When I first began reading Siddhartha, I thought he was the Buddha and was surprised by some of his actions. He sometimes looked down on Govinda with scorn or contempt. When Govinda asks him a question, for example, “he laughed and his voice took on a shadow of sorrow and mockery.” (Hesse 25) I realized later that although Siddhartha’s journey may sound similar to the Buddha’s, they are not the same person. (I figured this out when he was talking to the Buddha himself!)
It is perhaps more important that the journey we are reading about is not one so complete, whose “face face and [...] gait [...] and even every finger of his dangling hands bespoke peace, expressed perfection.” (Hesse 29) It is instead about one who has a lot of learning to do. Somebody who rejects material goods for three years to gain control over his senses, rejects the authority of teaching and even tries to abandon the self only to return to the real world (although not entirely a part of it) to pursue an education of a very strong desire and one which he was easily able to overcome before by listening to “the voice of his innermost self” which said “No.” (Hesse 50) What is Siddhartha really trying to achieve?
As I’ve said before, it took a while for me to realize that Siddhartha was not meant to be perfect. And so his actions are permitted to be all over the place. I believe that this sampling of different mindsets is a very meaningful and powerful one. We as readers are able to pick and choose which outlooks we like most and realize the connections between them which enhance each other. I, for example, liked the eyes-open-wide approach Siddhartha took after he decided to leave the forest where, “as if seeing the world for the first time,” “the world was beautiful and colorful.” (Hesse 40) Similarly, returning to the real world of merchants, money and possessions but with the additional outlook of a Samana produced a mindset which I really liked (and which was totally foreign to be to be honest!) When Siddhartha was sent by Kamaswami to make a business transaction which failed, he instead turned the trip into a vacation, where he “[was] very satisfied with [this] trip.” (Hesse 66) While Siddhartha’s approach seems a little bit disjointed and contradictory, it actually isn’t! He is figuring things out in a very natural way, acting whenever he believes he needs to change his path and sticking wholeheartedly to what he has chosen to believe.
It is perhaps more important that the journey we are reading about is not one so complete, whose “face face and [...] gait [...] and even every finger of his dangling hands bespoke peace, expressed perfection.” (Hesse 29) It is instead about one who has a lot of learning to do. Somebody who rejects material goods for three years to gain control over his senses, rejects the authority of teaching and even tries to abandon the self only to return to the real world (although not entirely a part of it) to pursue an education of a very strong desire and one which he was easily able to overcome before by listening to “the voice of his innermost self” which said “No.” (Hesse 50) What is Siddhartha really trying to achieve?
As I’ve said before, it took a while for me to realize that Siddhartha was not meant to be perfect. And so his actions are permitted to be all over the place. I believe that this sampling of different mindsets is a very meaningful and powerful one. We as readers are able to pick and choose which outlooks we like most and realize the connections between them which enhance each other. I, for example, liked the eyes-open-wide approach Siddhartha took after he decided to leave the forest where, “as if seeing the world for the first time,” “the world was beautiful and colorful.” (Hesse 40) Similarly, returning to the real world of merchants, money and possessions but with the additional outlook of a Samana produced a mindset which I really liked (and which was totally foreign to be to be honest!) When Siddhartha was sent by Kamaswami to make a business transaction which failed, he instead turned the trip into a vacation, where he “[was] very satisfied with [this] trip.” (Hesse 66) While Siddhartha’s approach seems a little bit disjointed and contradictory, it actually isn’t! He is figuring things out in a very natural way, acting whenever he believes he needs to change his path and sticking wholeheartedly to what he has chosen to believe.
This is super cheesy I know, but I think Siddhartha's approach is like a buffet: he picks and chooses what he likes, and they all come together quite nicely!
I was also interested about Govinda. Who is he in this story? At first I saw him as a somewhat pathetic friend, panting after Siddhartha to “Wait up!”after each of his latest philosophies—keeping up with a friend that he thought was “cool” more than approaching any meaningful appreciation on his own. But later in the book my perception changed, and I began to respect Govinda more although I haven’t completely figured him out. Govinda is clearly one who takes value in the role of the teacher. Initially he “wanted to follow Siddhartha, who was beloved and majestic.” (Hesse 6) Later, however, he leaves Siddhartha to follow the teachings of Gotama, the Buddha, whom he believes to have the truest understanding. Is Govinda still only a follower? Is he more right than Siddhartha in having truly found what he believes to be the way to live and sticking with it? Or is he merely a realist, sticking with something which he knows works without wandering like Siddhartha has done, trying to find something that he doesn’t know exists? I was very intrigued by Govinda, someone who was largely peripheral to the story of the namesake of this book. But I think his journey represents more of the every man’s and should be paid closer attention.
As hard as I tried, I couldn't find an image of Govinda. I think his story is very important in the book.
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