With the Samanas—pages 7-14

Gotama—pages 14-20

Awakening—pages 20-23

Part 2:

Kamala—pages 25-34

With the Child-People—pages 34-40

Samsara—pages 40-46

By the River—pages 46-63

The Son—pages 63-74

Govinda—pages 74-81

Central Question/Enduring Issue

True Wisdom is Found in “Self”.

Siddhartha’s path to enlightenment leads him back to himself. After he tries several

lifestyles, tries to learn from the best teachers, looks to external sources to find the

meaning in life, and makes numerous mistakes, Siddhartha finds what he is looking

for deep inside his own soul. His own culmination of experiences and beliefs brings

him a better understanding of life than he could learn from any one person or solitary

experience. In finding himself, he finds wisdom and contentment. This search for

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understanding of yourself and the way you fit into the world is a universal need. This

is the most poignant lesson Siddhartha teaches.

Issues Related to This Study of Literature

THEME

Finding Self/Identity

“But even though the paths led away from self, at the end they always led back to self”

(pg. 9).

The search for self is the root of Siddhartha’s journey in this novel. His

confusion as he digs inside himself to find meaning in his life causes Siddhartha to

leave a comfortable Brahman household to first follow the sterile, denial-based life of

an ascetic, then to break away from this in favor of a rich, worldly life, and then to end

up as a ferryman learning his final lesson from the comings and goings of the river.

His explorations of his feelings about the essence of himself are the meat of the novel.

Coming of Age/Bildungsroman

“In that hour Siddhartha ceased to struggle with his destiny, he

ceased to suffer. On his face there blossomed the serenity of a

knowledge that was no longer opposed by his will, a knowledge

that knew…the current of life…” (pg. 73).

Closely related to his search for self, Siddhartha’s coming-

of-age journey can also be traced through the novel. Like many

a protagonist who traverses through age and time, Siddhartha

learns the basic lessons of growing up through temptation,

opposition, loss, friendship, death, etc. In the end, to complete

is bidungsroman, Siddhartha must decide what he values most.

Education, Experience, and Wisdom

“…my dear Govinda, here is one of the thoughts I discovered: Wisdom cannot be

imparted. Wisdom that a wise man attempts to impart always sounds like foolishness”

(pg. 76).

Throughout the novel, the value of formal education is compared to the value of

experience, and in the end Siddhartha learns to put the two together to form wisdom.

Siddhartha’s education opens many doors for him, especially in his worldly ventures,

but he finds that his experiences are just as valuable in his quest for true wisdom.

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Friendship and Love

“You do not love anyone, either—otherwise, how could you practice love as an art?

Perhaps people of our kind are unable to love” (pg. 40).

Siddhartha builds and learns from four major relationships in the novel:

companionship/devoted friendship with his childhood friend Govina,

friendship/romantic love with the beautiful courtesan Kamala,

companionship/respectful love with the ferryman mentor Vasudeva, and fatherly love

with his son Siddhartha. Experience with these different kinds of love and friendship

shapes Siddhartha’s growth and defines his journey.

Religious Beliefs

“In a gentle but firm voice the Sublime One spoke; he taught

the Four Basic Truths, he taught the Eightfold Way, patiently

he followed the customary path of the doctrine, with its

parables, with its repetitions…” (pg. 16).

Siddhartha is the name of the original Buddha, the

origin of the Buddhist religion. While this novel is not

about that original Buddha, the protagonist does meet the

Buddha, and then becomes a Buddha himself at the end of

the story. Hinduism, Brahmanism, and Buddhism are all

part of Siddhartha’s journey. Thus, the development of a

religious belief system is obviously a large part of

Siddhartha’s journey.

SETTING

The novel is set in ancient India, just after the founding of the Buddhist religion.

Hesse does not give names of towns, rivers, forests, or any other geographic mark, but

based on the protagonist’s proximity to the original Buddha, we can assume he

traveling within a piece of Northern India throughout the novel. Because this setting

is unfamiliar to most American readers, it could require some teaching of background

knowledge; however, the specific setting is not very important to the story once the

background of Indian custom and culture is set forth.

