Very thought-provoking

[Lenore]

Siddhartha was a very thought-provoking book. It made me really think about the meaning of life, and what to search for in it. Siddhartha’s journey encompassed many aspects of life, and gave me different things to think about in each one. The book was a simple read, with very complex ideas. The idea of finding an inner peace through nature, symbolized by the river, and the acceptance of life’s suffering, was very interesting. <br> I liked the main theme that wisdom is incommunicable. That is a very interesting thought considering this whole book is obviously made up of words. Because wisdom is incommunicable, Siddhartha felt the need to journey on his own to find the path to enlightenment. He was waylaid on his journey for quite some time, finding a temporary respite in wealth and pleasures of the flesh. This sojourn, however, only heightened the power of his future awareness of the real path to enlightenment. I really liked the idea that the voices of all people can be heard in the river. This means that everyone together makes up ultimate peace. I also liked how the river would laugh a lot, and tell Siddhartha not to take life so seriously. <br> While this book does provide answers, it also encourages the reader to take matters into his/her own hands. Just as Siddhartha found his own path to enlightenment, so must the reader achieve his/her own inner peace. I think Herman Hesse’s real objective was not to provide answers to immense questions like the meaning of life, but to provide a starting point for the reader’s own personal journey. For me, at least, this book really made me think about what it is to find oneself, and how to find inner peace while dealing with a world that seems to only keep spinning faster. <br>