In the novel, Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha sacrifices his relationship with his friends and family in order to seek enlightenment, yet stumbles along the way due to the power of love. Living as Samana, Siddhartha came to the conclusion that he would not be able to reach his goal of enlightenment if he were to continue following the paths of others; he had to sacrifice his place in society to resist the temptation of following others. After hearing the Buddha speak, Siddhartha says to him, “You have learned nothing through teachings, and so I think, O Illustrious One, that nobody finds salvation through teachings” (Hesse 33-34). Siddhartha took matters into his own hands and left his father and best friend behind in order to reach Nirvana. Siddhartha hopes that from his sacrifice he will become empty and move past the world of illusion. Along the way, he …show more content…
Although Sonya does not necessarily want to be a prostitute, she is able to accept that she must sacrifice her own body in order to help save her family from poverty. God is what helps her accept this difficult task because due to their deep connection, she knows from Him that this will eventually give her and her siblings a better life. When Raskolnikov begins to make snarky comments regarding the truth about God and that maybe one day Sonya’s siblings will have to follow in her path of prostitution she responds by saying, “Oh no! God won’t let it happen!...God, God won’t allow such horror!...God will protect her...” (Dostoevsky 320-321). She truly believes her love and sacrifice to God will be enough to protect her siblings from having to commit the horrible act she has to. The love she has for her brother’s and sister’s and her trust in God is what motivates her to continue with prostitution and not resist the