HERMANN HESSE
A Biographical Resemblance
in Siddhartha
Questions and Answers
Question #1
When and where was Hermann
Hesse born?
Answer Q1
• Born July 2, 1877, at Calw (kalf),
Wurttemberg, Germany on the edge
of the Black Forest.
Question #2
Where is the town specifically
located?
Answer Q2
• On the edge of the Black Forest
(Germany)
Question #3
What was the vocation of his
parents and maternal
grandparents?
Answer Q3
• They were Pietist missionaries.
• His grandfather was also a
student of Indian dialect.
*Pietist – German Lutheran
Question #4
What was the name of the school
from which he ran away?
Answer Q4
• The protestant Maulbronn
Seminary from which he ran away
from in 1892.
Question #5
What can we infer is the reason
why he ran away from this
school?
Answer #5
• Perhaps because he did not want
the same career as his parents
Question #6
After leaving school, what were
the two jobs he had?
Answer Q6
• He worked in bookstores as a
young man, but was also an
apprentice in a tower and clock
factory.
Question #7
• What two types of professional
help did he seek?
Answer Q7
• He tried both faith healing and
psychoanalysis.
Question #8
• What was he trying to achieve by
seeking this help?
Answer Q8
• Peace of mind
Question #9
• What specific knowledge did his
visit to India in 1911 give him?
Answer Q9
• His trip provided an
understanding of Eastern
religions
Question #10
Into what did he incorporate his
knowledge from this trip?
Answer Q10
He incorporates them into his
novels, such as Siddhartha
Question #11
• What part did he play in World
War I?
Answer Q11
• He attacked militarism and
nationalism of Germany;
therefore, he was labeled a
“traitor.”
Question #12
• Who did he join?
Answer Q12
• Hesse joined pacifist Roman
Rolland
Question #13
• In what type of activities did he
partake?
Answer Q13
• He became involved in anti-war
activities.
Question #14
What important event took place
in Hesse’s life in 1923?
Answer Q14
• He became a citizen of
Switzerland.
Question #15
• When and how did Hesse die?
Answer Q15
• Died August 9, 1962, from a
cerebral hemorrhage
Question #16
• What was the name of his illness?
• How long did he have it without
knowing?
Answer Q16
• He suffered from Leukemia for 6
years without knowing he had it.
Question #17
Name two themes that Hesse
used repeatedly in his writing.
Answer Q17
• Common themes include identity
and humanity’s role in the world,
or self-realization
Question #18
What are the attitudes or
experiences that Hermann Hesse
has in common with his
protagonist, Siddhartha?
In other words, what are the autobiographical
elements in the novel?
Answer Q18
• Like Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse does not
follow in his parents’ footsteps and makes his
own.
• Both know about Eastern religions
• Both fought for what they believed.
• Both sought peace of mind.
– Siddhartha is an example of Hesse’s common
themes.