Archetypes In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha

One of the most obvious archetypes that stood out is Siddhartha representing as The Shadow. According to Jung’s Archetypes, The Shadow is characterized as one who is evolved in the darkness, shadowy and unknown and it also says that “the shadow thus tends not to obey rules.” In the novel, Siddhartha goes upon a quest to seek enlightenment. Although he and his best friend, Govinda leave together and follows the Samanas, which is a group where their way of life is believing to finding enlightenment through thy Self, Siddhartha and Govinda part ways in the end because they both had different goals to their lives. Siddhartha is represented as The Shadow because he is a loner and outcast due to his individual thought. And because of the way Hesse …show more content…
Water represents as a sign of cleanliness and purity and it is an archetype called The Earth Mother. The Earth Mother symbolizes nature. The river in Siddhartha represents as a path of enlightenment and a sign of rebirth and a new beginning. Hesse uses the river as an important symbol to the story and towards Siddhartha. It influenced Siddhartha during his journey to enlightenment and throughout his life. Although Siddhartha had faced many situations and changes, the river remained flowing and signifies as Siddhartha’s understanding of life. This is very important because during Siddhartha’s quest, the ferryman, a guide to both Siddhartha and a path to enlightenment, was the one who was teaching Siddhartha along his journey. However, towards the end, the river represented as Siddhartha’s final instructor to his life. Also, in the beginning, Siddhartha had wanted to drown himself in the river, however he had fallen into a deep sleep. He then wakes up feeling happy and widely awake next to the river, where he believes had given him another opportunity to enjoy his life. The river had many parts to the story and Hesse uses significant details to refer to the symbolism of the