Nobel Laureate Hermann Hesse’s novel Siddhartha is revolves
around a character named Siddhartha. Siddhartha is a Brahman who embarks on a
spiritual journey. Govinda his close friend also chooses to accompany him.
This journey takes them to Gotama Buddha. Govinda becomes
Gotama Buddha’s disciple whereas Siddhartha does not wish to become one. Siddhartha
believes that Buddha’s teachings miss something. Hence he carries on his
spiritual journey in a different manner.
Siddhartha believes that during his spiritual journey he
had many teachers. He meets a beautiful courtesan, a rich merchant, gamblers
and even a follower of Budhha. Later he meets Vasudeva (the ferryman) and also
learnt a lot from the river too. When Siddhartha gets old, he meets his close
friend Govinda after ages. He tells Govinda: “Wisdom cannot be passed on. Wisdom which a wise man tries to pass on
someone always sounds like foolishness”.
I believe this novel makes one think about the
complexities of life. How nature has its effects on a man and his surroundings.
Further it reflects on the issue of existence, creating curiosity in the reader
regarding wisdom as Siddhartha tries to learn more and get enlightened. In
addition to that it provokes the reader to think about human emotions, social relations,
greed, wealth, prosperity, contentment and satisfaction.
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