Siddhartha (Pgs 1-30)

Summary: A good amount happens in these first 30 pages of my novella called Siddhartha. To start off, Siddhartha is a person and he is considered "the handsome Brahmin's son", which is a compliment but also somewhat of an insult because most Brahmins were thought to be evil, lazy, and wicked. Even though most Brahmins were thought of that way, Siddhartha was clearly different and special and knew almost everything that had to do with education. He was very scholarly but somehow he felt empty inside. He made everyone else happy but was not happy with himself. Therefore he decides to become a Samana, which are a group of poor people who take the days as they are given to them.


Quote: " Siddhartha had already long taken part in the learned men's conversations, had engaged in debate with Govinda and had practiced the art of contemplation and meditation with him" (Hesse 3).


Reaction: Govinda was basically Siddhartha's shadow but more importantly, his good friend. This was the part before Siddhartha wanted to become a Semana and when they were both noblemen. Since Siddhartha became a Semana, so did Govinda. Siddhartha's ultimate goal was to become empty and I found that peculiar because usually it goes the other way around. Empty people want to become full but in this case, a full person wants to become empty. I find the whole thing somewhat odd but I should see more in future pages.