Siddhartha (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Hermann Hesse
- First Published: 1922
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Bildungsroman
- Time of Work: The sixth century , at the time of the Buddha
- Setting: India
- Genres: Long fiction, Bildungsroman
- Subjects: Self-discovery, Perception, Traveling or travelers, Philosophy or philosophers, Nature, Religion, Spiritual life or spirituality, India or East Indian people, Rivers or waterways, Mysticism, Hindus or Hinduism, Enlightenment, Visions, epiphanies, or revelations, Pilgrims or pilgrimages, Sixth century, Buddha, Buddhism, Yoga, Happiness, Senses or sensation
- Locales: India
Characters Discussed
Siddhartha, a Brahman’s son, tall and handsome. He decides in his youth to seek enlightenment. As a result of this quest, he and his friend Govinda leave their comfortable homes and join a group of wandering ascetics, the Samanas. Later, they go to hear the Buddha. Although Siddhartha admires the man, he feels that the life of this monk is not what he is seeking, so he leaves. In his wanderings, he sees a beautiful courtesan and decides that he must know her. She sends him to a merchant to learn a trade. While she teaches him about love, the merchant...
[The entire page is 869 words long]
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