1. The Siddhartha Unit

2. The Plot and Themes of Siddhartha

3. The Genesis of Siddartha
Herman Hesse grows up in a religious Catholic family, but learns to reject everything he has been taught in the past.
In 1911 has an opportunity to visit India.
Finds that he shares with Siddartha Guatama (the man who would become the Buddha’s) love of learning by experience.

4. Siddartha – the plot
A young Indian prince rejects his wealth and lives the life of a peasant to experience the pain of life.
He is joined by his friend Govinda who accepts what is given to him in life.
Siddartha, on the other hand, always questions what he is taught.
He eventually searches for the “Buddha” to learn how to reach “enlightenment.”

5. Themes in the novel
The Path to Enlightenment: Can Siddhartha find harmony in the world and within himself?
Classroom vs. Experience: Does one learn by being told of by doing?
The pursuit of life: Can one find one’s path or will the path find him?

6. As we read the novel Siddhartha please consider the following essential questions:
What is the difference between learning in school and learning in life?
What does it mean to be an adult?
How does one form one’s identity?
What constitutes one’s belief?