The Separation Of Society In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha

Throughout the novel, Siddhartha is both internally and externally separated from society. While Siddhartha searches of enlightenment, he assimilates into multiple groups, but separates himself internally from others within the group. As a Brahmin’s son, Siddhartha was surrounded by educated, wealthy, and strong spiritual followers. Despite this, Siddhartha was singled out as exceptional, this carries on as he becomes a Samana and the beginning of his stay in the village. It is this separation that creates and strengthens Siddhartha’s greatest vice, his ego. Throughout the book, Siddhartha tries to rid himself of his attachments; yet, the way in which he views the society around him ensures his attachment to his own ego. Midway through

the book, Siddhartha states that everyone he meets is like his friend, Govinda. They are all friendly, think little, and are children. In this way, Siddhartha is displaying a feeling of superiority over society.
Much of Siddhartha’s struggles with reaching peace and finding the good life center around society. Siddhartha’s habit of looking down on the society around him prevents him from fulfilling his ideas of the good life. At the end of the first part of the novel, Siddhartha appears to have finally reached peace within himself. This peace remains as he enters a new village and starts a new life; however, it soon dissipates as the years pass. The more Siddhartha assimilated within the society, the further he felt from inner peace. The more he realized how similar to the rest of the people he had grown, the more disgusted and shameful he felt. In this way, Siddhartha’s tension with society drives him away from Nirvana. When Siddhartha realizes his vices, he leaves society once more to find peace. In every stage of his journey, Siddhartha joins a society, but ultimately leaves when the society does fulfill his goal. To Siddhartha, belonging to a society leads to a sense of comfort and eventually the desire for comfort. This contradicts Siddhartha’s path to Nirvana as he must be without desire or attachment.