Siddhartha and Steppenwolf: An Exploration Within One’s Mind of Knowledge.
The amount of similarities between Hesse’s stories is countless as he is trying to explore the human brain as well as one's spiritual knowledge. Setting a goal and taking your mind places is very beneficial for mental and spiritual development. Many people in this world believe that there is more in life than the reality we live inside.” Just as people become religious extremists, some of them abandon extremism and embrace peace. For some this change is a spiritual transformation, similar to religious conversion”. These concepts can be triggered by many things such as: self-taught knowledge, past experiences, or even looking for personal growth. Spiritual values are nothing to mess around with and if you’re interested, you’re usually committed.
The correspondence of both Steppenwolf and Siddhartha has the idea of a character finding self-realization or fulfillment within himself. The message becomes more clear as the more you read, the more you understand what the main characters are going through. In Steppenwolf, Harry Haller, who is the main character is spiritually lost and has forgotten his role in this world. Harry has gone through multiple situations that have paved the way for his interest and need of change. Towards the climax, he was at a better understanding of himself with the help of the Magic Theater but was still left with questions in the end.
The general idea remains the same in Siddhartha as well. A young child named Siddhartha goes out on a mission to help fill this emptiness inside. The journey takes him down a path he did not expect as he must leave his religious aspect behind and focus on the materialistic side of things. As all fails he approaches the ferryman which leads him to success. Siddhartha is led by a man who allows himself to find the enlightenment he was looking for.
The juxtaposition connecting the two novels, with Herman’s writing style, makes up for a strong similarity. With both of these novels, the protagonist travels through a variety of circumstances which eventually steer them towards the 'Magic Theater.' But when at the peak, the two books engagingly go their separate ways. In Steppenwolf, the protagonist's condition is left unfinished and he is back at square one. But in Siddhartha, not only does Siddhartha find what he was looking for but also his friend he brought along named Govinda.
In Siddhartham, there is a very important sign of symbolism with the power of the river. “The new Siddhartha felt a deep love for this flowing water and decided that he would not leave it again so quickly'. The river is a very strong symbol in the book as it shows the journey one must take and helps satisfy the purpose for this journey, the realization of enlightenment. Siddhartha comes to confess that 'The river is everywhere at the same time, at the source and at the mouth...in the ocean and in the mountains, everywhere, and that the present only exists for it, not the shadow of the past, nor the shadow of the future...Siddhartha the boy, Siddhartha the mature man, and Siddhartha the old man are only separated by shadows, not through reality...Nothing was, nothing will be, everything has reality and presence “. Another important encounter that Sid must go through to reach his ultimate goal is being able to locate the Buddha in the crowd of monks.'Siddhartha and Govinda saw that this mask-like smile, this smile of unity over the flowing forms, this smile of simultaneousness over the thousands of births and deaths-this smile of Siddhartha-was exactly the same as the calm, delicate, impenetrable, perhaps gracious, perhaps mocking, wise, thousand-fold smile of Gotama, the Buddha, as he perceived it with awe a hundred times'. As Siddhartha and the Buddha have a small conversation Siddhartha comes to the realization that he won't be able to reach enlightenment through somebody else's techniques. After this chat, Siddhartha leaves and senses a new life.
Similar to Siddhartha, Steppenwolf also has many objects exemplifying symbolism. The 'Mirrors' in the book show that when one looks into a mirror, they simply see their own soul. When characters head towards the Magical Theater they are also going to find their self-worth, as well as pieces of their personality they did not know they had without the mirrors. Harry loves reflections and tries to use anything he can to help conquer his quest. Many people in Steppenwolf exemplify parts of a mirror that makeup one full piece. Hermine is the most dominant piece. She is there for Harry as his mirror, almost being a replication of himself. As Harry looks in the mirror he often sees two things “so now I had two portraits of myself before me, one a self-portrait in doggerel verse, as sad and sorry as myself; the other painted with the air of a lofty impartiality by one who stood outside and who knew more and yet less of me than I did myself”.
In Conclusion, both of these very interesting novels take you on a journey within one’s mind of knowledge. Siddhartha and Steppenwolf both include spiritual journeys with the common interest of becoming the best version of themself. People in today’s era would most likely take a different approach than the ones Herman Hesse’s characters did but everybody has their own way of expressing themselves. By the end of Siddhartha, both himself and Govinda are reunited and try to share their wisdom as a “holy man”. By the time you end Steppenwolfe, you will as if your mind has just been discovered and make you reflect. Spiritual knowledge as well as self-satisfaction is very important and can do more for you than you think.
