Siddhartha
Herman Hesse
Plot Line: A story about the search for one's identity and happiness.
Exposition: Siddhartha is unhappy living with his father and decides to leave.
Rising Action: Siddhartha meets several "teachers" along his journey.
Climax: Siddhartha learns to listen to the river.
Falling Action: Vasudeva goes to the forest and dies.
Resolution: Siddhartha teaches Govinda about his enlightenment.
Theme: One must be his/her own teacher in order to fully develop wisdom and knowledge about the world around us.
Hesse develops this theme through the many conflicts Siddhartha experiences during his journey. Siddhartha is not able to find a "teacher" until he realizes that he is his best teacher.
Major characters...
Siddhartha: protagonist
Siddhartha is developed through both direct and indirect characterization.
Govinda: side kick
Govinda, while he may not participate in much of Siddhartha's learnings in the middle of his journey, is an important part of Siddhartha's reaching enlightenment.
Vasudeva: ferryman
Vasudeva was very influential to Siddhartha's search. He encouraged him to listen to himself, without ever directly telling Siddhartha to do so.
Symbolism
The bird in a cage symbolizes Siddhartha's entrapment in samsara, and when Siddhartha finally leaves Kamala, a bird is released. The bird represents Siddhartha's choice between samsara or a life beyond samsara.