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Examples Of Idealism In Siddhartha

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Recommended: Siddhartha path to enlightenment

Derek Lendin
Mrs. Westhoff
English 10H
15 November 2022
The Idealism of Siddhartha
Peaceful, calm lions roam carefree among dry grasslands and vast open plains of nothingness. The instant this relaxed-looking but aggressive creature spots an ideal food source, it immediately only has one idea in mind: kill. This once calm, now suddenly ferocious creature does not let anything prevent it from achieving its goal. In Siddhartha, a novel by Herman Hesse, the protagonist acts as a determined lion focused on hunting its prey. During the novel, Siddhartha, the protagonist, holds an ideal view of achieving Nirvana, or Enlightenment, as many other Buddhists did in the period in which the story takes place. Throughout the story, Siddhartha travels to …show more content…

Along his journey, Siddhartha goes through many unique and uncomfortable experiences, which ultimately allows him to attain an abundance of new wisdom. Through his journey, the novel's central ideas are developed- one being that people can only gain wisdom through experiences, not teachings, and another being the philosophy that all life is interconnected. Furthermore, Hesse's clever approach to developing Siddartha's desire for Enlightenment, resembling a lion stalking its prey, leads to Siddhartha facing both positive and negative consequences. Negatively, as Siddhartha leaves to go on his journey, he upsets his father by leaving him behind. Positively, however, he learns what is needed to know about life to attain his particular goal. These consequences further help illuminate the work's message or meaning that all …show more content…

During this introduction, Siddhartha starts to elucidate his "ideal view" is. Hesse writes, "Siddhartha had begun to feel the seeds of discontent within him. He had begun to feel that the love of his father, mother, and Govinda, would not always make him happy, give him peace, and satisfy him. He had begun to suspect that his worthy father and his other teachers, had already passed on to him the bulk and best of their wisdom…; his intellect wasn't satisfied, his soul was not at peace, his heart was not still…. They knew a number of things but… they did not know the one important thing, the only important thing. (pg. 3-4)," which allows readers to begin to sense the discontent Siddharthahas about his current life. It is determined that Siddhartha needs something more than love from his family and friends, for he needs "one important thing." In the first stage of his journey, Siddharthabegins life with Samans, a different religious group than Siddhartha was initially born and raised. He joins them to see if he can discover the "important thing." Once profoundly involved with the Samans, Hesse further describes Siddartha's "idealism." He explains, "Siddhartha has one single goal-to become empty, to become empty of thirst, desire, dreams, pleasure and sorrow-to let the Self die. No longer to be Self, to experience the peace of an emptied heart, to experience pure thought-that was his

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I believe that Siddhārtha 's quest to find enlightenment falls under the category of noble action, sacred call, and desire. The craving of achieving a regular life had been something he thought of often as a young adolescent. As legend states he was sheltered his entire life from the truth 's and harsh realities of life by his father. Maybe Siddhārtha Gautama wanted to find his own way because of what his father is trying to keep from him. Each of us has innate desire to understand the purpose of our existence.

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While “death” often marks the permanent end of one’s journey, Hesse uses it to convey the start of Siddhartha’s new life; while the old Siddhartha “dies,” a new Self‒ one of greater wisdom and understanding‒ emerges. Furthermore, just after reuniting with his childhood friend Govinda, Siddhartha admits that he had to experience failure, “[he] had to experience despair, [he] had to sink to the most foolish of all thoughts, the thought of suicide, to be able to experience grace, to hear Om again, to be able to sleep well and awaken well” (81). Here, Hesse beautifully utilizes contrast between Siddhartha’s actions and their consequences. While Siddhartha experiences “despair” and “the thought of suicide,” he is me with the ability “to experience grace, to hear Om again, to be able to sleep well and awaken well.” It is as

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As Hesse describes, “Siddhartha had one single goal - to become empty...to let the Self die.... When all the Self was conquered and dead, when all passions and desires were silent, then the last must awaken, innermost of Being that is no longer Self - the great secret!” (Hesse 11). Siddhartha believes that his Self is his enemy, so he is willing to

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And Herman Hesse shows this by showing their trust for each other. When Siddhartha first leaves home he experiences many trials and tribulations From being a Samana, to going to the city, to almost committing suicide. Who was always there? The Ferryman. Siddhartha trusts him almost like a father, he understands all that he has gone through.

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