This year I'm reading the Dover Thrift Editions translated by Stanley Appelbaum, but most of my quotes are copied and pasted from the Standard Ebook, click here to read it free online.
Meaning of Characters' NamesCaged Bird
"She held a rare singing bird captive in a golden cage. She opened the door of the cage, took the bird out and let it fly."
"She held a rare singing bird captive in a golden cage. She opened the door of the cage, took the bird out and let it fly."
I feel very bad for this rare song bird. Has it ever found its own food? Has it ever evaded other predators? Would it last a single day, a single hour, in the wild?
But Siddhartha wasn't a caged bird. He was taught to read and write. He studied the Vedas. He practiced meditation. He learned to think, fast, and wait. Siddhartha choose his captivity in society. He wanted to experience life. He wanted to learn about himself. He did.
Bipolar
Would Siddhartha be diagnosed with bipolar in the 21st century? If we sum the up the chapters, Siddhartha has severe mood swings.
Ch 1- depressed
Ch 2- depressed
Ch 3- indifference and skepticism, then admiration and motivation
Ch 4- mania, awakened
Ch 5- motivated,
Ch 6- successful, then envious and indifferent
Ch 7- super depressed, extreme thrill seeking
I don't really think Siddhartha is bipolar. The basic structures of stories almost demand these ups and downs. But by chapter 7, "Sansara," Siddhartha is practically an addict. Addicted to high stakes gambling, addicted to extreme behaviors. Siddhartha has traded in one extreme for another.
Part I
Day 1, 20 Dec- Chapter 1: "The Son of the Brahmin"
Day 2, 21 Dec- Chapter 2: "With the Samanas"
Day 3, 22 Dec- Chapter 3: "Gotama"
Day 4, 23 Dec- Chapter 4: "Awakening"
Part II
Day 5, 24 Dec- Chapter 5: "Kamala"
Day 6, 25 Dec- Chapter 6: "With the Childlike People"
Day 7, 26 Dec- Chapter 7: "Sansara"
Day 8, 27 Dec- Chapter 8: "By the River"
Day 9, 28 Dec- Chapter 9: "The Ferryman"
Day 10, 29 Dec- Chapter 10: "The Son"
Day 11, 30 Dec- Chapter 11: "Om"
Day 12, 31 Dec- Chapter 12: "Govinda"
I sat under a tree the way Siddhartha sits under his tree in his own pleasure garden. He exited, stage left, from his temporary experience seeking to become a lover and know the world of the childish men. And, most of all, he stopped mocking or judging those who enjoyed normal life: They are able to love in a way he and Kamala just cannot. Neither good nor bad. Just is.
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