Wise Words of a 15 year old Self

This was me. 

This is still me.

I love,

Love.

10th Grade Oral Report

Presented to Mr. Madsen

Love in Siddhartha

For my oral book report I chose to read Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. This beautifully crafted story tells the tale of a young Brahmin seeking enlightenment. Hesse subtly mentions how the role of love changes through out the search of Nirvana. In Siddhartha, love appears in many different forms: emotional, physical, requited, lustful…

Through the different ways love appears and difficulties love poses to Siddhartha are essential to him to accomplish his search of being free from suffering. He is able to understand that one must be able to love all to achieve Nirvana.

The first time love appears is when Siddhartha “had begun to feel that the love of his father and mother, and also the love of his friend Govind, would not always make him happy, give him peace, and satisfy and suffice him.” (3)

As he came to realize this, Siddhartha decided to leave his father and reject his father’s care and love and instead join the Samanas, wandering ascetics and hope to find enlightenment through this lifestyle. At this point, Samanas who reject all feeling and empty themselves, Siddhartha perfects the Samanas ways and thus feels no emotion and has perfect self control. However, he judges seeing the other Samanas that this path cannot and will not ____ along his search of enlightenment. Gotoma, the Illustrious One, radiates peace mystery and love. Siddhartha realizes what he wants and awakens to the fact that so far he has never seen things for what they are and opens up to all, including love. 

He soon finds a lover/ teacher, Kamala, in town. Kampala teaches all aspects of physical love and the importance of love. Although Siddhartha has feelings deep within him for Kamala the he states: “‘You do not really love me—you love nobody. Is that not true? ‘ ‘Maybe’ said Siddhartha wearily. “I am like you. You cannot love either, otherwise how could you practice love as an art? Perhaps people like us cannot love. Ordinary people can— that is their secret.” (59) At this point, Siddhartha is incapable to give and receive genuine love between anyone and prevents him from achieving spiritual realization. 

Siddhartha is finally able to feel and accept love although it proves to be quite a challenge. Siddhartha had fallen in love with his stubborn and disrespectful son, whom he had inherited when Kamala died. Siddhartha’s son’s love was unrequited but Siddhartha “love him and preferred the sorrow and trouble of his love rather than happiness and pleasure without the boy.” (96)

Alas, the boy runs away and Siddhartha’s love for his son becomes a test of his wisdom, for Siddhartha almost diverges completely from his path of enlightenment. “Siddhartha, had become completely like one of the people, through sorrow, through loving. He was madly in love, a fool because of love.” (99) However, after great sorrow Siddhartha finally learns to accept that love comes in all forms and all must be acknowledged. Through Kamala and his son, Siddhartha has learned to love the world and accept it instead of rejecting or resisting it. Siddhartha finds that he now has all the elements to achieve enlightenment and has learned his last task: to be capable to love and “his Self merged into unity.” (111)