Essay On Suffering In Herman Hesse's 'Siddhartha'

The act of suffering in order to receive a beneficial reward has been practiced all throughout time. A mother putting herself through hell in order to keep her child safe. A friend keeping a secret that has been eating away at himself in order to protect the other. Or even a man named Siddhartha starving himself to lose himself and find peace within him. In Herman Hesse’s profound novel, Siddhartha, the author works to weave suffering into something great, into an immense power that delivers pleasure to assist Siddhartha to find his true Self.
After Siddhartha joined the Samanas. Siddhartha is looking to get the experience that he is demanding, the experience that he needs. As the journey began, Siddhartha projects himself into the bodies

As if it was what he was meant to do. “A goal stood before Siddhartha, a single goal: to become empty, empty of thirst, empty of wishing, empty of dreams, empty of joy and sorrow. Dead to himself, not to be a Self anymore, to find tranquility with an emptied heard, to be open to miracles in unselfish thoughts, that was his goal.” (9) Siddhartha wished this pain on himself. He wanted to be completely empty, to feel nothing at all. This was his attempt at losing himself. All that he craved was the loss of the Self. In addition to this, Siddhartha implied that he wanted to be alone on this treacherous and painful journey as he referred to being with an emptied herd.“In silence, Siddhartha crouched among sharp thorns. Blood dripped from his smarting skin, and ulcers formed. He remained stiff and motionless until no more blood flowed,” (10) This quote introduces a new side to the reader because Siddhartha is almost in a broken state. Through the act of showing Siddhartha in this position, it displays Siddhartha as a character that needs help to achieve his goal and this is where he displays it