Recurring Images in Siddartha

In the novel Siddartha, multiple motifs occur. One of the main motif's in the novel includes the needing to be satisfied. Siddartha is a smart and handsome young man but no matter what he does, he is not satisfied with his amount of knowledge. He wants to gain enough knowledge to be enlightened, and satisfied with his life. At one point in his Brahmin life, he questions the teachings of the Brahmin: "He lived a good life, his words were wise; fine and noble thoughts dwelt in his head - but even he, who knew so much, did he live in bliss, was he at peace (Hesse 7)?" Another example of this motif being used in the novel is where Siddartha takes action for his thirst of knowledge, and chooses to become an ascetic, to learn from the Samanas. "' Tommorrow morning, friend, Siddartha is going to join the Samanas. He is going to become a Samana' (Hesse 9)." In the novel, it described Siddartha's leaving home to become an ascetic as something Siddartha was doing to satisfy his own desires.He became a Samana to satisfy his thirst for knowledge. "How many long years had he spent spent without any lofty goal, without any thirst,without any exaltation,content with small pleasures and yet never really satisfied (Hesse 83)!" This quote describes how Siddaratha had wasted so much of his life and had realized that his satisfaction had not been fulfilled. That his why he left his life of riches once again, to try and be satisfied.