Siddhartha's Journey Toward Enlightenment

Translated to English in the 1950’s Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha appeals to American youth for its honest depiction of the desire for self-realization. Through the character Siddhartha, Hesse shows the developmental journey of a man as he struggles with the question of identity. The story follows him through three major phases of maturity: mental, physical and finally, ultimate enlightenment. Siddhartha, however, was not able to mature on his own. The characters around him influenced his development through each phase. By examining the affects of the characters Govinda, Kamala and Vasudeva had on Siddhartha, the three stages of his life become clear.
In the first phase of his life, Siddhartha and Govinda are inseparable. To two leave behind the comforts of home and begin a quest to find mental knowledge. Siddhartha often becomes restless because he is not able to find a teacher that can answer his questions. In his youth, Siddhartha is occupied with learning the sacr...