The Thematic Significance of Water Imagery in Siddhartha

13) Discuss the thematic significance of water imagery in Siddhartha.

The role and symbolism of the river is one of the major underlying themes which extend throughout the novel, and which is discussed perpetually in the text. Our first encounter with the river is in the first sentence of the text itself, where, “in the sunshine near the boats on the riverbank,… Siddhartha grew up”. Already, it seems that the river is “accompanying” Siddhartha from his childhood to his adolescence, and foreshadows how the river will play an even greater part in his quest for enlightenment.
Although the text itself is divided into two parts, it could be said that there are, in reality, three important sections the text may be divided into- the spiritual side of Siddhartha’s quest, the sensory side of Siddhartha’s quest, and his final attainment of Atman, all comprising three chapters each. The river figures prominently in the beginning or introductory chapter of all these three parts, as if it were his guide to his ultimate attainment of Atman. To fully realize the role of the river in directing Siddhartha’s quest, it is important to study where and how it materializes in each of the three instances raised above. The first instance, before he sets off to join the Samanas in his spiritual quest to “find the primal source in one’s own self”, has already been highlighted and discussed in the paragraph above. In the second instance, before he meets Kamala, the river presents itself as an obstacle, necessarily introducing Siddhartha to the Ferryman before he can proceed with his quest in “experien[cing]… [the senses] on its own”. It is interesting to note that later, as Vasudeva comments, “the river has been nothing but a hindrance in [the] travels” of many thousands who people who “traveled for money and business… and the river was in their way”. Similarly, it presents an obstacle to Siddhartha at this point, showing his increasing association with the life of “money and business”. At this point, we can also see that foreshadowing occurs in Siddhartha’s interaction with the Ferryman; firstly, because he suggests that “one can learn a lot from the river”, and secondly, because he proclaims that Siddhartha “will give [him] the [fare] another time” and ultimately return to the river again, which occurs later in the novel. Finally, the river appears yet again in the chapter “By the River”, where it causes the termination of his life of the senses, metaphorically symbolized by the deep sleep which he experienced after his “slumbering spirit suddenly awoke”, and heralds the beginning of his new life with the Ferryman, Vasudeva. As Siddhartha realizes the necessity of Samsara for him to be reborn into his new life, the river acts as both the source of his new self, in his recalling of the sacred “om”, as well as the death of the old self, symbolized by his propensity towards suicide. However, the most important function of the river is fully brought out by Hesse in the final three chapters of the text.
Throughout these three chapters, the river acts as the final setting of the text, and is a powerful symbol of the ritualistic cleansing, in Hindu culture, as provided by the Ganges. This is so because it is traditionally believed that bathing in the Ganges results in freedom from the endless cycle of Samsara, and because Siddhartha seeks the same goal of liberating self and reaching “the celestial world”. Also, the river exists as a symbol of flux and fluidity; because of its constant nature, ever running but never changing, it creates within Siddhartha a feeling of awe and wonder when he sees that it is “always and forever the same, and yet new every instant”. Ultimately, it brings him to a point of epiphany when he comes to the conclusions that “time does not exist”, and that “everything is, everything has being and is present” due to its constant flow. In this manner, the river also assists Siddhartha in ultimately attaining his goal, by allowing him to experience the unity and concordance of nature and life in the “thousand… voices” and the multitudinous nature of this issue, dispelling Siddhartha’s belief that all life is suffering. Finally, he appreciates the river for what it represents- “om”, or completeness, and this transforms him, making “his smile… almost as radiant, almost as blissful, likewise shining” as the Buddha’s radiant smile was. Eventually, Siddhartha becomes a spiritual figure, as Buddha was when he visited the Jetavana Grove at Anathapindaka, and rumours spread about of “two sages or wizards or saints”, making an obvious comparison to the Buddha at this point. Since they have achieved this state of holiness at the same time the Buddha becomes mortally ill, it could also be said that the river represents the transition between the existences of these spiritual leaders, due to its subtle referral to the Hindu concept of circularity. This concept can also be seen from Siddhartha’s current relationship with Vasudeva, brought forwards from the first time he met the ferryman, before he was about to engage in his life of the senses.
Eventually, the perpetual state of flux the river exists in leads directly to Siddhartha’s attainment of Nirvana. Although Siddhartha differentiated himself from the ways of the “child-people” he realizes, at the point of his enlightenment, that he himself is no different from the other people, because he himself has experienced the various desires and urges that these people do in life. By truly undergoing the process of suffering, Siddhartha realized that he was able to identify himself with the child-people, and as the child-people were previously released from suffering by taking refuge in the Sublime One’s teachings, so does Siddhartha similarly find a release from suffering by including himself within the unity that the child-people exist in within the world. At this point, Siddhartha is able to identify himself with everything, rather than identifying himself with nothing, as he had previously thought, and this is due, again, to the existence and imparting of truths by the river. Essentially, once Siddhartha has achieved this consciousness of unity, as well as being empowered by the various experiences he has had which connect him to the child-people, then only has the river truly fulfilled its duty of being a guide in his quest for liberation.