Essay | Life is Meaningless: The Existentialism of Herman Hesse in "Siddhartha"

Herman Hesse's "Siddhartha" is an example of the author's view of philosophy, religion, and life. Hesse believed that one should not spend their life seeking enlightenment because it is a waste of time. 'Enlightenment' is the state in which the individual transcends desire and suffering because they are content with themselves. A person who is enlightened will have wisdom and a universal understanding of life. "When all the Self was conquered and dead, when all passions and desires were silent, then the last must awaken, the innermost of Being that is no longer Self - the great secret!" (Siddhartha 11) Through the idea of enlightenment, the novel substantiates the idea of individualism. Individualism is the philosophy that not everybody can be satisfied by the same way of life. Everybody is their own individual and each person has a different way to reach enlightenment....
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