Lit Journal 4 - Summary Siddhartha PDF

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Summary

Summary of Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse as required for the course. ...

Description

Kristofor Bojaj LIT 182 Journal #4 Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse begins by introducing the reader to Siddhartha, the handsome Brahmin’s son and his best friend, Govinda. Both of Siddhartha’s parents are extremely proud of him because he is very mature and knowledgeable. Govinda really looks up to his friend and thinks he is more enlightened than most people and would like to be his companion or shadow if he were to become a god. Everyone loved Siddhartha but he wasn’t as happy as they were for he felt discontent with his life and his teachers and parents would not meet his thirst for knowledge. After some contemplation, he decided he would leave life, as he’s known it to become a Samana. The next day, he asked his father for permission and was met with refusal but after some time, his father realized that Siddhartha was very serious and then permitted it. On that same day, along with Govinda, they began their new journey. They were accepted by the Samanas and began fasting right away and adapting to that lifestyle. After a while, Siddhartha had learned a great deal of knowledge from the Samanas but as always, started questioning whether it was enough and if this was the path he should take. There was then a rumor going around that Gotama, the Buddha, was traveling and spreading his knowledge and wisdom. He had apparently attained Nirvana and many great things were said about him but along with that came negative reports. His doubters claimed that he was a fraud and although this was exciting news to both Siddhartha and Govinda, they were both very doubtful. They decided that they would leave the Samanas and go hear the Buddha speak. They traveled to the town and with help from others, managed to find him. They followed his path until he stopped to preach and they both listened with great interest and full attention. When he had finished, many pilgrims came forward and asked to be accepted and Govinda was one of them but Siddhartha wasn’t so quick to do so. As Govinda had to leave to be with the others, they both realized they must leave one another to live their own lives and so they did. As Siddhartha was walking through the grove, he met Gotama and built up the courage to ask to speak to him. With his permission, Siddhartha basically started questioning whether his teachings could be taught and as the Buddha walked away, Siddhartha realized that if his teachings could not attract him, that nobody’s could. As he left the grove, he also felt as if he were leaving his former life behind also. When he got to a new town, he ran into a very beautiful girl. He had his hair cut and his beard shaved and went into her home to speak to her the next day. Although she seemed interested in him, she said he must have money and nice clothes and shoes in order to speak to her so she set him up to meet Kamaswami, a merchant who would give Siddhartha work. After a while, Siddhartha became rich and owned a big house with his won servants and spent a lot of time with his lover Kamala. Eventually he became everything he had detested most of his life. He became very greedy and gambled to suppress his feelings while becoming very depressed. He decided he needed to leave this life behind and so he did. Kamaswami searched far for Siddhartha but was nowhere to be found. Kamala, although disappointed, expected this outcome. We then learn that she is with child as a result of her last encounter with Siddhartha....