NARRATIVE VOICE

The narrator of the novel is a third-person omniscient narrator. This voice spins

the narrative of Siddhartha, occasionally veering into the stories of other characters.

The narrator uses dialogue and recounts Siddhartha’s thought-processes in detail.

The entire novel is told in past tense.

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The most challenging aspect of the way the book is narrated is the tense issues

caused by the translation from German to English. Thus, sometimes dialogue

switches from past to present. Often Siddhartha speaks to himself or others in third-

person. These switches could be intimidating to unconfident readers.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

“He ascertained that something had left him behind, just as a snake is left behind by its

old skin” (pg. 21).

Heavy use of simile and metaphor makes the text sometimes difficult to

understand. The author was German, so the text is a translation into English, and

there is plenty of semi-confusing figurative language to sort through as a result.

While some of the figurative language can be confusing, it can also help clarify the

direction the text is taking by reinforcing vivid imagery.

CONFLICT (INTERNAL vs. EXTERNAL)

“I had to become a fool in order to find Atman within myself again. I had to sin so that I

could live again. Where else may my path lead me? This path is foolish, it makes

wides loops, maybe it is going in a circle. Let it go wherever it wishes, I shall follow it”

(52).

In Siddhartha, most of the conflict takes place within the protagonists own

thoughts in a kind of war with himself. However, we can see this war clearly when we

trace where he turns to find wisdom. There is a conflict between wisdom gained

externally and internally. Siddhartha first turns to organized religion, then to worldly

sources, looking for the meaning of life. It is not until he looks inside himself that he

finds this ultimate wisdom. This is the major conflict in the novel.

SYMBOLISM

The Caged Bird

Kamala, Siddhartha’s lover, owns a golden bird in a

beautiful cage. The bird represents Siddhartha, as he is

trapped by his worldly life. Siddhartha realizes that like

the trapped bird, he is slowly losing is will to live. Thus, he

leaves his worldly life behind; when he leaves, Kamala frees

her caged bird, symbolizing freedom and new life for

Siddhartha.

The River

The river represents the journey through life that one must take to reach a true

Nirvana. Siddhartha finds many answers in the wordless wisdom of the river. Among

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other things, the constant flow of the river is a foil of the constant flow of time. The

river represents the truth that Siddhartha needs to find in himself.

The Smile

The only characters who are ever mentioned as smiling are those who are

completely at peace. The Sublime One is described as calm and smiling, and

Vasudeva is the only other smiling character. The

smile represents true wisdom and enlightenment. At

the very end of the novel, Siddhartha joins the ranks

of enlightened, content smilers.

The Ferryman

As one who helps people cross the river, the

ferryman symbolizes the true knowledge needed to

follow the path of enlightenment. He is the mentor

that encourages Siddhartha to find enlightenment

within himself. As the river symbolizes the path to

enlightenment, the ferryman helps Siddhartha cross

the path a few times, and then helps our protagonist

examine the path to find the truth within himself.

Affective Issues Related to the Work

If the novel is presented in a way that makes the text accessible, students will

be able to relate to its identity theme especially. As high school students, they are

looking for their own ideas and opinions, just as Siddhartha sets out to find wisdom.

Siddhartha’s path through life may closely mirror their own. High school students are

trying on different philosophies and lifestyles just like Siddhartha.

Love is also a very hot topic among teenagers who

may study this novel. Siddhartha’s lessons of love from

Kamala may strike a familiar chord among high school

students. Just as Siddhartha’s love is very physical, many

students are experiencing physical changes that facilitate

love and lust. An exploration of Siddhartha’s conclusions

regarding sensual love could be applicable to many

teenagers. Due to the semi-explicit descriptions of love in

the novel, you may have to treat this theme with caution.

However, this will probably make love even more of a hot

topic with this novel than with more tame treatments of the

love/lust concept.

