The significance of the River as a symbol in Siddhartha
             What does it mean to say that the river "Has a voice?" In Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, the author uses symbols to answer the question. Siddhartha undergoes major changes in his way of life, at which point he crosses over the river. During these ways of life, he learns that the river possesses a voice of its own. The river, a major element of Siddhartha, symbolizes Siddhartha's changes, the universal voice, and the voice of a teacher.
             When Siddhartha crosses over the river, he changes from one life to another. The book contains three excellent examples that show this transition. The first change takes place after he leaves Govinda and the Buddha. The second takes place when he abandons Kamala; and the third change occurs soon after he goes to find his son. The first change transpires in the quote: "As the day began, Siddhartha asked his host...to take him across the river....because he had a desire to be with people" (48, 51). The second change appears in "...and looked down into the green water which flowed beneath him. He looked down and was completely filled with a desire to let himself go and be submerged in the water" (88). The third change appears in: "Then he went silently back through the wood again, back to the ferry. Neither spoke of what had happened, neither mentioned the boy's name, neither spoke of the flight, nor of the wound" (127). The symbol is contextual, because not every river in every book symbolizes a change. The symbol does bring out an irony, because when he first crosses over it, he believes he will have a better life, but when he returns, he seems on the verge of killing himself. The river symbolizes change in social status, mental health, and his outlook on family.
             The way the river flows illustrates the universal voice. Through the ability of Siddhartha to adapt this "secret" arrives i...