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The novel is set six centuries before the birth of Christ, in ancient India at the time of Gotama the Buddha, whose Eightfold Path guides the faithful toward Nirvana. Siddhartha is a young Brahmin, handsome and learned, with the potential to be a prince among his caste members.
When the Samanas’ practices render Siddhartha “just as far removed from wisdom…as a child in in the mother’s womb,” he and Govinda set out to find Gotama, the Buddha. This move begins the novel’s rising action and furthers Siddhartha’s understanding of what achieving enlightenment truly means.
Siddhartha, the handsome and respected son of a Brahmin, lives with his father in ancient India. Everyone in the village expects Siddhartha to be a successful Brahmin like his father. Siddhartha enjoys a near-idyllic existence with his best friend, Govinda, but he is secretly dissatisfied.
Get all the key plot points of Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha on one page. From the creators of SparkNotes.
Siddhartha study guide contains a biography of Hermann Hesse, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
Need help with Part One, Chapter 4 – Awakening in Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha? Check out our revolutionary side-by-side summary and analysis.
Overview. Siddhartha, written by Hermann Hesse and first published in German in 1922, is a work of philosophical fiction. The book is based closely on the teachings of the spiritual leader Gautama Buddha who lived in present day Nepal or Northern India in the 4th or 5th century BCE.
