Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Reborn
When I read the first couple of pages of the chapter 'By the River', I was astonished with how much emotion Hesse but into that chapter. In the beginning of the chapter, one is introduced to Siddhartha after he left Kamala and went again on the path to find himself. As he is walking in the forest, he begins to have flashbacks of his life and is angered with how his life has unfolded up to this point. His anger gets to the point to which he actually wishes that he should die. I think what makes this a lot more symbolic, is the use of similes to describe the gruesome anger that Siddartha is enduring with in himself, self vs. self, "he was full of ennuifull of misery, full of death; there was nothing left in the world that could attract him, that could give him pleasure and solance". I would like to compare this to the short story we just read in class. Just like the woman who was on the trainride, after her husband dis-honed her for having bought the lion at such a low price, she could no longer live her life the same way. Just like Siddartha, Siddartha could not live the same life much longer. One thing that stood out to me the most, was when Siddartha ended up arriving at the river in which he is able to gain his peace again. It is in that river in which he slept alongside in which he was able to discover who Siddartha really was, he was reborn. It was at that same river in which Siddartha was able to meet up with Kamala and meet his son. What do you guys think will happen with Siddartha and his son know that Kamala has passed away. What teachings will he pass down to his own son?
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Firstly, great connection you made there with both stories. Secondly, I think Siddartha and his son will not get along. He may detest his father for leaving him and his mother. His way of life may vary since Siddartha never taught his son his ways.
ReplyDeleteI think the two won't get along right away. It'll take time but because of Siddarthas friendly personality, it won't be hard for him to build a bond with his son.
ReplyDeleteThe connection made here is astonishing. The only difference between both characters is that the wife never got her enlightenment. Or did she ? Could her enlightenment be that she finally sees how things really are? Going back to Siddhartha however I feel like the son may end up resenting him because he could have all these "wonderful" materialistic things but Siddhartha refuses them.
ReplyDeleteI never thought about it that way. I think that was her enlightment since it clearly shaped her and changed her as a person.
DeleteI like how you connected the two, and I (like many of my peers) believe that Siddhartha and his son will not get along. Siddhartha doesn't seem to affected by her death and his son will be devastated since it's the only parent he has had (up until now).
ReplyDeleteI feel as though the events in this chapter can be connected to Christian baptism. For those of you not familiar, most Christians believe that when you are baptized, you are spiritually cleansed and reborn into a new being, blessed by God. The way the river is mentioned heavily throughout this chapter also lends to this connection. Siddhartha, after becoming corrupted, is rebirth ed into what he describes as a new man.
ReplyDeleteI like how the magority of you have said that they wont get along. I feel the same way since Siddarth was not there in the life of his son.
ReplyDeleteYeah. With his overwhelming self-criticism, he could not see the symbolism, beauty, and meaning of the river. I think there will be conflict between the two too because they're strangers to one another and the death of Kamala.
ReplyDeleteWhen reading how Siddhartha left Kamala without knowing he had a son, I began to questions how his life would have been if he would have stayed with Kamala. Would he have a better relationship with his son? How would he feel?
ReplyDeleteThese last two chapters we read are my favorite , and once I got to the point where Kamala died my heart dropped. I thought that they have a happy family with their son. But that wasn't the case. At the same time Siddartha is not sad, he is happy that he has a son. I think he is going to be a great father and teach his son many things. Perhaps Siddartha does not always stay by the river.
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