The phrase “Loose everything to gain everything” has often been used to describe not only one's journey of self discovery but the often painful journey of living life to the fullest extent. Each individual, no matter the circumstances, is trying achieve this in someway. Some find spiritual fulfillment in religion, money, drugs, alcohol, starvation, nature, and much more. Into the Wild,is a true story featuring Chris, a troubled college student, who has had enough of his life of luxury and leaves for the open road Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, is a tale about a young son of a Brahmin named Siddhartha, who is born into a wealthy family, but pampered until and unexposed to the troubles of life, decides to embark and choose of life of an ascetic. …show more content…
The phrase is used as a guiding principle for both Chris and Siddhartha’s journey as the two embark on a journey of self-fulfillment. Both recognize and take action against the void in their lives and grasp the opportunity of rebirth , awakening the inner adventurer inside of them, and although similar, each journey is unique with the people they meet and the lives they change on the way. As the story progresses however, the un-fulfillment of both Siddhartha and Chris’s life becomes more and mora apparent. One is first introduced to the characters with the two engulfed in a life of effortlessness. Chris recently graduated college at the top of his class and was offered a new car. Siddartha, a son of a Brahmin, had been born into a lush and fruitful lifestyle. Incorporate this quote more seamlessly, may include what was happening in the scene it was said“His father was to be admired, quiet and noble were his manners, pure his life, wise his words, delicate and noble thoughts lived behind its brow but even he, who knew so much, did he live in blissfulness.”(Hesse,9) This offers some insight on type of life Siddhartha lived, along with the standards Siddhartha was required to meet. In their past lives they had both been pampered and cared for, shielded from all the troubles of the outside world, leaving them blind to the problems that many others faced. Who is they were left dis-satisfied and empty, knowing their life was somewhat of a farce and that their existence was not as they desired .”Did he not, again and again, have to drink from holy sources, as a thirsty man, from the offerings, from the books, from the disputes of the Brahmans?....Everything else was searching, was a detour, was getting lost. ”(Hesse, 9) This excerpt is displaying the discontent s that Siddhartha feels towards his previous religion and the way in which he begins to question the ethics and reliance of what. Along with their similar thirsts for change, Chris and Siddhartha both had a similar transition into their new lives. Siddhartha and Chris both had a growing hunger and curiosity for an existence of humbleness and enlightenment, but the grasping of these lives wasn't a thing they eased into as both characters left in the middle of the night, dropping everything. Their pursuit of enlightenment, was mirrored in some aspects, however was considerably different because each character's environment is drastically different, due to the fact that events take place around 1000 years apart and in different parts of the world. In the case of Chris, his transition to another lifestyle was immediate with his abrupt departure from school proved itself to be an simple task compared to that of Siddhartha's starvation and asceticism. In both Into the Wild and Sidhartha, most of the knowledge gained by Chris and Siddhartha are obtained from other individuals.
Siddhartha and Chris both take initiative and abandon their homes in search of better lives for themselves. Leaving so abruptly paired with learning the mysteries of life can be a daunting task and cannot be done easily alone. Luckily for both Chris and Siddhartha, they come into contact with mysterious and benevolent people which have an extreme influence on their journeys. In both stories, the main characters stumble upon special individuals who offer some wisdom or some aid them on the travels . In Chris’s scenario, he came across Rainey and Jan, a couple in their later years in life traveling the country in their Van. They pick Chris up nonchalantly, expecting nothing more than a hitchhiker, but are met with our protagonist who helps their struggling marriage and acknowledges the Gap in their life. He doesn't leave without any of his own benefit however as with the help of Rainey and Jan, as he learned to overcome himself and best fear along with some financial aid and a place he can stay. In Siddhartha's case, he comes along a pricy courtesan by the name of Kamala, who gives him the greatest gift of all: Physical love,This.plays a major role in the enlightenment of Siddhartha. Siddharta accepts her as his teacher, which isn't like Siddhartha as he is not the biggest fan of teachers. “To tell you this and to thank you for being so beautiful. And if it doesn't displease you, Kamala, I would like to ask you to be my friend and teacher, for I know nothing yet of that art which you have mastered in the highest degree." -(Hesse, 89). This quote is the explanation that Siddhartha provides in order to to elaborate on why he has chosen Kamala, out of all people, to be his teacher. Kamala begins to inform Siddharta in the rigorous art of physical love, in which he learns to love and value the non-materialistic things. Kamala also offers a
serious lesson in the processes of enlightenment and loss. The lesson of Loss is one that Siddhartha has never obligated to deal with but is forced to experience as Kamala is killed by a snake bite, devastating Siddhartha. However the devastation was not all in vain as Siddhartha later came to the conclusion that love and loss are two things necessary to re enter the path of enlightenment. Considering the only loss that Chris had to suffer was the loss of his identity, which he partook in willingly, that doesn't nearly compare to the losses Siddhartha had to suffer through in his journey towards enlightenment. However, the idea of loss comes full circle as Chris ironically comes to his own enlightenment (Happiness is only real when shared) when he is on his deathbed. The irony of Chris’s death perfectly displays the losses that some have to go through to fully achieve enlightenment. Much like the way in which Kamala's death impacted Siddhartha , sometimes loss is the only way to gain spiritual fulfillment, as Siddhartha realizes that he must lose both the physical and emotional love in his life to become enlightened. In conclusion, the idea of loss for gain has been apparent in both Siddhartha and Into the Wild, with both characters losing their lives, loved ones, and identity to embark on their individual journey of enlightenment. However, not all loss is negative as both come to know themselves and other important people in their journey, lifting them up along the way of and giving them lessons and knowledge to last them their entire lives. One can argue that the worlds of Into the Wild and Siddhartha are completely different, however if one can overlook the time periods similarities become clearly apparent considering that Into the Wild Is a true story unlike Siddhartha. In today's world, the idea of achieving spiritual enlightenment is becoming increasingly difficult with the use of technology and cell phones becoming more and more apparent. Many people in today's society have a lack of fulfilment of their life and are left with nothing to do about it.
