Siddhartha Reading Guide
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Siddhartha Reading Guide
Page numbers refer to the Dover Thrift Edition, translated by Stanley Appelbaum.
PART ONE
The Son of the Brahman (1-7)
1. What has Siddhartha learned from the Hindu religion on his path to becoming a Brahman like
his father?
2. In Govinda’s description of the “ordinary Brahmans” (2), the author is showing the reader
some of the ways the Brahman caste abused their status, which contributed to the later
emergence of Buddhism. What image of the Brahmans emerges from Govinda’s description?
3. Why does Siddhartha “nurture dissatisfaction within himself” (2)? Why is his spirit like an
“expectant vessel” (3)?
4. Structure: Why, in the center of this chapter, does Siddhartha string together so many rhetorical
questions?
5. How are the samanas described (5)?
6. How did Siddhartha convince his father? Why didn’t he just go?
With the Samanas (7-14)
7. How does Siddhartha change when he is with the samanas?
8. What is his goal? What happens when he reaches that goal?
9. Structure: When Siddhartha meditates on the animals, what does the author do to show the
change (8)?
10. Siddhartha learns many things from the samanas and becomes a successful practitioner of their
techniques. But he is still not satisfied. What frustrates Siddhartha (9)?
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Siddhartha Reading Guide
11. Just like Siddhartha did with the Brahmans, he looks at the elder samana and realizes what?
(10)
12. What are Siddhartha’s beliefs about learning and knowledge (11)?
13. Who is Gotama? What does Siddhartha think of him?
14. What does Siddhartha do with the oldest samana? What does that feat show?
Gotama (14-20)
15. Govinda initially observes that the Buddha, dressed in a yellow robe, “seemed to differ in no
way from the hundreds of other monks” (15). However, upon further observation, Govinda and
Siddhartha realize the Buddha is strikingly different from anyone they have ever seen before.
What do they see in the Buddha?
16. What are the key features of the Buddhist doctrine (16)?
17. When Siddhartha speaks with Gotama, he points out a flaw in his Buddhist doctrine. What is
it (18-19)?
18. Why does Govinda choose to join the Buddha? Why doesn’t Siddhartha? How do their
different decisions reflect their personalities?
19. Although Siddhartha decides not to become a follower of the Buddha, the Buddha shows him
something that he didn’t see amongst the Brahmans and samanas. What is it?
20. According to Siddhartha, how will he find enlightenment?
21. What has the Buddha robbed from Siddhartha? What has he given Siddhartha?
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Siddhartha Reading Guide
Awakening (20-23)
22. What does Siddhartha decide to study? How is that the one field he has been ignorant in?
23. How does he see the world differently now?
24. Siddhartha compares himself to a star (23). Explain the simile.
PART TWO
Kamala (25-34)
25. What does Siddhartha now think is important to “obey” (26)? Why?
26. Siddhartha’s dream (27) reflects the transition he is going through. What does he feel guilty
about? What does the dream foreshadow about the new life he is headed towards?
27. Why do you think Hesse has Siddhartha reject the first woman (28) only to pursue Kamala?
28. What does Siddhartha’s physical transformation (29) signify?
29. What does Kamala first teach Siddhartha about love (31)?
30. What are the first three things Siddhartha says he can do? After further questioning by Kamala,
what other skills does he reveal he has?
31. How does Siddhartha change when he is around Kamala, compared to how he was before?
32. Who is Kamaswami? What does his name mean? (see the glossary at the beginning of the
book).
33. Siddhartha and Kamala have differing opinions on the source of his success. What are they?
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Siddhartha Reading Guide
With the Child-People (34-40)
34. How does Siddhartha take control of the interview? For all of his holy skills, in the end, why
does Kamaswami hire him?
35. What makes Siddhartha good at business? Why might he be an excellent partner for
Kamaswami?
36. What does his four day trip to the village show about Siddhartha? How could that be good
business?
37. What does Siddhartha’s inner voice say? How is life passing by him? (39)
38. Explain Siddhartha’s comparison analogy of the “falling leaves” and “stars” (39-40).
39. How are Siddhartha and Kamala similar to each other and different from the child-people?
Samsara (40-46)
40. What does the chapter title mean? (see the glossary at the beginning of the book)
41. How has Siddhartha become like the child-people?
42. How is he still different from the child-people?
43. Why does Siddhartha gamble so recklessly? What is he trying to prove?
44. What are the signs that Kamala is growing older and changing focus?
45. What is the significance of his dream about Kamala’s songbird? How does this dream serve as
a warning? (44)
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Siddhartha Reading Guide
By the River (46-54)
46. Why does Siddhartha wish to kill himself?
47. What sound does he hear? How does this sound save him?
48. How is he different when he wakes up?
49. Who is sitting with him when he awakes? What does Siddhartha start lecturing his friend
about?
50. Siddhartha is quite reflective in this chapter. Summarize the main things he realizes.
51. What does the river symbolize in this chapter?
The Ferryman (54-63)
52. Describe Vasudeva.
53. What does Siddhartha learn from the river?
54. What does Siddhartha learn from Kamala’s death (62)?
The Son (63-69)
55. Describe the relationship between Siddhartha and his son.
56. Summarize Vasudeva’s advice to Siddhartha in his “long speech” (65).
57. What does Siddhartha learn about love from his relationship with his son?
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Siddhartha Reading Guide
Om (69-74)
58. What “wound” does Siddhartha have?
59. As a result of his wound, how does he see people differently now?
60. What does the river do when Siddhartha goes to see his son? Whose reflection does he see?
61. Siddhartha and Vasudeva listen very, very closely to the river. What do they hear? Why is
everything interconnected?
62. Where does Vasudeva go? (Not just the woods)
63. Although there is one more chapter left to go, the ultimate realization has come in this one.
What is it?
Govinda (74-81)
64. Why is there still restlessness in Govinda’s heart?
65. What is wrong with seeking, according to Siddhartha?
66. Why doesn’t Siddhartha have a doctrine? How can wisdom not be communicable?
67. What is the symbolism of the stone?
68. How can nirvana and samsara be the same?
69. What does Govinda see Siddhartha do? What does this show about Siddhartha’s final change?
Review:
70. Summarize Siddhartha’s beliefs about learning and knowledge.
71. Why is each phase of Siddhartha’s journey important?
72. List all of Siddhartha’s teachers and what he learns from each.
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