Siddhartha Friendship Essay

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True Friendship

“True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island...to find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing.” This quote by Baltasar Gracian exhibits the importance of friendship, and the rarity of finding a true one. In the book Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, the main character Siddhartha finds one of these rare friendships in a boy named Govinda. Throughout their lives, Govinda and Siddhartha discover the depth of their friendship and the bond that they share. Govinda and Siddhartha part ways from time to time but always manage to find their way back to each other. While they both may change as people, their friendship and compassion for one another …show more content…

A true friendship can last a lifetime, despite the changes that each friend may experience throughout their lives. Govinda and Siddhartha first become friends whilst growing up together, as they were both the son of Brahmins. Govinda loved Siddhartha deeply, and became troubled when Siddhartha decided that he wanted to leave the Brahmins to be with the Samanas. Siddhartha senses this in Govinda. Hesse describes this in the book, saying: “As quick as lightning he read Govinda’s soul, read the anxiety, the resignation” (p.6). Siddhartha can see how close Govinda feels to him and how his leaving worries Govinda. The two boys have been friends for so long that one can not imagine their lives without the other. For this reason, Siddhartha is not surprised when Govinda decides to follow him to be with the Samanas. Siddhartha and Govinda lived with the Samanas for a long

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