After reading the first twenty pages of Siddhartha many things passed through my mind. I had connections and predictions. I had many connections to my personal life which really amazed me. So far I thought the book was interesting due to similarities that this iconic man has with many of young men and women who look for their own path in life. I believe this book can teach people to seek their own path and their own independence.
Some of the predictions came up right after the first page of the book. We can infer that Siddhartha will experience many obstacles during his life because it talks about the shadows that pass through his eyes. We can infer the shadows symbolize the obstacles as this part of the text states: "Shadows passed across his eyes in the mango grove during the play..." Another prediction that arises was the importance of Siddhartha's best friend Govinda. This character appeared in the first page of the book. We can infer that he will play a key role during Gautama's life.
After reading page six, I saw that Siddhartha was a determined man which knew the path he wanted to take. He wanted to become a Samana. Though of course, his parents obviously came across this decision. Their opinion was very important and could change the path he wanted to take. But is really impressive how he insisted and didn't let anyone change his mind. This part of the text shows insistent he was: "As an hour passed by and he could not sleep, the Brahmin rose.... He looked through the small window of the room and saw Siddhartha standing there with his arms crossed..." This connects so much with my personal experience. I want to be an actor when I grow up, but my parents and others try to break my dream apart with their comments and opinions. But I have learned to ignore them. I really want to do this as a profession and I will keep on insisting no matter what it takes. Another connection I had was with the situation of many of my friends. They want to do something in their life, but their parents won't let them. I believe that we as individuals should follow the example of Siddhartha. He fought for what he wanted and he insisted until he got it. His parents allowed him to become a Samana, and I believe parents should NOT interfere with their child's decision on what to do with their life. I think it is good for them to give advice, but not to deny, discourage, or to prohibit any career their son or daughter wants. I have many friends that have parents that prohibited the career they wanted which just makes me angry and sad for them. They had to choose something "worth doing" according to their parents.
This first twenty pages definitely made me think about my life and of my friends. I hope the book continues to be as exciting and so related to things in my life. I am looking forward to read the next section of the book to continue the exciting journey of Siddhartha's life.
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