Essay About Siddharthas Maturation Process And Siddharthas Maturation

Siddhartha
Siddhartha
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 Siddharthas maturation process both through his
experiences, and people with whoever 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.
Siddharthas 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.
Siddharthas 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 Buddhas 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
Siddharthas 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