East vs. West in Hesse's Siddhartha

Siddhartha’s indulgence in characteristically Western ideals, such as ambition and wealth, along his journey glorify Eastern philosophy, as Siddhartha is only satisfied when he reaches the ultimate Buddhist goal of nirvana.

Hesse creates a protagonist blindly in direct conflict with the most basic Buddhist guidelines, his vision shrouded by Western ambition and curiosity. Siddhartha’s first steps away from his father on his journey to enlightenment are literally his first deviation from traditional Eastern beliefs. Siddhartha is often criticized as being “greedy” for knowledge, a craving that is in direct conflict with Buddhist philosophy. In order to end the suffering caused by curiosity or craving and eventually reach enlightenment, Buddhists strive to follow the Eightfold Path. Siddhartha’s yearning for knowledge and experience, a mark of overzealous Western ambition, is the root of Siddhartha’s difficulties in reaching true understanding.

Siddhartha’s craving for education leads him farther off the studious, devotional path of Buddhism into the inconsequential Western world of industry and wealth in the city. Although Buddhism ironically allows a span of years for its followers to go experience the world before serious dedication to Buddhist philosophies, Siddhartha’s hunger for understanding leads him off of this path first into the company of religious devotees. Siddhartha eventually leaves this group behind, frustrated with teachers who simply preach with no understanding themselves to find his own path to enlightenment. This personal, isolated journey is consistent with the introverted path to understanding of Buddhism. However, Siddhartha is swayed again from his direction by the bustling, Western-industrialized city. In the city, Siddhartha learns of love, wealth and success, unimportant distractions from the impermanence of human life in Buddhism, but ideals strongly associated with Western cultures. Although Siddhartha does enjoy business, lovers and gambling, there is a detachment from these temporary pleasures under the surface that drives Siddhartha away from the city and to the river. This lingering attachment to Eastern philosophy keeps Siddhartha from losing sight of his goal, and ultimately gives him the strength to dedicate his time to Vasudeva and learning from him. Siddhartha’s previous resentment of teachers vanishes with Vasudeva as he learns gradually, his curiosity abated and his Western attachments forgotten. Siddhartha’s iconic vision of the faces in the river, an epitomizing image of Buddhist egolessness, gives readers the sense that Buddhism is an everlasting philosophy with roots deep in nature. This image deeply contrasts the portrayal of the cutthroat, and drives home the cyclical nature of Buddhism with a peaceful, natural image.

Siddhartha’s achievement of nirvana, although fueled and by stereotypically Western ambition and delayed by the Western industrialized city, is ultimately only possible as Siddhartha embraces the ideals of Buddhist philosophy. As Siddhartha sees his own son take the same steps away from him that he took from his father as a young man, the cyclical nature of Buddhism is truly revealed to Siddhartha and to the readers. Combined with the patient teachings of Vasudeva, Siddhartha uses his own experiences to free himself of his Westernized desires and to find a way to end his suffering and achieve nirvana within himself.