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Vocabulary Issues

This novel uses very rich vocabulary. Despite the fact that it is a translation,

many advanced English words are used. However, the translation does cause a few

issues with words that have lost their significance in translation. Because of this,

students will need to pay attention to footnotes that explain the significance of word

choices that are lost in translation. It is possible that some translations of the book

read more smoothly than others. While it is the most affordable edition, the Dover

Thrift edition is probably not the most effective translation to use with students (see

the Lost in Translation Project Idea on page 9).

Advanced vocabulary can be both a challenge in the novel as well as an

opportunity. The text is challenging because it contains several long and convoluted

sentences with multiple lengthy words. Students will need a dictionary close-by, and

requiring post-it note annotations to make sure students are looking up definitions of

words they don’t know could be very beneficial. According to the Raygor Readability

Estimate, the novel lies under the category of professional reading level. This will be a

challenge, but is not insurmountable.

The Indian vocabulary and Buddhist vernacular will

also provide a challenge. Allusions to Buddhist concepts

such as Atman and Nirvana occur frequently in the novel.

Students will need some basic background knowledge, and

perhaps a glossary of Buddhist and Indian terms will be

useful to students as they read (most editions of the novel

contain a glossary for this purpose).

Background Knowledge

As mentioned under the “setting” section above, students will need a basic

knowledge of Indian culture. While the caste system does not make too much of an

appearance in the novel, it could be traced. The ascetic lifestyle, Indian commerce

and trade, and the pleasure gardens of Indian courtesans are all pieces of ancient

Indian culture that make appearances in the novel. Thus, cultural knowledge will

help students understand the significance of several of Siddhartha’s ventures.

Setting the stage by at least briefly explaining the development of Hinduism,

Brahmanism, and Buddhism is necessary. Cursory knowledge of the beliefs of these

religions, such as the Eightfold Path and the Four Basic Truths, will help students

access the text and understand Siddhartha’s issues with these beliefs. Also, the

ending of the novel will seem abrupt to students unless they have a basic

understanding of the concept of Buddhist Enlightenment.

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Implications for Students of Diversity

This text provides an excellent opportunity for many American students to

explore a diverse culture and belief system that is most likely very different from their

own at a glance. However, the book presents a universal concept of understanding

yourself, examining your own belief system, and stepping outside boundaries to

examine your views from a global perspective.

Some student may feel these beliefs are threatening at first, especially because

of their religious nature. However, if discussed and presented in a safe classroom

environment, this could help students of find commonalities between their own beliefs

and the beliefs Siddhartha embraces.

This could be used to foster an acceptance and appreciation for diversity. If

used with a diverse population of students, this could facilitate acceptance and

appreciation among the students. If used in a less diverse classroom, this text can

provide students with the opportunity to address issues of diversity they may come

across in their futures.

Gender Issues

This text does not accentuate the gender roles

that were prevalent in ancient India. Thus, gender is

not a huge part of the novel. However, there are

encounters between genders that could gender issues

with students. There are some sensual scenes that

portray women as desirable objects. However,

Siddhartha learns to value his mistress as an equal.

Their friendship is probably unrealistic considering the

nature of their relationship. However, this valued

compromise between Siddhartha and his mistress

helps to subdue any issues that may be created by the

sexual nature of the relationship.

Basically, gender can be a lens through which you view the text if you’d like.

There is enough interaction between men and women to fuel a gender examination.

However, it is not a prevalent issue unless you choose to make it one.

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Project Ideas

My Bildungsroman

It’s likely that the age level of students you teach this book with will be upper-high

school. These sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen-year-olds will all feel like they are old

enough to write of a coming-of-age experience. Using Siddhartha’s coming of age as a

model, ask students to come up with three different stages of their lives and to write

about these three stages, creating their own bildungsroman narrative. You can

publish these in a class book, have students create an accordion style book to hang

on the walls, etc. You could also ask students to write the narrative from a third-

person omniscient point of view to give them experience with that type of writing and

to add a challenging element to the project.

