Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse (1922) - Fiction

An Odyssey-like novel driven by Eastern philosophical ideas and a journey of self discovery.

I was initially confused while reading this. Was this story supposed to be about Siddhartha Gautama (the founder of Buddhism) or someone with the same name? The answer is the latter; however, Hesse's Siddhartha meets the real "Exalted One" and his life story follows a similar trajectory - born in a high caste, goes on a journey to find spiritual enlightenment, experiences the highs and lows of humanity, and comes to some profound - albeit simple - conclusions about life.

This odyssey begins with a view into Siddhartha's restless spirit: "the mind was not satisfied, the soul was not calm, the heart was not stilled" (p. 7). Even though he was educated by the most knowledgeable teachers of the day Siddhartha desires to do more than absorb knowledge passively. He poses a timeless question about the value of learning through books/teachers versus through one's own experience, "But where were the Brahmins, where the priests, the sages or penitents who had succeeded in having this deepest knowledge not only in their minds but also in their experience?" (p. 8). This is probably my biggest frustration with the path Siddhartha chooses to take. He repeatedly chooses to follow his own mind without utilizing people's wisdom. He starts his journey as a teenager, and like most teenagers no matter the century they usually chose to follow their own minds. Ironically, near the end of the novel Siddhartha faces a similar dilemma with his own teenage son who wants to follow his own path as Siddhartha knows it will only lead to disappointment.

In the beginning Siddhartha poses some other poignant questions: “Sacrificing to the gods and invoking them as excellent - but was this all? Did sacrificing bring happiness? And what was the nature of the gods? And where was Atman to be found, where did he abide, where did his eternal heart beat?” (p. 7). For the modern-day religious person who doesn’t make animal sacrifices anymore these questions could be reapplied to look something like this: Is it really worth it to sacrifice my time and effort into being a good person? Does it make me happy? Is God truly good? And where can we see and know God? These are timeless questions are beyond the scope of this simpleton blog entry; however, it does show the type of person Siddhartha is and how we may see ourselves in his quest.

Early on Siddhartha has a straightforward goal: to rid himself of all human desire in order to rise above suffering. He joins a group of ascetics who travel almost naked by foot from town to town begging for food. He wants to learn what is essential in life in order to live more freely and selflessly. What does he learn? "Siddhartha learned a great deal among the shramanas, he learned to walk many paths away from the I. He walked the path of self-distancing through pain, through voluntary endurance of suffering and vanquishing of pain, of hunger, of thirst, of exhaustion...through meditation, by emptying the mind of all associations” (p. 15). For all his effort however, he is not able to rid himself of this “I.” It’s an “obligatory cycle” that he finds impossible to escape (p. 15). In his search for an ultimate connection with the gods (or Atman) he realizes that he can not do this by losing his own identity. For us today in situations of desperation: To what degree can we let go of our own identity and expect to be able to fit into a new circle? This question is especially applicable for people in transition such as students going to college, people in migration, etc.

Siddhartha decides that it’s time to search for truth in a community of samsara. This is a technical way of saying with lay people who follow typical patterns of living (e.g. work, play, commerce, marriage, etc.) and therefore follow typical patterns of suffering. After many years of living gluttonously and dulling his once heightened sense of purposeful living he realizes that he’s been digging his own grave:

“He noticed only that his clear and certain innermost voice, which once had been awake inside him and always and ever guided him during his time of resplendence, that voice had gone silent. The world held him captive...Belongings, assets, and wealth in the end had captured him, this way no longer play, these were no longer frills, rather they had become a burden, he was chained to them” (p. 63).

For every Romantically-inclined person (e.g. Wordsworth and Thoreau), these lines are soul crushing but very much predictable. Much like we’re shown in the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible Siddhartha’s choices to pursue worldly pleasures only leans to vanity and emptiness. But this also leads to more open-ended questions: How should we balance our pursuit of worldly comforts with spiritual or other non material goals? How do we avoid gluttony? Can we escape the trap of consumerism? How do we live a balanced life?

One of Siddhartha's biggest struggles comes to full view late in his life. He has never been able to fully give himself over to another person (p. 96). He is taught in the “ways of love” while living a life of pleasure in the city; however, this never equated to true love and human connection. His meditative and philosophical mode of living has created a divide between him and other simpler people. Surely in the earlier stages of his life he saw himself as superior to most people, but later on he realizes that human relationships is one of greatest aspects of really living; even if they are messy and painful.

Hesse’s novel tracks the entire life of Siddhartha in less than 150 pages. The tone is slow and meditative, but because so much of Siddhartha’s life is covered the pace manages to feel nimble enough, especially after chapter One when he leaves his home. For anyone looking for a story about Eastern philosophy with an Odyssey-esque plot that will make you contemplate some of life’s biggest questions then this novel is for you.

Highest Score - 5 Trophies

Writing: 🏆🏆🏆🏆

Readability: 🏆🏆🏆🏆

Plot: 🏆🏆🏆

Characters: 🏆🏆🏆

Overall: 🏆🏆🏆🏆