Siddhartha
Siddhartha is a man who was born as the son of a Brahmin. Acheiving
spiritual enlightenment, or Nirvana, is the most important thing to him. He his intelligent
and can learn the ways of many in order to obtain enlightenment; however, he finds flaws in all of the ways
he tries. While he is loved by many, such as his best friend Govinda and his lover Kamala, the lives of the Brahmins,
the Samanas, Gotama, and lastly, the world, do not satisfy Siddhartha. He decides what he needs cannot be taught
to him by another man, he must find it himself. His spiritual journey when he achieves Nirvana after listening to the
river. He finally finds what he has been searching for his entire life inside himself.
Govinda
Govinda is the best friend of Siddhartha, also in search for spiritual enlightenment. He grows
up with Siddhartha learning the Brahmin heritage, and accompanies Siddhartha when he joins the Samanas. It is Govinda that
suggests to go and listen to Gotama, the Buddha. After listening to Gotama, Govinda decides to join Gotama and become
a monk. He spends his entire life following the ways of others, not searching for his enlightenment for himself. After
years of following the ways of the Buddha, Govinda still had not obtained Nirvana. He eventually receives it from his
beloved friend, Siddhartha, though he never found it for himself.
Vasudeva
Vasudeva is a ferryman on a river. He serves as a mentor and
friend to Siddhartha during his search for enlightenment. Siddhartha is drawn to Vasudeva because of the inner-peace that
is radiating from him. He envies what the ferryman has and wishes to have for himself. The humble Vasudeva allows Siddhartha
to come and live with him. While working together, he calmly tells Siddhartha to listen to the river for the answers
to his questions.
Conflicts Between Characters
Siddhartha argues with many of the other characters in the novel. Not because he
does not like them, but because finds flaws in their ways of obtaining spiritual enlightenment. He argues with the leader
of the Samanas when he is leaving them and he also confronts Gotama with a fact that he found wrong in his teachings.
Most of the conflicts in the novel, however, are internal. Siddhartha wrestles with himself and his search for spiritual
enlightment. He is unhappy with himself and life until he obtains Nirvana.
