Seduced by the World of Greed: Siddhartha’s Divergence on the Path to Enlightenment
Prompt 3: Examine Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha as a hero's journey narrative. Try to focus on one scene in the book/step in the hero's journey, and reflect on how Joseph Campbell's monomyth encourages us to understand that moment in the narrative.
In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha, the temptation stage of Joseph Campbell's hero's journey aligns with Siddhartha's time in the material world, specifically his time with Kamala. As we learned in class, the temptation stage of Campbell's hero's journey includes our hero being set astray from the path they are trying to take by a figure that resembles a physical or pleasurable nature. In Siddhartha, Kamala is interpreted as the figure of sexual pleasure and temptation that leads Siddhartha astray.
Our hero, Siddhartha, has been on the journey of enlightenment and previously ditched material greed, leading a life of selflessness. He has begged for food when necessary and only wears minimal robes, showing that he has left behind the need for material possessions. When Siddhartha saw Kamala for the first time, he “saw how beautiful she was, and his heart rejoiced. He bowed deeply, when the sedan-chair came closer, and straightening up again, he looked at the fair, charming face” (Hesse 46). This shows how his first encounter with Kamala drew him away from his spiritual path by introducing him to a world of lust. Later, he succumbs to this impure, adulterated greed by requesting Kamala’s help in learning to love, saying, “Thank you for being so beautiful. And if it doesn’t displease you, Kamala, I would like to ask you to be my friend and teacher, for I know nothing yet of that art which you have mastered in the highest degree ” (Hesse 47).
In addition to the world of lust, Kamala introduces Siddhartha to the world of material distraction. As I mentioned earlier, Siddhartha has practiced letting go of the necessity to have material possessions. Once he meets Kamala, he starts to participate in business, trade, and commodities, often wearing expensive clothing and grooming himself to impress Kamala. When Siddhartha asks Kamala if he satisfies her as he is, she responds, “No, my dear one, he doesn’t satisfy me yet. Clothes are what he must have pretty clothes, and shoes, pretty shoes, and lots of money in his pouch, and gifts for Kamala” (Hesse 48). Here, we can see Kamala actively instructing Siddhartha to stray from the spiritual path he must take by telling him to wear more expensive clothing, to buy her many gifts, and to be wealthy, to which he enthusiastically agrees. To get this wealth, Siddhartha goes to Kamaswami to learn the methods of business and trade to provide for Kamala. Again, this is an example of Siddhartha straying from the path he needs to take. Business, trade, and wealth are all ideas of the material world, which is centered around greed. He must overcome this greed to reach enlightenment.
In conclusion, Kamala represents the temptress stage in Campbell’s Hero’s Journey in Hesse’s Siddhartha. Throughout the chapters, when the reader is aware that our hero, Siddhartha, is being led astray, we feel the urge to be wary and hope that Siddhartha will realize his mistakes. The temptress stage pushes readers to warn the hero of walking down the wrong path, and the temptation stage in Siddhartha is no exception. We feel a sense of relief when Siddhartha finally realizes his mistakes and resumes his journey to reaching enlightenment in the chapter “Sansara.”
Aiden, this is an interesting analysis of the temptress step in Siddhartha. I agree that the effect of Kamala is substantial on Siddhartha's initially chosen path, and it is clear that, in some sense, Siddhartha is innately tempted by her. However, I personally think that in the context of the whole plot, Kamala doesn't serve as a temptation that necessarily lures Siddhartha "down the wrong path," as you state--after all, we learn that in fact, all of Siddhartha's experiences were necessary to achieve enlightenment, and Kamala is no exception. In that sense, the temptation from Kamala may not have been temptation of the temptress but a necessarily portion of the true path.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jonathan. You state in your article that Kamala was a bad experience and that (based on your article) Siddhartha could have avoided Kamala and still reached enlightenment. However this flat out isn't true. Siddhartha needed to forget his teachings and cleanse his arrogance in order to start fresh, which he learned by being consumed with greed. In addition, Siddhartha would have never realized the pain his father endured if he hadn't experienced the same thing with his own son. This is a good article but I think you need to dive a little deeper into the surrounding context.
DeleteI thought that your analysis of the 'woman as temptress' step was interesting. While I do believe that Kamala did play the role of the temptress, I also believe that she plays the role of the Goddess in this story. It is true that Siddhartha seems to deviate from his orginal journey when he meets Kamala. However, Kamala does provide Siddhartha with the resources that he needs to fullfill his journey. So in a sense, I do agree with you that Kamala does play the temptress role but I also think that there is a reason why she played that role in Siddhartha's journey.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis of this stage is insightful. I find it interesting that you portrayed Kamala as a mistake made by Siddhartha in his journey. I do agree that Kamala introduced Siddhartha to lust and materialistic desires, however, I do think she was a crucial and necessary part of his journey. I like how you set up your blog by describing how Siddhartha gave up all worldly possession at the start of his spiritual journey. This is a key detail to understanding the chapters where he falls into desire and greed. Overall, great job Aiden!
ReplyDeleteAiden, I agree with your analysis on Kamala being the temptress. Siddhartha's goal in life from the beginning was to achieve Nirvana. When Kamala is introduced, he takes his focus off of that goal and seeks material goods instead to please her. While I agree she took him off his path, he needed to experience these sins so he could grow and become wiser in his everyday life. Great work!
ReplyDeleteWhile Kamala does undoubtedly play the role of temptress in Siddhartha's hero's journey, her role is much more complicated than that of a traditional temptress. Although Kamala initiates the materialistic, lustful phase of Siddhartha's journey, that phase proves to be invaluable for achieving enlightenment. The culmination of Siddhartha's relationship with Kamala is the birth of his son. Without his son, Siddhartha would never have recognized his son as a past version of himself and Vasudeva as a future version himself (and subsequently would never have reached his ultimate boon). In this way, Kamala simultaneously serves as a temptress and goddess.
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