Siddhartha's Maturation as Marked by Key Experiences
Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse is the story of a young Indian noble who ventures off in the
world to find an understanding of the meaning of life. His journey begins as a young
Brahmin who yearned to unwind the complexities of his existence. He ends as an old sage
who has found peace within himself and his surroundings. Throughout the book, Hesse
allows the reader to trace Siddhartha's maturation process both through his experiences,
and people with whom he comes in contact. During his journey, he makes a number of
choices, "turns", that put him on a path of his maturation which is marked by self
discovery and independence. Siddhartha's maturation is developed by three key events:
his meeting with Buddha, his attempted suicide, and the arrival/departure of his son, as
they all contribute to his self discovery and individuality.
Siddhartha's meeting with Gautama, the Buddha, is the first key experience that
contributes to his maturation process. After several years of living the ascetic life of
a Samana, Siddhartha decides to seek out Gautama, "The Illustrious One," as a possible
source of assistance in his journey to find his inner self. After their meeting,
however, Siddhartha becomes more convinced that the Buddha's methods satisfy his logical
and tangible needs, but will not bring him any closer to realizing his spiritual and
metaphysical needs. The theme of maturity presents itself in Siddhartha's conclusion
that if he is to achieve an immaterial balance, it must be on his own. He understands
that the Buddha had a remarkable experience, but it is a personal one. Siddhartha sees
that his development process relies on his forging his own experiences, and his
attainment of self realization can only be made by himself, regardless of what knowledge
Gautama may impart to him.
The second experience that puts Siddhartha on a path to maturity is his attempted
suicide. Preceding this incident, Siddhartha made a complete turnaround and decided to
explore his worldly needs and lives the life of a lover, merchant, and gambler. As a
student of lust under Kamala and money under Kamaswami, the protagonist becomes self
centered, greedy, and no longer one who can "think, fast, and write." His time in the
village is marked by a moral demise that is counter to the end which he seeks. This
decline, however, is the seed from which another stage of his maturation is fertilized.
The old saying, "without failure there is no progress," applies to Siddhartha in this
instance. Had he not been a part of the world which stripped him of his morality, he
would not have explored the gamut of human experiences- both secular and spiritual. In
the village, Siddhartha has quantitatively increased the number and range of his
experiences. His growth is also evident in his leaving the village after becoming
disgusted with the life that he has lived in the village. At the point in which he
attempts suicide, Siddhartha has realized the ways of both the secular and spiritual
lifestyle, and was in a position to choose which path suited him.
The final experience in Siddhartha's maturation was the discovery of his son, Little
Siddhartha. After Kamala's death, Siddhartha is left to raise the son he never knew that
he had. Raising Little Siddhartha was not an easy task for the journeyman. Unlike his
father, Little Siddhartha was rude, spoilt, and a pain to bear. Siddhartha, unable to
communicate with the boy, graciously gave of himself so that his son would have as easy a
time as possible. The unappreciative son, however, unable to acknowledge Siddhartha's
sacrifice for him ran away, never to be seen again. After a period of deep anguish,
Siddhartha came to the realization that the pain he felt was caused by the blind,
heartfelt and unrequited love for his son. This pain, however, is the final step in his
maturation process. By learning to love, something which he told Kamala that he would
never be able to do, Siddhartha's physical and spiritual development become complete. By
absorbing this love and learning to "let go," Siddhartha places the final piece in the
puzzle of self realization and maturity.
In conclusion, Siddhartha's maturity can be traced to events that allowed him to seek
out his individuality. His meeting with Buddha led him to see that an individual makes
his/her own experiences; his experience in the village allowed him to unlock the person
which he had never explored; and the time with his son gave him the opportunity to extend
himself in love. As aforementioned, Siddhartha's journey was determined by the choices
which he made. Part of his maturation was developed by reaping the benefits of some
choices, and suffering the consequences of others. Looking at this, Hesse makes it clear
that Siddhartha's journey for self realization is not unlike anyone else's.
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