Siddhartha: Character Comparison

16) Compare the characters of Siddhartha, his father, and his son.

Within the text, Siddhartha, his father, and his son play an extremely important vital role in consolidating Siddhartha’s background within the text; by examining Siddhartha’s response to these other characters, and by looking at the characters themselves, we will be able to determine their role and function in the catalysis of Siddhartha’s maturity, as part of the text’s canonization in the Bildungsroman genre, and to moreover provide us with a clearer picture of the character in question, essentially through a character analysis.
Siddhartha is, first of all, perfect in almost every aspect of his life- socially, physically, and mentally, excelling in each and every one of these qualities. He is, in the text, quoted as having a “clear-thinking mind” and understanding “how to know Atman in his innermost being, indestructible, at one with the universe”, and ultimately, he is introduced to us as “the strong, the beautiful boy, striding on slender legs… with perfect breeding”, essentially being the epitome of perfection, “[bringing] joy to all, and delight[ing] them all”. Similarly, his father is “pure… learned…the supremely venerable man” who likewise enjoyed social status as a Brahmin, and who excels in all the qualities mentioned above. There are also hints that Siddhartha’s father, like Siddhartha himself, is “a seeker, a thirster”, but what differentiates Siddhartha and his father is Siddhartha’s discipline and unquenchable thirst in seeking out knowledge; this is the driving force which carries him throughout his quest.
Siddhartha possesses a high level of discipline and iron will; this can be seen in two instances- firstly, where he stands in front of his father requesting to leave home in “the Brahmin’s Son”, standing for so long that the “stars were wandering across the small window, changing their patterns”, and till his father had to accede to his request, and secondly, when Siddhartha’s iron will is demonstrated as he undergoes the Samana experience, “burning with pain, burning with thirst… crouch[ing] in the twisting brambles, the blood dripping from his burning skin”, and staying in this kind of life “until no more blood flowed, until nothing more pricked, until nothing more burned”. This kind of behaviour demonstrates the discipline which Siddhartha possesses, and differentiates him from the “child people”, leading him to believe that his path to Atman must be different from that of the child peoples’- this is the reason why he cannot take refuge in Gautama’s Teachings, unlike his companion Govinda. This level of discipline is directly in contrast that demonstrated by Siddhartha’s son; while Siddhartha is so focused that he can meditate everyday during his youth, Siddhartha’s son resorts to “robbing Vasudeva’s fruit trees”, and living an undisciplined life as Siddhartha and Vasudeva toiled in their work. By his breaking of the rice bowls, as well as his “moods and defiance”, Siddhartha’s son represents at the same time, a hindrance and an obstacle to Vasudeva’s and Siddhartha’s goal of understanding the river, as well helping Siddhartha to advance in his quest by letting him understand “the sorrow and suffering of love”, without which his experience of the senses would not have been complete.
Siddhartha’s father represents the pinnacle of enlightenment exemplified by the Brahmin caste. As his father, “the pure, the learned, the supremely venerable man”, represents the paragon of priesthood, Siddhartha understands that if his father had to “wash away sin every day, strive for purification every day”, then priesthood is not the correct way to attain the inner peace which Siddhartha so seeks. By creating the father-figure in this manner, Hesse also wishes to foreshadow success in Siddhartha’s quest that he would one day “[join] the radiant ones”, by virtue of the fact that his father was already well-respected and possessed many good qualities. This achievement is significant because in traditional belief, as one repeats the cycle of Samsara, one goes up the social ladder if he has performed good deeds, and the attainment of the Brahmin caste symbolizes the near-attainment of Nirvana. This is precisely why Siddhartha’s father is placed within the text- to show that no matter how Siddhartha’s father was like, he was, perhaps, one of the child-people, and was therefore unable to attain enlightenment in this manner.
The significance of Siddhartha’s son cannot be underestimated or ignored. Firstly, because the text does not name him, we realize that “young Siddhartha” is merely a younger, more ill-disciplined version of Siddhartha in his youth. Even Siddhartha understands that his son lives an extremely secular existence, “refusing to work, showing the old men no respect” and “displaying a proud and defiant heart”. Consequently, because of his experiences in the second half of the book, Siddhartha is able to identify with this kind of worldly existence, the very existence that almost led him to drown himself. His attempts to protect his son are therefore logical actions to prevent his son from straying down the same path that he did, and suffering the pain which he himself endured. However, his son eventually runs away, causing Siddhartha much anguish in the process. This act of young Siddhartha leaving Siddhartha’s protection mirrors his conviction in the fact that everyone has, ultimately, to go his own way and learn from experience, because one cannot “tell anyone in words and through teachings… the secret of what… [he] himself [had] experienced”. Siddhartha was taught, from young, the futility of a materialistic life, but even he himself had to experience this kind of life to fully appreciate this fact. Similarly, the same lesson is true for his son.
Finally, Siddhartha’s son helps Siddhartha to experience one social concept he was unable to before- love. Even his meetings and lessons with Kamala within the text did not prepare him for the “sorrow and suffering of love”. Ironically, he only goes through the experience of love after he has renounced the life of the senses, and rededicates himself to learning from the river with Vasudeva. From this, we can deduce that love’s position is unique in respect to other emotions within the world, an inimitable quality which emphasises its difficulty to overcome, even for the disciplined Siddhartha. Ultimately, young Siddhartha’s function within the text is to cause Siddhartha to realise that even this kind of love is Samsara, and should be avoided because it would irrevocably lead to sadness for lack of it, the same way that loving an object would turn to sadness because of its loss. This experience is highly significant because Siddhartha soon attains Nirvana shortly after this, representing the fact that love remained as the final and most challenging hurdle to Siddhartha’s path.