“Samsara”, “By the River”, and “The Ferryman” Siddhartha “Samsara”, “By the River”, and “The Ferryman”

Under the Mango Tree “Sadly, Siddhartha went…closed the gates, sat under a mango tree, and felt horror and death in his heart… A shudder passed through his body; he felt as if something had died” (Hesse 82, 84). What is Hesse telling us here? How does this relate to the Four Truths and/or the Eightfold Path?

The Caged Bird Re-read the final paragraph on page 85. How does the bird symbolize Siddhartha? What is his cage? Has this always been his cage?

Love “And at that moment, in that splendid hour, after his wonderful sleep, permeated with Om, how could he help but love someone and something. That was just the magic that had happened to him during his sleep and the Om in him—he loved everything, he was full of joyous love towards everything that he saw. And it seemed to him that was just why he was previously so ill—because he could love nothing and nobody” (94). Where does Siddhartha’s love come from? Did he ever love Kamala?

Lessons of the River “[A] true seeker could not accept any teachings, not if he sincerely wished to find something” (110). Why is Siddhartha able to learn from the river, but not from the great teachers that have, at times, surrounded him?

Siddhartha’s Journey Directions Requirements Create an illustrated track of Siddhartha’s journey throughout the novel This should be more symbolic than map-like Use your path to help show emotion and understanding Utilize your notes on themes, symbols, and Buddhism for help Minimum 10 stops 2-3 sentence explanation of each Minimum 5 quotes Full color, your best artwork Minimum 2 stops per reading assignment Including the final chapters