In writing Siddhartha, the author has used literary techniques of imagery, metaphors and imagery in the use of water, river and symbolic names of characters to communicate certain concepts on spirituality. The name Siddhartha is symbolic. He represents the image of the seeker of enlightenment. Guatma’s Buddha original name before he became enlightened was Siddhartha. The name represents the journey that both men must go through to become enlightened. The Sansara stage of the Hindu life of seeking enlightenment is a stage that has many bodily pleasures that bring evil and suffering. Siddhartha arrives in Sansara where he meets kamala and falls in love. The lady helps him attain great wealth which he squanders with carnal desires. This is a stage that people have to pass through before they become enlightened. There is a night he dreams of kamala’s rare songbird held in a golden cage. He realizes the trapped bird is him. He is in the attractive town of Sansara, held captive by its pleasures however he is trapped and prevented from gaining eternal joy.
He goes to free the bird and finds it dead. He feels remorse feeling he is like the dead bird, he has lost himself. He feels his goodness and purity has gone. He decides to cross the river and leave Sansara. This symbolizes his departure from a life of enjoying worldly pleasures. In Indian philosophy there is always the theme of crossing the ocean of sansara and reaching enlightenment. At the river, Siddhartha falls asleep. He is awakened by his friend, Govinda who is a Buddhist monk who has come to the town to see him.
This aspect of being awakened is symbolic of the act of being reborn. Being awakened symbolizes a child and new birth. The sleeping shows the way the soul passes through purification before illumination. It was necessary for him to learn from his mistakes. “No teacher could have brought him salvation” (Hersse, 1981, pg81) Siddhartha sleeps under a coconut tree which is also symbolic. The great Guatma Buddha also received knowledge of immortality under the coconut tree. The tree is found in several places on the earth showing that anyone can experience this life of enlightenment. The fact that it is Govinda who awakens him is symbolic. Govinda is another name for the Lord Krishna. He is also a disciple of Buddha showing the awakening has deep spiritual implications.
The river acts as his teacher revealing to him there is no such thing as time. He learns only the present exists. Thirdly he learns that all things move in a cycle. He learns to listen to the voices of the river. When kamala dies, he is not remorseful. He has learnt that death is not the end rather it is part of a greater cycle. He says ““In this hour he felt more acutely the indestructibleness of every life, the eternity of every moment” (Hersse, 1981, pg94).
The literary techniques in the House of Spirits and Siddhartha are similar. In the house of spirits, the author uses imagery and metaphors to communicate the importance of spirituality and Clara’s life in the family. The house of spirits is used to symbolize the importance of Clara’s spiritual experiences. This is the house that Esteben constructed for his family. It is always full of
spirits which Clara communicates with. Clara stops focusing on domestic chores choosing to devote herself fully to her spiritual work. Though Esteben is the one who constructs the house it
is Clara who holds it together. “He could hardly guess that the solemn, cubic, dense, pompous
house, which sat like a hat amidst its green and geometric surroundings, would end up full of protuberances and incrustations, of twisted staircases that led to empty spaces, of turrets, or small windows and could not be opened, doors hanging in midair, crooked hallways, and portholes that linked the living quarters so that people could communicate during the siesta, all of which were Clara's inspiration”(Allende, 1994, pg 93) Esteben description of the house foreshadows the way his life with Clara, their children and relatives will be complicated and full of twists as the years progress.
The flowers wilt and die showing that her death shows that a very important person of the family has died. Clara talked to the plants and flowers and they flourished. When the flowers wilt it shows the lack of care for the living things. The other family members lack the time and the gift of caring for people.
There is a difference though in the main character’s pursuit of spirituality. Siddhartha’s spirituality is about seeking for his own enlightenment. It is not about helping people. Siddhartha is on a journey seeking the truth which he achieves after spending time with the starving Samanas, Guatama, the Buddhist.and Kamala, a very beautiful woman. In his spiritual life, he stumbles and is distracted from his path when he spends years at Sansara drowning himself in the pleasures of the earth such as gambling, sex and drinking.
His spiritual life is marked with a lot of uncertainty and doubts. He has an insatiable hunger that is not fulfilled till he meets Vasedava who teaches him to listen to the river. A dream at the river sets him on the right path and he is able to leave Sansara. Clara on the other hand uses her spiritual gift to help others. The book is not about her search for enlightenment or a deep spiritual life, rather throughout the novel we see her helping people through her prophesies and interpretation of dreams. She is able to prepare the people for tough times when she prophesies death in the family and an earthquake. Even when dead, she is able to appear to her family members and help them.
Clara’s spirit appears to Esteben once he is in grief and lost his pride. Later, Alba is abducted by the political police and taken to the rebel leader, Garcia. She is tortured and mistreated till she wants to die. However Clara’s appearance encourages her spirit and gives her the will to move on.
It is not her family alone that is assisted by her powers. When Clara interprets Honoria’s dream that enables him to win eighty pesos through gambling, many people and they come to her to have their dreams interpreted. Clara is able to interpret their dreams and predict deaths and natural disasters in order to help the people.
Siddharha uncertain spiritual life causes him to travel all the time seeking for the truth, however Clara is settled in her spiritual life from the time she is young. She knows her destiny and fate. Her decision to ask Esteben Trueba to marry her is not really out of love but she is
motivated by the knowledge of her own destiny. When it comes to relationships, she is fully confident and even reassures Ferula, her husband’s sister two of them will be like sisters. Ferula is touched and a deep friendship is forged between the two of them. Clara prophesies that she will have twins on her second pregnancy.
There is a common theme in both books in that spirituality is linked to wisdom. Siddhartha recognizes that once he becomes enlightened he will understand life’s mysteries as he will be wise. His perceptions are true since once he is enlightened, death of a loved one does not faze him. He has understood it is not the end but part of the cycle of life.
In the House of Spirits, Clara is gifted in the expression of her spiritual life. Her communication with spirits gives her wisdom and knowledge. Clara is able to predict her own death. She tells her family and they are able to accept her death and bid her farewell. She is able to reassure them that even though she dies she will still be a part of them.
There is also the aspect of the afterlife in both books. After Kamala dies, Siddhartha does not feel great remorse as he has come to understand death is a part of the cycle of life. In the Hindu religion, the people believe in reincarnation so one can back to the earth after death. In the House of spirits, Clara communicates to her family after she dies. Ferula communicates to Clara to bid her farewell after she dies. In both books, the death of a man is not the end.
Works Cited
Allende, Isabella. House of Spirits. UK: Black Swan. 1994. Print
Hersse, Hermann. Siddhartha. New York: Bantam Classics. 1981. Print.
