Siddhartha's Poetic Journey
Poems are often used to express things such as feelings in a different way than stories. They express it through imagery, metaphors, and other types of literary devices. Poems can be complicated or simple. The best subtitle for Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha is "A Poem Of Penetrating Psychological Depth" because of its use of metaphors, imagery, and symbolism that emphasize Siddhartha's journey throughout his life.
One of the metaphors used in Siddhartha is when Siddhartha talks about being a stone in a river. "When you throw a stone into the river, it finds the quickest way to the bottom of the river.. It is the same with Siddhartha." (page 60) Siddhartha is comparing himself to a stone in the water. He is saying that like a stone, he will do nothing and find the quickest way to his goal.
There are many examples of imagery in the book, like when Siddhartha talks about walking in the grove. "Wandering along the rosy paths...in the bluish shade of the grove.." (page 60) Siddhartha is talking about how he would walk in the palace gardens. One could almost see what he is talking about.
One of the examples of symbolism is Kamala's songbird. "Kamala kept a small rare songbird in a small golden cage..he went up to the cage and looked inside. The little bird was dead and lay still on the floor." (page 82) The songbird represents Siddhartha's spiritual life. It is dying because of his worldly life.
"A Poem Of Penetrating Psychological Depth" is the best name for Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha because it has many poetic aspects. It is similar to a poem. Poems are full of literary devices and hidden meanings, and usually have a goal at the end. In the end, the goal was reached.
