Post Reading Reaction

Siddhartha was a mediocre book in my opinion.  I appreciated its distinctive qualities, for it was very different from most other books that I have read.  I liked the mellow mood that was maintained throughout the novel.  The writing embodied the peaceful qualities of Buddhism because it was very melodic and calming.  The vocabulary was not difficult, except there were terms that were specific to Eastern religions that most Americans would not likely understand.  However, there were only a handful of these words so once a reader found their meanings they were no longer a nuisance for the remainder of the book. 

I was not thrilled with this book for several reasons.  The character development was very gradual and I did not enjoy this aspect.  I found it difficult to connect with the characters as a result, and I was not as interested in them as I would have otherwise been.  I also knew a very limited about Buddhism prior to reading this book, and this factor greatly influenced my understanding and enjoyment of the book.

I would recommend Siddhartha to readers who are seeking a unique reading experience.  Readers who need lots of action and suspense in their books are unlikely to enjoy this novel, however those who do not need these things will likely appreciate the relaxed vibe which one feels as they are reading.  A person who is interested in or familiar with Eastern religion would also probably enjoy Siddhartha because the book follows a boy on his path to manhood, and he uses principals from religion throughout his journey.  

Weekend Reading

Prompt #4: Write about somethingthat happened in this chapter or the book that surprised you, and explain why it was so surprising.

In the chapter entitled “Kamala”, Siddhartha’s behavior changes dramatically.  At first it seems as though Siddhartha is awestruck as he admires nature’s beauty which he has never before allowed himself to appreciate.  This is not completely out of the ordinary, since Siddhartha has always appeared to be an introverted and very thoughtful man.  He continues to admire the earth as he travels to a city.  However, once he arrives he becomes uncharacteristically concerned with his appearance in order to appeal to Kamala, who is a very rich and beautiful woman who dwells in the city.  Based on Siddhartha’s previous actions, I would expect him to attempt to win the love of Kamala through his purity of thought and mind, rather than stoop to the level of the other wealthy men who Kamala has known who try to impress her with their fine clothes, fine shoes, and abundance of money.  Perhaps Siddhartha will only partially emulate the other wealthy men, but in this chapter it seems as though he is very eager to learn about and lead a new way of life, and there is minimal respect for his roots shown.  Quite simply, it seems as though Siddhartha is “selling out”.

Prediction Analysis

Prompt #7:  Write about your predictions from Prompt #6.  Were they correct?  Why or why not?

My prediction was only partially correct.  I correctly predicted that Govinda would become a follower of Buddha; however I also thought that Siddhartha would become a follower, and this proved to be false.  While Siddhartha acknowledges the importance of Buddha’s teachings, he finds a flaw in them and continues on his way on his quest to destroy his Self and quench his thirst for knowledge.  I also predicted that the two boys will catch the attention of Buddha by doing something outstanding.  This too was only partially correct, for only Siddhartha caught his attention.  I was also incorrect because I predicted that the boys would catch his attention by doing something great, however Siddhartha is only acknowledged by the Buddha because he approached him.  Siddhartha is inspired by the Buddha, however he still does not believe that he should join the Buddha’s followers, for he does not think that this would bring him the satisfaction which he is yearning.  Siddhartha thus continues on his journey alone, leaving Govinda with the other robed followers of Buddha.  I could not predict that such good friends would go their different ways.

Siddhartha Predictions

Prompt #6:  Make some predictions about what you think will happen in the future chapters.  What support can you find?

I predict that Siddhartha and Govinda will become great followers of Buddha.  I also suspect that the two boys will do something outstanding which will catch the attention of Buddha and they will become his friends and/or students.  This outstanding thing could be a good deed that the Buddha happens to see or hear about or it could be something incredibly intelligent or profound that Siddhartha says which will cause Buddha to see potential in the boy.

 I predict that the boys will form some sort of relationship with Buddha because of the fascination that they have with him which is reflected by the descriptions of Buddha in the book.  “He wore his gown and walked along exactly like the other monks, but his face and his step, his peaceful downward glance, his peaceful downward-hanging hand, and every finger of his hand spoke of peace, spoke of completeness, sought nothing, imitated nothing, reflected a continuous quiet, an unfading light, an invulnerable peace” (Hesse 22).  The boys are already enthralled with him, as shown by the fact that he was one of the main reasons that they left the Samanas, and they are even more impressed with Buddha after seeing him in person.

Reactions After Two Chapters

Prompt #12: Guess  as to why the author included some things in the chapter/book and left other things out.  What would you have added or omitted?  Why?

In the chapter entitled “With the Samanas”, the time that Siddhartha spends with the Samanas is described.  However, the author, Hermann Hesse, decided to give very little in-depth description of the characters’ daily lives.  He offers short explanations of certain activities, including standing in the scorching sun, freezing rain, and bleeding among thorny bushes.  He also gives some details about a couple of conversations between Siddhartha and his friend, Govinda, but other than this there are few other details of any kind in this chapter.  I suppose that Hesse decided to put very few details into this chapter of the book mainly because he wanted to provide background information about the characters without making the reader’s focus wander as a result of too many agonizing details.  With this in mind, I would have included a few more details and I would have “shown” more of the action rather than “told” it, because the chapter would have been more engaging this way.  In addition, I would add more character description, for the characters have not been properly developed in my opinion.  After reading two chapters, I still do not have a clear image of Siddhartha or Govinda, who are the two main characters.  Not knowing or being able to picture the characters is making the book less enjoyable.

Beginning of Reading Prompt

Prompt 10: Write about connections that you made while reading the chapter/book.  How does something remind you of your experiences or people you know or have known?

       In the first chapter of Siddhartha, Siddhartha decides that he would like to leave his family and become a Samana, which is a wandering monk of ancient India in certain ascetic traditions, including Buddhism.  He asks his father for permission to leave and his father becomes very unhappy because he does not want his son to leave.  To protest, Siddhartha remains standing in his place until dawn, when his father finally relents.

Like most teenagers, I can relate to having a disagreement with my parents.  However, the fights that I have with my parents are very different from the type of “fight” that Siddhartha had with his father.  Serious arguments between a parents and a teenager in America usually escalate to a level with yelling and cursing, if not physical violence.  Although the fact that a young adult is disagreeing with a parent is the same, the manner in which Siddhartha and his father fight is very different from the American way, for they use stillness and time in place of angry words and raised voices.  Siddhartha’s father only states his opinion once when he says “’It is not seemly for Brahmins to utter forceful and angry words, but there is displeasure in my heart.  I should not like to hear you make this request a second time” (Hesse 7).  For this reason, I can only form a partial connection to the text. 

Pre-Reading Post

I chose to read Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, because it most importantly did not look depressing.  I like almost all books that aren’t sad and it seems as though many of the books that are assigned in school are depressing.  From reading the back cover, I found that the book dealt with spirituality. More specifically, the book discusses what happens when religions from the East and West meet.  I found this idea interesting because it would give me a chance to learn about the beliefs of different types of religions.  I am also interested in learning about religions because I know very little about the subject because I do not practice any religion.  Also, the cover of the book has an image of a Buddha statue.  This further peaked my interest because Buddhists are a very unique and interesting religious group that I would like to learn more about through my Independent Reading Book.