2. What kept me reading past the first 10 pages was my deep affection for the instantaneous introduction of inward moral questioning that the author causes the reader to contemplate. The novel left me curious and knowledge hungry, making me want to continue reading so that I might receive an answer to the questions.
3. My reading habits could best be described using the words "all in one sitting." If I pick up a novel, especially one I enjoy, I will almost always attempt to finish it all in one sitting. or in one day at least.
4. The plot of Siddhartha can best be described as man vs. himself. As Siddhartha journeys, he attempts to achieve enlightenment through experiencing different aspects of the world and life. But as he progresses, he realizes that time is passing him quickly and that he may never achieve Nirvana. He loses himself to worldly values, until his days of searching for enlightenment become nothing but a shadow of the past. Upon realizing his moral error, he loses hope and attempts to end his life, but it is in these potentially final moments of his life that he is filled with clarity, and the hope of achieving Nirvana is revived within him once more.
5. The theme of Siddhartha as I took it was, "In the end, only you are capable of leading yourself down the right path, and in the moments when all seems lost, you will find all the things that are still left, and those will become the most important aspects in helping you continue your journey."
6. The tone of the story is one that can be described as pessimistically curious. "If you only remembered the other thing as well, you've heard from me, is that I have grown tired and distrustful of teachings and learning, and my faith in words, which are to us by teachers, is small."
"But let's do it, my dear, I am willing to listen to these teachings - though in my heart I believe that we've already tasted the best fruit of these teachings."
"....These are your teachings of overcoming the world, of salvation. But with this small gap, with this small breach, the entire eternal and uniform law of the world is breaking apart again and becomes void."
7. Some literary elements that I noticed were the overall purpose of the story serving a somewhat allegorical agenda. There were many religious allusions that gave the story enough religious undertones to be considered allegorical, such as numerous references to Hindu gods and the idea of Nirvana. The mood and tone went hand in hand, although the authors attitude the characters is mainly unbiased and left most of the feeling to be created by the mood. Since the story is told from a third person limited perspective, the only insight we gain on characters is from Siddhartha's mood towards them. There are multiple instances when short-term foreshadowing is utilized, particularly when Siddhartha is experiencing his moral decline and each bad thing led to another with heavier consequences. Towards the end of the novel, there are moments of vivid imagery, which really catches the reader's attention and gives the novel's final moments heightened meaning. Symbolism is consistent throughout the story, with one of my favorite examples being the symbolism of the river and how it consisted of a million voices that were indistinguishable yet all unique. The theme is incorporated multiple times in the dialogue of Siddhartha, who touches upon concepts I mentioned earlier in the "theme" section.
8. The author utilizes direct characterization when introducing characters such as Siddhartha and Kamala. In the beginning of the novel, the author paints a beautiful picture of Siddhartha in the reader's minds by describing his fine features by telling us how many people admired him for this specific reason. Kamala is introduced to us by a description of her beauty as described through the eyes of Siddhartha. When characters are introduced this way, we gain a sense of how they are perceived by others, but yet we are left curious as to what their true character is. Characters who are indirectly introduced include Buddha, the exalted one. We learn of Buddha's character through tales of his actions and his fame that is spread throughout the land. Another example is Siddhartha's father, who we learn about through his personality and conflicts with Siddhartha.
9. The author's diction/syntax does not change particularly for any specific character, but rather the writing style takes on a different form when character dialogue takes place. The story is usually told in detailed accounts through the eyes and thought of Siddhartha, but when characters speak, the language used becomes more poetic in a way.
10. The character is definitely dynamic. The whole purpose of the story is to explain the life changing journey a young man takes in an effort to become a better and more enlightened soul then he was before.
11. I completely identified with Siddhartha and his want to become spiritually enlightened. I saw many of his views reflected in my own opinions of the world and the way I aim to live my life. Even though many of the ideas expressed in the story are very similar to my own, I've never read a story and felt like I had gained so much in doing so.
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