Siddhartha
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Siddhartha Chapter 8 Summary
- Siddhartha heads for the forest, determined never to go back to his life of wealth.
- He is depressed.
- He wanders.
- He is depressed.
- Siddhartha approaches the same river where he met the ferryman years before.
- In utter despair he clings to a coconut tree along the bank. He dreams about dropping and submerging himself into the water. He sees the water as mirroring the emptiness within him.
- About to slip into the water, the word "Om" emanates from his soul.
- Siddhartha realizes that destroying his body will not end his suffering, and he sits down. Thoroughly exhausted, he falls asleep.
- Siddhartha wakes up with a sense of rebirth and repeats Om to himself over and over.
- Behind him, Siddhartha notices a monk in yellow robe.
- It’s Govinda!
- Govinda has not recognized Siddhartha but merely sat by him while he slept in order to protect him from snakes.
- Siddhartha’s like, "dude, it’s me," and Govinda’s like, "dude, what’s with the rich man outfit?"
- Siddhartha explains he has left the world of wealth and is now on a pilgrimage. Govinda leaves to get back to being a monk.
- Siddhartha forces himself to think. He has no possessions, and so feels joyful and childlike.
- Siddhartha finds himself amused at the course his life has taken and sees his life’s path reflected in the flow of the river.
- Siddhartha concludes that in order to return to himself, he has had to experience profound sorrow.
- He realizes that life as a Samana fueled his intellectual growth and arrogance, allowing him to thrive rather than to perish.
- Siddhartha remains entranced by the beauty and flow of the river.
