Siddhartha: Overcoming Misfortunes Of The Past EssayOn page 132 we read “Everything that was not suffered to the end andfinally concluded, recurred, and the same sorrows were undergone. ” What doesthis mean in regards to Siddhartha and any other of the characters in Hesse’sstory? Do you agree with this statement? Explain.
This quote is taken from the context of when Siddhartha is crossing theriver and he sees his reflection and it looks like his father. This quote refersto a repeating of events. It is illustrated by Brahmin being separated fromSiddhartha and Siddhartha being separated from his own son. This parallels thequote in three ways. Taken literally it identifies the “father-like-son” aspectof the situation.
It can be taken as a metaphor for the endlessness of time aswell. Taken out of context, this quote identifies that anything that is notfollowed or completely worked through will continue to exist and it will repeatitself. Siddhartha left his father, Brahmin, at a young age to join the ascetics. Siddhartha is now considering the pain his father must have gone through notseeing his son again. Siddhartha’s son, too, was separated from his father.
Without dealing with this situation, the distance between father and son wouldnever be reconciled. Thus the situation Siddhartha had with Brahmin would berepeated. The quote can also be interpreted as a metaphor for time. Obviousrecurrences can be noted in time, suggesting that time repeats itself. Insteadof a river, another symbol can be used for time, perhaps a pool.
According tothis quote, things repeat themselves in time. In a pool objects float arounduntil they finally make their way to the outlet. Events swirling around in timewithout reconciliation are “trapped” until they are dealt with. The entire poolmakes up all that time is. All the experiences and thoughts of past, present,and future that have not been dismissed all contribute to the whole of time.
If the quote stood alone, without the context of Siddhartha’sreflections on his father and his son, it would state that anything that isn’tfinished through completion would forever hang in the cloud of time. “Everything that has not suffered to the end. . . ” If something is not carried on tocompletion, it will repeat itself until the initiative is taken to finish it. “.
. . recurred, and the same sorrows were undergone. ” I can identify with thisquote because at time I am prone to over committal. I will devote myself to toomany things and I cannot physically complete them all.
Thus there is always ashadow of stress and incompletion hanging over my head. This quote is especiallyeffective because it deals with the sorrows that are to be endured untilcompletion is pushed through. In summary, I believe that the quote is a motivating factor forSiddhartha to overcome the incomplete misfortunes of his past. When the undealtwith problems of his past are dealt with, he can concentrate on living in thenow and not being controlled by his past. Siddhartha realized that he must moveforward in time, recognizing his past only as contributing factors to what he is.
Siddhartha’s being encompasses more than just his experiences but also how he isprepared to deal with future situations. .
