Abstract
This research paper is an attempt to study “Man’s” search to understand his existence in this
universe and his final destination to reach enlightenment. The world is very complex for human
beings to know fully as it is articulated through language. Western philosophy and history show
that man has created so many realities and senses through languages. Therefore, each reality
seems so expressive and convincing at its own yet it conflicts with other realities. The novel
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse demonstrates various angles of different realities created through
individual experiences and language. He also presents the deconstruction of those ideologies
through individual experience and language which once constructed. In novel Siddhartha, there is
construction, deconstruction and reconstruction of various truths on the one hand and constant
beliefs on the other hand which signifies the journey of East and West respectively. Moreover
Siddhartha’s journey towards enlightenment is Man’s journey from materialism towards
spiritualism. Human beings have become the masters of realities and systems but even though
they are unable to reach the final reality, because they want to describe natural things through
language which is manmade. Moreover, West has reached to Postmodernism whereas most of the
Eastern countries are living in medieval ages. This research explores the ideological differences
between East and West which seem true in their own sense but are quite opposite from each
other. A comparative analysis will be conducted on Hesse’s fictional account Siddhartha to
investigate how Buddha posed as a spiritual sign for the East and how he positions and emerges
as a modern figure for the West.
Rasib Mehmood, Shaheen Khan. (2018) Siddhartha: A Modern Man of Ancient India, South Asian Studies, Volume 33, Issue 1.
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