FREE ESSAY ON SIDDHARTHA'S INFLUENCES

SIDDHARTHA'S INFLUENCES

Siddhartha's Influences
In the novel Siddhartha, Herman Hesse used other characters to let Siddhartha grow both
intellectually and spiritually. During the course of his journey, Siddhartha encountered
many people and experienced different ways of living and thinking about life. Each person
taught him something about himself and the world around him. 
Siddhartha's childhood friend, Govinda, educated him about the importance of choosing a
path in his own life. Govinda had always been a step behind Siddhartha, following every
decision he made. The one time he stepped out on his own, to accept the Buddha, he was
merely following the path of thousands of others. Siddhartha saw this and he learned that
he had to listen to himself even if he wound up making a wrong decision. Meeting with
Govinda at the end of the novel reinforced his thought that one had to have experience in
order to attain Nirvana -- not someone else's knowledge. After following Gotama for years
Govinda still hadn't reached peace although Siddhartha had. Siddhartha had done things
many would consider wrong and immoral and yet he reached something that many others
wanted so desperately because he had experience.
The beautiful courtesan, Kamala, taught Siddhartha the importance of love along with the
pleasures of it. While in the town of Samsara, he was introduced to a life of luxuries by
her. She taught him how to please a woman and how to keep her satisfied. He also learned
how to gamble and the art of running a business from her friends. Although Siddhartha
felt moments of joy, nothing fulfilled the longing in his soul. Over the years, one of
the more important lessons he gained from Kamala was that he could have this life of
pleasurable things and yet still yearn for a deeper meaning in his heart. 
Vasudeva, the ferryboat captain, was the most important person in Siddhartha's life. If
he hadn't allowed Siddhartha to live with him and share the beauty of the river,
Siddhartha may have never reached Nirvana. Sitting with his pupil by the water and
forcing him to listen and look into the depths led Siddhartha to his place of
peacefulness. Educating Siddhartha was no easy task for Vasudeva. He let Siddhartha make
mistakes with his son but gave him the knowledge and advice he needed. With this man's
guidance, Siddhartha came into his life of happiness. 
Siddhartha met many people throughout his journey who had considerable impact on him. The
experience he gained with each of these people gave him wisdom both intellectually and
spiritually and eventually led him to Nirvana. 
Bibliography
Siddhartha