The river in "Siddhartha" by Herman HesseThe river is a source of knowledge. It symbolizes a teacher, a guru, someone who knows and is aware of this knowledge and who imparts it to those who seek knowledge from it. In Herman Hesse's short story Siddhartha, the protagonist Siddhartha is deeply baffled by the secrets and enigmas of the river. He tries to unravel them and gain knowledge from the river to achieve his goal of attaining nirvana, enlightenment. He is helped on his path by a ferryman Vasudeva, who has lived all his life near the river, carrying people from one bank to another. He also learned a lot from the river. It helps Siddhartha understand the river and, at times, clarifies his doubts. The knowledge of the river is for Siddhartha the last knowledge with which he can reach nirvana. It was the only thing that could help him take the final step towards achieving salvation. When Siddhartha approaches the river for the second time in his life, after having enjoyed all the worldly pleasures of wealth, love, power, he is deeply attracted to it, he is enchanted by it. He says “Love this river, stay close to it……..many secrets, all secrets” on page 166. Siddhartha wants to learn from the river, he wants to listen to it; wants to reveal its secrets. Siddhartha looks to the river as the abundance of knowledge he wishes to seek. He believes that by understanding the knowledge, the secrets of the river, one can know more about other different things, other secrets, all secrets. Knowledge of the river is like a doorway to other types of knowledge. He has already figured out a secret; the river is omnipresent. It flows continuously but it is always there. This statement foreshadows that Sid... middle of paper ...... transmitted all his knowledge to him at that precise moment which transformed Siddhartha from an ordinary man to a spiritual soul. In conclusion, the whole story has a bigger meaning for it is applicable to our world today. The story doesn't ask us to follow Siddhartha's path or spend hours by the river, trying to understand him. The greatest meaning of the story is that to achieve any goal, we are the ones who must take the path. We may or may not accept teachings; we may or may not reject the teachers who are our guides. However, it is our Self that will have to reach its final destination. Our guides, who are experienced, who have walked the path we are about to take, who are full of knowledge and wisdom can impart to us everything they know, but these can only show the way to reach our goal. It is only us who must walk the final path to reach our goal.