Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha: An Open Source Reader
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Chapter 10. The Son

Table of Contents
Ideas of Interest from "The Son"
The Reading Selection from "The Son"
Topics Worth Investigating

Boy, Library of Congress

From the reading…

"…he preferred the suffering and worries of love over happiness and joy without the boy."

Ideas of Interest from "The Son"

  1. Given the son's karma, what will most likely be his path in life? Is his character the architect of his destiny?

  2. In what way is Siddhartha similar to the childlike people?

  3. Siddhartha preferred the sorrow of the love for his son to the happiness without him. Could Siddhartha achieve enlightenment while tending for his son? Can anyone care for something without trying to change it?

  4. How does Siddhartha's unconditional love undermine his son's self-esteem? Is Siddhartha's unhappiness a result of seeking goals for his son or of caring too much for him?

  5. How did Vasudeva presage the loss of the oar?

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Topics Worth InvestigatingUpThe Reading Selection from "The Son"