Siddhartha Questions and Answers
Siddhartha
Explore the symbolic importance of the songbird in the golden cage to both Siddhartha and Kamala from Siddhartha.
The symbol of a bird in a cage is a classic (and sometimes overused) analogy for a loss of freedom. It is in the bird's nature to fly, and yet flying is impossible inside the cage. Thus we might...
Siddhartha
If Kamala and Siddhartha are not truly in love, why are they so intimate with each other in Siddhartha by Herman Hesse?
Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse, is a novel which follows Siddhartha's quest for self-discovery. While physical intimacy should certainly happen within a true, loving relationship, love is obviously...
Siddhartha
In Siddhartha, what does Siddhartha ultimately learn from the river?
Siddhartha learns several lessons from the river, including the unimportance of wealth and status, how things are connected, and that time is an illusion. Indeed, Siddhartha grows up by the river...
Siddhartha
Select two quotes from the text to support your explanation of Siddhartha’s simile in the passage. Use one quote to...
The first reference in Siddhartha to the similes likening people to either leaves or stars occurs in the chapter "Amongst the People," as Siddhartha is telling Kamala why he believes he and she are...
Siddhartha
What are some examples of imagery in part I of the novel "Siddhartha" by Herman Hesse?
One example of imagery in the novel "Siddhartha" by the writer Herman Hesse is "shade poured into his black eyes." Here the reader immediately can see the darkness of the eyes and the other...
Siddhartha
In Hermann Hesse's story, why does Siddhartha dream of a woman?
In chapter 5, the chapter named, "Kamala," Siddhartha spends a night in a ferryman's hut where he has a dream. In that dream his childhood friend, Govinda, whom he has just parted with for the...
Siddhartha
In "Siddhartha," how do the monks discipline themselves with regard to food and right thinking?
As Siddhartha seeks the enlightenment of losing his "self" he encounters the Samanas, and he seeks out and listens to the Buddha Gotama Buddha. He learns from each the concept of discipline of the...
Siddhartha
In Hermann Hesse's novel, Siddhartha, what is an epithet for Siddhartha?
An epithet is an adjective or phrase that describes someone or something by expressing an important quality of that person/thing. In the first chapter, Siddhartha is referred to as "the handsome...
Siddhartha
In Siddhartha, what lessons do the Samanas teach Siddhartha?
While Siddhartha was among the samanas, he learnt the ascetic way of life, whereby he was able to achieve a higher level of self discipline and abstinence from worldly pleasures. He gave away his...
Siddhartha
What forces (people, places, ideas) play a role in shaping Siddhartha's journey?
As the song goes, "Three is a Magic Number" in religion, literature, and philosophy--and for good reason. Siddhartha can be divided into three parts: In part 1 (chapters 1-4), Siddhartha could have...
Siddhartha
Samanas
Siddhartha, son of a Brahman, is unable to find peace and harmony and embarks on a journey that he believes will help him learn and achieve his goals. He leaves his father’s home to join the...
Siddhartha
Siddhartha learns much from both Kamaswami and Kamala. How does he view his interactions with both individuals? What...
Siddhartha belongs to a socially and intellectually "superior" class of people, the Brahmins. However, he chooses to discard their teachings. He rejects the idea of being a disciple of the Buddha....
Siddhartha
What does Siddhartha mean in the last chapter ("Govinda") when he says that "the opposite of every truth is equally...
The statement about truth as being one where its force and counter-force are equally present in consciousness helps to bring about the realization of the transitory nature of life. The "opposite...
Siddhartha
What does Hermann Hesse suggest about the relationship between fathers and sons in Siddhartha?
Despite Siddhartha's unique life, the situation in which he finds himself is a common father-son conflict in which a boy typically feels closer to his mother, does not appreciate his father's...
Siddhartha
Interpret the quote from Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha, "But according to your teachings, this unity and logical...
Siddhartha is speaking to Gotama, the Buddha. In chapter three, titled "Gotama," Siddhartha and Govinda have left the samanas to investigate the rumors of Gotama the Buddha because "he had reached...
Siddhartha
In the book Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, how does Kamala's songbird symbolize Siddhartha's time in the essential...
It's helpful to understand that a good translation of the "Kama" of "Kamala" is desire, especially in the context of sensual desire. In fact, Kamala is a name of the Hindu goddess of desire. The...
Siddhartha
What does Siddhartha realize that he must do to find the self he is seeking?
