Sid Archetypes Essay

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Archetypes in Siddhartha The first of the archetypes that appear in Siddhartha would be the platonic idea. The platonic idea plays as Siddhartha and Kamala’s relationship. Siddhartha’s relationship with Kamala is not a physical attraction, but an intellectual relation of his need to learn how to love. Siddhartha cannot achieve his goal of enlightenment without learning the art of love. Kamala does share a physical attraction with Siddhartha but she falls in love with him and will give birth to his child. Siddhartha receives a big part of his enlightenment from being with Kamala and seeing her again after a couple years. The next archetype is the river. The river is life, time, and a path to enlightenment. Siddhartha comes to the river a number of times, crossing it with Gondama’s group of followers, he falls asleep by the river as it was the only peaceful place he came across, and when he decides to follow as the ferryman’s apprentice. Siddhartha studies the river for a few years learning the answers to each question he asks. The river is the last step of Siddhartha’s full quest of enlightenment. His reward of studying the river is an intuitive understanding of its divine essence. By learning this he achieves his full enlightenment. The last archetype is the smile. The smile is a presentation of happiness, joy, peace, well-being, and serenity. The smile in Siddhartha is only shown by those whom have been enlightened. Siddhartha sees the smile only in Gotama and Vasudeva, which impressed him greatly with their sense of peace and perfect soul which he is searching for. Siddhartha only shows his smile of enlightenment at the end of the novel while speaking to his friend
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