Herman Hesse's Siddhartha is the story of a young Brahmin searching to find nirvana and the sublime one. Siddhartha leaves his family and travels into the forest in hopes of understanding. Throughout his journey he experiences many different lifestyles. He learns how to be humble and a samana and also experience the joys of sensual love, fame, and wealth. Towards the end of his journey he meets Vasudeva, a ferryman. Vasudeva invites Siddhartha to come live with him and it is there that Siddhartha has an epiphany. While listening to the river, Siddhartha comes to the realization that in order to learn you need to listen.
"The river gazed at him with a thousand eyes, with green, with white, with crystalline, with sky blue eyes. How he loved the water, how it delighted him, how grateful he was to it! In his heart he heard the voice speaking, the newly awakened voice, and it said to him: 'Love this water! Stay with it! Learn from it' "(89)!
At first sight of the river, Siddhartha has the epiphany that he will learn from this river. The river had a lot to offer and even though it was the same water it took on a new meaning every second. "He saw the water running and running, constantly running, and yet it was always there, was always and forever the same, and yet new every instant"(89)! This quote is related to learning about love, it is always there, it should be forever yet it feels new with everyday that passes. Listening experiencing the river helped him learn thoughts like this.
After Siddhartha struggles with his son, by listening to the river, he has another epiphany and learns from it as well."The river flowed softly and gently, it was the dry season of the year, but the river's voice sounded strange. It was laughing! It was clearly laughing. The river was laughing, it laughed, clear and bright, at the old ferryman. Siddhartha halted, he leaned over the water to better hear, and in the silently flowing water he saw his own face reflected, and in this reflected face there was something that reminded him, something forgotten, and by pondering it, he found it. The face resembled another face, that he had once known and loved and also feared. It resembled the face of his father, the Brahmin" (115).
When looking into the river Siddhartha sees his own face that resembled the face of his father. Seeing this, Siddhartha looks back on his childhood and how he hated living with his family. He realizes that his father had the same painful struggles as Siddhartha had with his son. I feel as though the river helped Siddhatha be content with his son leaving, by reminding him of his young Brahmin past.
Hesse, Herman. Siddhartha. New York: Penguin Books, 1999.
"The river gazed at him with a thousand eyes, with green, with white, with crystalline, with sky blue eyes. How he loved the water, how it delighted him, how grateful he was to it! In his heart he heard the voice speaking, the newly awakened voice, and it said to him: 'Love this water! Stay with it! Learn from it' "(89)!
At first sight of the river, Siddhartha has the epiphany that he will learn from this river. The river had a lot to offer and even though it was the same water it took on a new meaning every second. "He saw the water running and running, constantly running, and yet it was always there, was always and forever the same, and yet new every instant"(89)! This quote is related to learning about love, it is always there, it should be forever yet it feels new with everyday that passes. Listening experiencing the river helped him learn thoughts like this.
After Siddhartha struggles with his son, by listening to the river, he has another epiphany and learns from it as well."The river flowed softly and gently, it was the dry season of the year, but the river's voice sounded strange. It was laughing! It was clearly laughing. The river was laughing, it laughed, clear and bright, at the old ferryman. Siddhartha halted, he leaned over the water to better hear, and in the silently flowing water he saw his own face reflected, and in this reflected face there was something that reminded him, something forgotten, and by pondering it, he found it. The face resembled another face, that he had once known and loved and also feared. It resembled the face of his father, the Brahmin" (115).
When looking into the river Siddhartha sees his own face that resembled the face of his father. Seeing this, Siddhartha looks back on his childhood and how he hated living with his family. He realizes that his father had the same painful struggles as Siddhartha had with his son. I feel as though the river helped Siddhatha be content with his son leaving, by reminding him of his young Brahmin past.
Hesse, Herman. Siddhartha. New York: Penguin Books, 1999.
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