Siddhartha is a novel written by Hermann Hesse, who was a
Poet/Novelist in the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. Some of his other works are “The
Glass Bead Game” and “Steppenwolf”. Siddhartha is unique in the fact that it is
a very short book (Around 140 pages), but it is very dense, meaning it says a
lot with so little words. Siddhartha is a book based around the self-discovery
and Buddhist ideals and goals, such as discovering Nirvana. It is about
discovering yourself and what you need in life.
The protagonist’s name is Siddhartha, he is the son of a
Brahmin (A kind of teacher/priest), he grew up in ancient India. He decides to
leave his home and search for spiritual enlightenment and total mental peace.
He meets numerous other travelers and other people searching for Nirvana, he
even finds and converses with a Buddha (Someone who has discovered Nirvana).
It’s all about finding out what you want to be and what you need to do to achieve
it. He goes around India as a beggar, sleeping the woods or wherever he can,
eating whatever he is given, and talking to people that could help advance his
journey. Siddhartha believes that peace cannot be taught, but has to be
discovered and you have to earn it. He starts his journey with his best friend
Govinda, they join a Buddhist group of travelers who help them along their way
to spiritual enlightenment.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is stuck in life,
this book will change your life and how you see the world after you read it. If
you feel helpless or unsure of yourself, if you feel like you’re going nowhere,
if you feel like your world is crashing down, Siddhartha is the book that could
help you figure out what you can and will do. Despite being so short this book
is extremely powerful and is really only enjoyable if you have a higher than
average reading level, because it can be hard to keep track of the plot and
what is going on. This book is the only book I’ve ever read that has permanently
changed the way I view the world and people in it. It is a very quick read too,
but read it slowly to get the full effect. It is very underrated so give it a
try!
Book Review by Escher S.
