Kamala In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha

Kamala referred Siddhartha to the wealthy merchant, Kamaswami, and with his guidance, Siddhartha successfully integrated himself into the society of city-dwellers. He is a sharp, materialistic, and anxious man, prone to anger, and embodies the greed and tiredness of the town. He represents a distraction that postpones Siddhartha's progress toward enlightenment. He, along with Kamala, seduced Siddhartha into Samsara, although Siddhartha felt disdained towards him and his childlike behavior regarding material possessions; he eventually became similar to Kamaswami until he awoke from his idle state. He mentored Siddhartha on how to trade and gamble, but he felt frustrated when Siddhartha’s wisdom and lack of interest in profits detracted from …show more content…
She facilitated his journey through the town of Samsara by finding him work with Kamaswami and teaching him about physical love; she also made him aware of his inability to express real love. She is a symbol of Samsara, characterized by her breathtaking physical beauty, her love of material possession, and her sexual desires. She became pregnant with Siddhartha’s son after he left Samsara. After many years as her beauty faded, she became aware of her own mortality and sought solace from the Buddha’s teachings, thus leaving her life as a courtesan and becoming a follower of Gotama Buddha. She denounced her worldly ways, opened up her garden to Buddha's followers, and deeply cared for her son. Kamala died near the river from a poisonous snakebite while on a pilgrimage to see the dying Buddha. She saw Siddhartha for last time and felt happy that he found his peace, seeing the serenity of Buddha in him. She leaves behind her son as a gift for Siddhartha. Young Siddhartha acts as the final test Siddhartha must pass before reaching enlightenment. Similarly, just as Siddhartha’s own father had to let him go out on his own, Siddhartha must let his son discover the world for himself. Kamala is shown to be a great influence on Siddhartha, both directly and indirectly. She underwent a significant change in life as she aged, gaining a wisdom that her youth did not grant