Having left the Semanas and his friend Govinda, Siddhartha realizes he must be in the world before he can be removed from it: to look at a beautiful woman without lowering his eyes, to shave his...
Siddhartha
What is the significance of Kamala in the novel "Siddhartha"?
There are four noble truths according to the teaching of Buddha: 1) Existence is suffering, 2) Suffering arises from desire, 3) Suffering ends when desire ends, and 4) The way to end desire is to...
Siddhartha
What are the conflicts in Siddhartha?
Certainly, there is the conflict between Siddhartha and his father when Siddhartha first decides that he wants to leave home and rejects the teachings that have not allowed him to reach nirvana....
Siddhartha
Siddhartha watches Vasudeva and observes, "That this motionless man was the river itself, that he was God Himself,...
To a great extent, Siddhartha learns the power of detachment from Vasudeva. The idea that Vasudeva represents the river and eternity is reflective of this. Siddhartha is charged with learning ow...
Siddhartha
How is rebirth represented in Siddhartha?
Rebirth is presented as the continual state of the cyclical nature of life in this novel. This is most clearly seen at the end of the text, when both Govinda and Siddhartha reach their goal of...
Siddhartha
In chapter 11, as Siddhartha begins to understand how the river represents life, he realizes, "all goals were...
The fundamental idea encapsulated by this quotation is the Buddhist idea that one can never be satisfied, and indeed will always suffer, if one pursues and depends for one's happiness upon...
Siddhartha
What are the similarities and differences of Siddhartha by Herman Hesse and The Stranger by Albert Camus?
It is difficult to imagine two works less likely to appear in a compare and contrast experiment. On the surface, Siddhartha concerns a journey of enlightenment and spiritual fulfillment, whereas...
Siddhartha
In chapter 12, Siddhartha states, “I needed sin very much, I needed lust, the desire for possessions, vanity, and...
In this quotation, I think Hesse is saying that to really love and appreciate the world, in all its perfection, one needs first to experience the most "shameful" aspects of life, such as "the...
Siddhartha
Why does Siddhartha experience discontent with life at the start of his journey?
Hesse depicts Siddhartha as unhappy with life because it lacks the real sense of meaning that he so desperately seeks. Siddhartha is shown to be precocious and one who seeks to understand more...
Siddhartha
List two observations Siddhartha makes that show that this is a time of awakening in part 2-Kamala from Siddhartha.
Part II begins with: Siddhartha learned something new on every step of his path, for the world was transformed, and his heart was enchanted. So, Hesse uses Part II as a period transition for...
Siddhartha
What conclusion does Siddhartha draw about the difference between knowledge and learning?
Siddhartha's entire journey through life is a "learning process" in which, as with many other characters in literature, he seeks some level or degree of fulfillment beyond the usual experiences of...
Siddhartha
How does Siddhartha test his fathers patience at the end of the chapter?
In Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, the young Siddhartha insists on leaving family and village life to join a band of ascetic holy men to pray and meditate and do yoga to find enlightenment. His father...
Siddhartha
In chapter 3, is Siddhartha arrogant?
In chapter 3, "Gotama," Siddhartha and his friend Govinda meet the Buddha. They have just left the samanas in the woods after Siddhartha rants that they have nothing to teach him. He feels...
Siddhartha
What does Siddhartha conclude about finding peace?
"Peace" is used no fewer than 15 times in Siddhartha. Peace is mainly connected to Gatama (Buddha). Siddhartha says: ...his quietly dangling hand expressed peace, expressed perfection, did not...
Siddhartha
How is the theme of discontentment in Siddhartha explained?
The novel of Siddhartha is divided into two parts, each part divided into four and then eight parts. The reason for this is to parallel the Eastern beliefs of Hinduuism and Buddhism. Part 1 is...
Siddhartha
What picture does Siddhartha have on the average Brahman?
Siddhartha is a Brahman's son and, as such, is expected and trained to fulfill his role in the capacity of a Brahman when he becomes older. A Brahamn is a well respected role within the community...
Siddhartha
In Siddhartha, what is a scene in which Hesse utilizes Buddhism? How is this scene used to direct the novel?
The novel's opening scene depicts Siddhartha's dukkha, one of the most essential components of the Buddhist religion. In Buddhism, "dukkha" takes place when a person has become aware of the...
Siddhartha
In Siddhartha, what does Govinda “see” in Siddhartha at the end of the novel?
