The River of Enlightenment

Motif, the recurring image, symbol, or idea in a work of literature. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse is filled with numerous motifs, one of the largest motifs within the text of Siddhartha is the river. Siddhartha, on the way to the town met a ferryman who spoke of the river, "... it is a very beautiful river. I love it above everything... I have always learned something from it. One can learn much from a river," (Hesse 49). In this scene, Siddhartha first encounters the ferryman and the river and the ferryman describes his adoration for the river, as it has brought him inner peace. Later in the novel, Siddhartha wanders from the city, ridden with sorrow and despair and comes across the river. "Siddhartha reached the long river in the wood... He stopped at this river and stood hesitantly on the bank. Why should he go any further?" (Hesse 88). Siddhartha contemplates suicide but the river touches his spirit and he hears Om. Siddhartha stays by the river with the ferryman, "How he loved this river, how it enchanted him, how grateful he was to it," (Hesse 101). The river teaches Siddhartha a number of things and through it he reaches enlightenment. The river makes a constant reappearance throughout the text as it symbolizes the stages in which Siddhartha goes through to reach enlightenment.