Hermann Hesse’s novel “Siddhartha” is one of spiritual renewal and self discovery. The novel revolves around the life of one man named Siddhartha, who leaves his home and all earthly possessions in an attempt to find spiritual enlightenment. The novel contains many themes, including the relationship between wisdom and knowledge, spirituality, man’s relationship to the natural world, time, love, and satisfaction. To portray these themes, Hesse employs many different rhetorical devices, particularly diction, symbolism, and point of view. These devices allow us, as a reader, to reevaluate our lives and seek fulfillment in the same way that Siddhartha did.
Siddhartha has the urge to become enlightened There was something telling him to endure on his journey to enlightenment and thus begins the Hero Journey This is the first step towards his journey After seeing the Samanas, he decides he wants to follow in their footsteps to learn more about himself and the world that he has been sheltered from his whole life When he tells his family about his decision of becoming and Samana they refuse to let him go, especially his father who has done most of
A mythical beast who finds meaning in killing and a questioning wanderer who cannot find meaning in being: both John Gardener's Grendel and Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha grow and develop spiritually, yet their authors use vastly different styles to convey these changes.
In both cases, they are going on the hero’s journey to escape societal expectations, to rid themselves of the materialistic world or to experience adventure. For Siddhartha, he “had begun to feel that the love of his father and mother, and also the love of his friend Govinda, would not always make him happy, give him peace, satisfy and suffice him. He had begun to suspect that his worthy father and his other teachers, the wise Brahmins, had already passed on to him the bulk and best of their wisdom [but] his soul was not at peace.” (Hesse 3) Siddhartha has all the love he needs in life, yet he has a true to desire to understand the world around him. He feels like he needs to do more to live a fulfilled in life. His goal is to find true happiness by understanding the world around him and by achieving Nirvana. This desire and knowledge compel him to follow the Samanas on the journey to enlightenment. Likewise, in the film "Into the Wild" Christopher Johnson decides to embark on a journey to achieve true happiness outside of materialistic aspects. From a very young age, Chris’s parents always gave him things that he does not want and
When Siddhartha talks to Kamala she tells him that she is a courtesan and Siddhartha wants to learn from her how to live like the people from the city. Kamala taught him many things one of the most important ones was that she taught him how to act like a rich man. Teaching him to act like like a rich man was essential to him reaching enlightenment. If this never happened he wouldn’t have gone into samsara. He never would have experienced the suicidal thoughts that led him to the river and ultimately not reaching enlightenment. Years after Siddhartha left the city Kamala and Siddhartha meet again only this time she has a his son. After she dies Siddhartha tries to raise his son the best he can but his son is too stubborn. The feeling Siddhartha gets after his son leaves he can't find anywhere else and this is one of the last things that Siddhartha needed to achieve enlightenment. Kamala bring multiple things into Siddhartha's life that were absolutely essential to him reaching
Siddhartha is a much respected son of a Brahmin who lives with his father in ancient India. Everyone in their town expects Siddhartha to act like his father and become successful. Although he lives a very high quality life, Siddhartha is dissatisfied and along with his best friend Govinda- wants nothing more than to join the group of wandering ascetics called Samana’s. This group starves themselves, travels almost naked and must beg for the food they survive on. This group of people believes that to achieve enlightenment and self-actualization: body image, health, physical and material desires must be thrown away. Although this is the life Siddhartha wished for himself, he soon discovers that it is not the right choice for him. Near desolation, Siddhartha happens upon a river where he hears a strange sound. This sound signifies the beginning of the life he was born to live – the beginning of his true self. Hesse uses many literary devices to assure Siddhartha’s goal of self-actualization and creates a proper path for that success.
