Stereotypes Of Women In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha

161 Words1 Pages
Hesse has shown how women are classified by their stereotypes such as helping/pleasing their husband, cooking, and having no real jobs. An example of this in the book is Kamala because she was a prostitute who married Siddhartha. “ One can beg, buy, be presented with and find love in the streets, but it can never be stolen” (Hesse 55). She pleased Siddhartha, however, she represented Siddhartha’s darkness and obstacle to reach enlightenment. The author shows how female hatred is represented so clearly because after Siddhartha left her she died to a snake. An expert named Cheng Wei-yi says “Buddhist women are helpless objects: they are either incapable of improving their own situation or totally unaware of the patriarchal oppression”(Wei-yi