Dreams of Knowledge

               A motif that occurs throughout Siddhartha is Siddhartha having dreams that relate to Kamala which lead him to the next event that happens in his life. The vivid dreams he has, makes the reader question whether he has achieved Nirvana because of him knowing ahead of life through sleep. “He dreamt that Govinda stood before him, in the yellow robe of the ascetic. Govinda looked sad and asked him, ‘Why did you leave me?’ Thereupon he embraced Govinda, out his arm round him, and as he drew him to his breast and kissed him, he was Govinda no longer, but a woman” (Hesse 48.) This dream is telling the next step of Siddhartha’s life. After he leaves his friend of youth, Govinda, meets Kamala, a woman who becomes his new closest friend. “Then a dream once reminded him. He has been with Kamala in the evening, in her lovely pleasure garden. They sat under a tree talking. Kamala was speaking seriously, and grief and weariness were concealed behind her words. She asked him to tell her about Gotama,” (Hesse 80.) During this dream, Siddhartha was telling Kamala about Gotama and she seemed interested to one day become a follower of him. This is what Siddhartha does again by leaving the riches and wealth he had to become happy again. “During that time he had a dream. Kamala kept a small rare songbird in small golden cage. It was about this bird that he dreamt. This bird, which usually sand in the morning, became mute, and as this surprised him, he went up to the cage and looked inside. The bird was dead and lay stiff on the floor. He took it out, held it a moment in his hand and then threw it away on the road, and at the same moment he was horrified and his heart ached as if he had thrown away with this dead bird all that was good and of value in himself.” (Hesse 82) When Siddhartha leaves his wealth, Kamala sets the bird free and it dies. This motif symbolizes Siddhartha’s knowledge from what he has previously learned, and what he will soon learn.