Siddhartha does not embark on his journey until he received permission from his father. When he wishes to leave home and join the Samanas, Siddhartha approaches his father and says, “With your permission, Father, I have come to tell you that I wish to leave your house tomorrow and join the ascetics. I wish to become a Samana. I trust my father will not object” (Heese, 10). When his father rejects his request, he sits down with his arms crossed until his father allows him to go on his journey. He cares deeply about his parents, and no matter how much he wants to go on a journey of enlightenment, he will not be able to if his parents don’t allow him to. Chris, on the other hand, leaves home without telling his parents anything. This is mainly because his parents were a major reason he felt unhappy in the first place. He and his sister are traumatized by their bitter relationship filled with constant abuse, both verbal and physical. Chris loves his parents much less than Siddhartha, meaning he is able to go behind their backs and go on a journey for fulfillment without the guilty conscience that Siddhartha would have. Another key difference between the two journeys is the specificness of their goals. Chris’s goal is simple- to live in the wilderness in Alaska. Everything he does in the movie is to prepare for the Alaskan wilderness. It is a goal set in stone from the beginning of the movie, it never changes. On the other hand, Siddhartha’s goal is much vaguer. He is trying to reach enlightenment, but he does not know how exactly to reach it. He first tries to achieve enlightenment through asceticism with the Samanas, but it doesn’t work. He then meets Gotama and listens to his teachings, but yet again he is unable to reach enlightenment. Unlike Chris, Siddhartha’s plan for reaching
Each of us has innate desire to understand the purpose of our existence. As Hermann Hesse illustrates in his novel Siddhartha, the journey to wisdom may be difficult. Organized religion helps many to find meaning in life but it does not substitute careful introspection. An important message of Siddhartha is that to achieve enlightenment one must unite the experiences of mind, body, and spirit.
The beautiful courtesan, Kamala, taught Siddhartha the importance of love along with the pleasures of it. While in the town of Samsara, he was introduced to a life of luxuries by her. She taught him how to please a woman and how to keep her satisfied. He also learned how to gamble and the art of running a business from her friends. Although Siddhartha felt moments of joy, nothing fulfilled the longing in his soul. Over the years, one of the more important lessons he gained from Kamala was that he could have this life of pleasurable things and yet still yearn for a deeper meaning in his heart.
The second step of Siddhartha's journey is realizing that although he has knowledge, knowledge is not enough without experience. Experience can be gained through practicing knowledge. Also he realizes that thought and sense must be used together to find the way. He meets with Kamala whose beauty and intellegence overwhelms him. Kamala's observation and sensitiveness help Siddhartha to develop his sense of love. To paid for her lectur, he has his "think, wait, and fast"(chapter 5, page 46). With Kamala's help in another lecture, he gains the combination of the simplicity and intelegence.
Through out the novel Siddhartha had constantly taken risks that he believed would lead him to nirvana. He would take these risks even if it meant leaving his family, his best friend, and having to live as a poor man searching for himself. Siddhartha has many teachers during his journey. Although he had many teachers he believed that with or without them he would have learned what he needed to learn to obtain nirvana.
Each individual come to the point where they question the purpose of their life. In today’s century, most people find the pursuit of happiness through money and a successful career making those as the most important thing in their life. In the book of Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild, the protagonist in the story, Christopher Johnson McCandless, a smart young man who graduated from Emory University, who hated materialism in life and could not find happiness in the society where he exist. Believing that nature will provide him the truth, he pursues a journey to the wild in search of solitude in life. Wanting to prove that there are more life to live, he connected with the nature to find his true self. In achieving his journey, he depended on the
The novel Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is a timeless story about one man’s journey of finding peace in his way of life and thoughts. Siddharta is a young Brahmin’s son, who is dissatisfied with his worship and in turn sets out to find the lifestyle that is right for him. Siddhartha is faced with many external, physical conflicts, yet that is not the most prominent type of conflict in the story. Hesse builds excitement and suspense through Siddhartha’s internal journey to create an emotional response usually associated with external conflict.
Siddhartha, written by Herman Hesse, is a novel about a man's progression towards his goal to center his life with a combination of peace and balance. Many of the displayed philosophies can be applied to today's world. Through my reading, I noticed many similarities between my life and Siddhartha's. First, Siddhartha felt a need for independence, that to truly be happy with his success, he must attain his achievements in his own way, and not others. Even though, he feels he must acquire this by himself, he tries to be as removed from his human side as possible. Only later does he learn that individuality and freedom from necessity must be united to procure his objectives and free him from his imperfections. Second, Siddhartha discovers that things and riches do not bring happiness. They are only temporary. No matter the extent of wealth a person has this never satisfies the insatiable need for possessions. Lastly, Siddhartha found that balance is the key to peace and happiness. Although a simplistic teaching, it is very complex to learn and apply. In my life, I can relate to his path and lessons, because I feel the same struggles and battles with attaining serenity.
Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha describes the journey and maturation of Siddhartha. Siddhartha is a young Indian, whose journey to find inner peace takes him to many different places. One of these is the city, where he soon accumulates a large fortune. Wealth and material possession haunt Siddhartha and hinder him from attaining internal peace. This is also demonstrated Brahmin village where he is unhappy with the rituals, and sees wealth and material goods destroying him Herman Hesse uses Siddhartha demonstrate that success is not derived from material wealth, but from personal successes that may have nothing to do with wealth.