Symbolic Journey

Ask students to think of elements in their

lives that made them who they are (i.e.

family, sports, music, reading, etc.) When

they are done brainstorming, ask the

students to come up with a single symbol

that can encompass all of these elements.

For Siddhartha, it was the river that

symbolized his journey to enlightenment

because all his life he was trying to find

meaning, and in the end, he found the meaning of life by listening to the flow of the

river, the flow of life, speeding by him. All the elements of Siddhartha’s being came

back to the river symbol. Once students have their symbol and elements that tie into

the symbol, you can have them write about, create an artistic representation of the

symbol, give a brief oral presentation of the symbol and elements, etc.

Book of Love

In Siddhartha, there are several different kinds of love: fatherly love, romantic love,

love of a dedicated friend, self-love, etc. Have your students create a small flip-chart-

like book that records the different types of love relationships they have in their lives.

For each type of love ask them to come up with an illustration or graphic

representation, and a paragraph explaining this kind of love and what role it plays in

their lives. This could be particularly fun for students if you are reading this book

around Valentine’s Day. Also, this would be great for teaching solid paragraphing.

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Learn About Yourself…Through Others!

Siddhartha’s path to enlightenment would have never been successful without the

relationships he developed along the way. Because he left his comfort zone and

stepped out into the world, Siddhartha met acetics, Gotama Buddha, Kamala,

Vasuveda, and more. Learning about these people, who they are, and what they do,

Siddhartha was able to take pieces of them and learn about himself. Ask your

students to reach into the world around them and interview a neighbor, community

member, or extended family member. When students have recorded the interview,

have them listen to it, and write things they learned about themselves.

Lost in Translation: Issues of Language

Split students into groups and give each group a long passage from Siddhartha in

three different editions/translations of the text. Remind students that this novel is a

translation from German to English. Have the students underline differences in the

text and contrast the texts, evaluating differences in tone, word choice, sentence

fluency, etc. Is there anything lost in translation? Each

group must pick a favorite translation and justify their

choice in a few paragraphs.

Information/Functional Texts

Buddhism

The following are useful, reliable websites and short non-fiction books about the origins and religious practices of Buddhism. Before beginning this novel, you will want to set the background using sources like these so students are prepared for allusions to the Sevenfold Path, etc. Don’t forget, as with all religions, Buddhism has different sects and types within itself. Make sure your students understand that not every geographic area practices Buddhism the same, so they should avoid generalizing all practices found on these pages.

• http://www.pbs.org/edens/thailand/buddhism.htm

• http://eng.buddhapia.com/_Service/BUDDHAPIA/0000000592/

• http://www.sasana.org/sangha_buddhism.shtml

• http://www.buddhanet.net/qanda.htm

• Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction by Damien Keown

• Buddhism Plain and Simple by Steve Hagen

• Buddhism for Beginners by Thubten Chodron

• Buddhism for Dummies by Jonathan Landaw and Stephan Bodian

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Hermann Hesse

Did you know Hermann Hesse won a Nobel Prize in 1946? Did

you know he never went to India? Did you know anything about

Hesse when you read the book? It’s up to you whether to look at

Hermann Hesse’s story before you read Siddhartha or after you

read it, but either way, here are some resources that map out his

story fairly well.

• http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1946/hesse-

autobio.html

• http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/hhesse.htm

• http://www.google.com/archivesearch?hl=en&client=firefox-

a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=Hermann+Hesse&um=1&ie=UTF-

8&scoring=t&ei=YuWkS (this is a Google timeline of Hesse’s life)

• http://www.online-literature.com/hesse/

• http://specialcollections.wichita.edu/Collections/ms/87-23/content.html (this

is an archive of some of Hesse’s personal papers)

• http://www.chiptaylor.com/ttlmnp4271-.cfm (information regarding a short

documentary of Hesse you could order for your school to use as a resources

while teaching this work)