Siddhartha’s Many Motifs

        There are many motifs that occur in Siddhartha, but none other motifs are as important as the motifs of the ferryman and the river, the bird in the golden cage, and the reoccurrence of Om. On page 88, it states, “A chilly emptiness in the water reflected the terrible emptiness in his soul.” This represents cleansing of the soul from the river and how it represents the creation of a new p.  son (not literally but more spiritually). This was placed in here because during this scene in the book, Siddhartha is overcoming a realization of what he has become and how he would like to return to his former self which is why the river is there; to represent a recreation of the old Siddhartha. Another reoccurring motif is the bird in the golden cage. “This bird which usually sang in the morning became mute, and as this surprised him, he went up to the cage and looked inside. The little bird was dead…” page 82. This motif represents change not only in the environment, but also in Siddhartha’s character which he soon realizes which occurred in the above motif. The last major motif is Om. ”Softly he said the word Om to himself, over which he had fallen asleep and it seemed to him as if his whole sleep had been a long deep pronouncing of Om, thinking of Om, an emersion and penetration into Om, into the nameless into the divine.” page 90. This motif represents a goal for Siddhartha which is what keeps him going, because he wishes to achieve Om which is also what got him out of his slump when he was feeling nauseous when he recognized the changes he had faced.