Siddhartha

2 Pages 477 Words

AP Themes

Siddhartha Response Paper

In “By the River”, why did Siddhartha wish so much for oblivion and death? What does this suggest about his growth?
The chapter “By the River” illustrates the overwhelming of Siddhartha by the worldly pleasures he had previously set out to explore. After the bitter realization that his life was engrossed in the endless cycle of Samsara, he yearns for the peace of death or any oblivion where he would not have to dwell on the “sins” which has contaminated his body and soul.
As Siddhartha reflects on the errors which he has committed, he laments the convolution of his life’s goals. “Why should he go further, where, and for what purpose? There was no more purpose; there was nothing more than a deep, painful longing to shake off this whole confused dream…to make an end to this bitter, painful life” (88) Through his uncontrolled exploring of the life of materialism, Siddhartha has now lost all sense of purpose in life; or more to the point, true purpose. He had delved too deeply into the life of the “ordinary” and ceased to realize his true goal of enlightenment which rests outside of the cycle of Samsara. In addition to the loss of his goal, Siddhartha had also lost the qualities which made him distinct from those caught within the cycle of materialism, namely, the abilities to fast, think, and meditate. This represents a loss of identity, where Siddhartha, believing that he was in full control, gradually becomes caught within the lifestyle which he once so despised; eventually experiencing a character change into a person living for the pleasures of the world, instead of his previous goal which strived toward the metaphysical.
This “humbling” of Siddhartha is an essential component of his growth toward enlightenment. Siddhartha’s growth is characterized by the experiences he has, not so much the physical experiences as the emotional. Whereas he has been so self-assur...