Study
Questions and Essay Topics
Study Questions
1.
Siddhartha features
substantial activity and narrative action. At the same time, it
is about one man's largely internal spiritual quest. What is the
relationship between the internal and exterior worlds of
Siddhartha?
How does Siddhartha negotiate these worlds?
2. Discuss the
ways Siddhartha attempts to attain spiritual enlightenment. Which
approaches are successful? Which ones are not successful, and which
ones have limited effectiveness? How does Siddhartha progress from
one approach to the other?
3. Consider
Siddhartha's relationship with Govinda. How are they similar, and
how are they different? What are the narrative functions of Govinda's
reappearance throughout the novel? How does their relationship impact
the novel's ending?
Suggested Essay Topics
1. Discuss the role of the mystic
utterance Om in Siddhartha. In
what ways does it foreshadow Siddhartha's spiritual progression?
Is his relationship with it proactive, or reactive?
2. Herman Hesse's novels before Siddhartha focused
on alienated young men who rejected the cultures of their upbringings.
However, these other novels did not feature the spiritual elements
of Siddhartha. How do the spiritual elements of Siddhartha make
it different from any other story of an alienated youth?
3. Siddhartha is
a love story in addition to the story of a spiritual quest. How
do Siddhartha's romantic love for Kamala and his love for his son
impact his spirituality? How does Siddhartha's spirituality, in
turn, impact Kamala and his son?
4. Most literary scholars agree
that Siddhartha was prompted by Herman Hesse's
fixation on Eastern spirituality. Is there a case to be made that Siddhartha is
designed to celebrate Eastern religion? Is Hesse's treatment of
spirituality as relevant today as it was when he wrote the novel?
5. Siddhartha concerns
the quest for spiritual enlightenment, and by the end of it four
characters have achieved this goal: Govinda, Gotama, Vasudeva, and
Siddhartha. Is the enlightenment achieved by each of these characters
the
same? Why or why not? What distinctions and similarities exist between
the paths these characters use to reach their
final goal?