At the end of the novel, when Siddhartha has finally achieved the Enlightenment he has been so desperately searching for, Siddhartha invites Govinda to kiss him on the forehead. As Govinda does...
Siddhartha
What is the lesson in the first chapter of Herman Hesse's Siddhartha, titled "Brahmin's son"?
In the first chapter of the novel Siddhartha, author Herman Hesse describes just how much Siddhartha is loved and admired by those around him. Though he is still a young man, for some time he has...
Siddhartha
Siddhartha chooses to reject the Buddha’s teachings and find his own path towards enlightenment. However, does...
What is very interesting about the novel Siddhartha is that if you read about the historical Buddha's life, you will discover some important similarities between his life and that of the...
Siddhartha
In Siddhartha, what is the lesson in the chapter "Amongst the People"?
This chapter comes in the section of the novel where Siddhartha has rejected religion on his quest for Enlightenment and now makes a deliberate choice to explore the senses and a life of sensuality...
Siddhartha
Why is Siddhartha disillusioned with performing the ritual of ablution?
Siddhartha becomes disillusioned with the ablutions as well as other religious practices because he has learned them and practiced them faithfully -- just as his father and others have -- and he...
Siddhartha
What epithet is used to describe Govinda? What does this say about the character? Why are the rumors about Gotama...
At the end of the novel, Govinda is still "the seeker." He has not yet found Nirvana, but he realizes that Siddhartha has. The entire novel is about seeking peace within yourself...it...
Siddhartha
How does Hesse's Christian background affects the message of the story?
I never thought about this before, but here's something to speculate about. In the novel, neither the Buddhist path nor the traditional path of renunciation as a Samana leads to liberation. One way...
Siddhartha
In Hermann Hesse's novel, Siddhartha, during the time with Kamala what is the 'inner' voice?
In the chapter “Samsara” Siddhartha has a dream of a songbird that his lover, Kamala, keeps in a cage. He dreamed that one morning he found the bird dead. Siddhartha took the dead bird and threw it...
Siddhartha
What is the symbolism of the river in Siddhartha?
The river symbolizes balance. In the first part of the book, Siddhartha lives in a spiritual world. He experiences life with his family in the village practicing Hinduism. He lives with the Samanas...
Siddhartha
Discuss Siddhartha as a noval of spiritual quest.
Siddhartha partakes of the qualities of the traditional Bildungsroman but is overlaid with a setting unconventional by Western standards. Like many characters in literature, Siddhartha is a man in...
Siddhartha
How significant was Vasudeva to Siddhartha's quest?
The short answer is "very". The longer answer is that Vasudeva serves as Siddhartha's mentor and teacher. His name is another name for Krishna, a human incarnation of Vishnu, a Hindu deity....
Siddhartha
In Chapter 3 of Siddhartha, why does Govinda choose to join Buddha, and why won't Siddhartha join him?
Govinda and Siddhartha both seem impressed with the Buddha when they meet him. He radiates serenity. He seems genuinely holy. Of all the renunciates they have met, he impresses them both the most....
Siddhartha
What does Siddhartha experience while he meditates in Siddharta?
As Siddhartha meditates on the river at the direction of Vasudeva he listens to the river and what it has to say to him. Having already heard only the laugh of the river, Vasudeva encourages him to...
Siddhartha
If someone asked you to describe to them Siddhartha's understanding of enlightenment or om, what would you say? Write...
Through much of the narrative, Siddhartha's understanding of the true path is imperfect or compromised. The desire to become a samana doesn't work for him at first; he's a seeker, but something...
Siddhartha
Please help me analyze the role of teachers in Siddartha: What are their roles in the novel Siddhartha by Herman Hesse?
In Hesse's Siddhartha, teachers have two roles. They have an expected role and a realized role. Siddhartha, beginning with the ascetics, expects the holy teachers will teach him the deeper meanings...
Siddhartha
What dies by the river? Is it Siddhartha's soul, or is it his ego?
Before his ego dies by the river, Siddhartha considers his love for his son and his fear of losing the boy. His ferryman friend, Vasudeva, tells him that he must give these feelings up in order to...
Siddhartha
what does siddharta think of the ferryman and the river?
There are two encounters with the ferryman, Vasudeva, and I'm assuming you mean the first. At the time of the first encounter, Siddhartha has just experienced a type of rebirth. He is filled with...
Showing 1-50 of 78