Siddhartha Part Two, Chapter 9 – The Ferryman Summary & Analysis Essay

In the chapter The Ferryman Siddhartha asks a ferryman to take him across the river. and finds that the ferryman is Vasudeva, who had taken Siddhartha across the river when he left the Samanas. Then Siddhartha tells the story of his life for Vasudeva, who listened quietly. After Siddhartha is done, Vasudeva asks if he would like to come live with him and help him out. Siddhartha says yes and is happy living with Vasudeva. Then, one day, Kamala and her young son, who is Siddhartha's son, are near the ferryman when Kamala gets bitten by a snake. and Vasudeva brings her to his home, where he and Siddhartha care for her. She gets better to talk to Siddhartha for a while, but she gets really sick and dies, leaving her son with Siddhartha. That's when Siddhartha begins to realize that he has been on a journey throughout his life but did not notice. He also begins to realize that he is nearing the end of his journey when he encounters Vasudeva on the river. Siddhartha realizes that his journey has been the exciting life he's lived on his quest to attain enlightenment and be a peace with his soul. Throughout this chapter Vasudeva tries to help Siddhartha learn the secrets of the river. Like when he tells Siddhartha, You have already learned river that it is good to strive downwards, to sink, to seek depths You will learn the other thing, too pg.86. He begins to hint to Siddhartha that the river has more to offer than the teaching of being able to relate to others and with their suffering. The other thing that the river was going to teach Siddhartha was that. Everyone suffers and he has been suffering this whole time and he must suffer to attain enlightenment. And as Siddhartha learned more from the river he heard the voices from the river more and furthered on his journey toward enlightenment and the realization of the illusion of time.

n the chapter Om Siddhartha begins to envy the people around him, who are happy. And after talking to Vasudeva, Siddhartha begins to see the unity and interconnections among all things. Vasudeva's role as a wise teacher to Siddhartha who had reached a stage of great selfdiscipline and knowledge, did not recognize the unity of all things is further augmented throughout this chapter. Standing at the river, he hears the word Om. The word Om, that Siddhartha hears by the river helps Siddartha understand the sense of unity and perfection of all things in the world. When Siddhartha thought, The river flowed on towards its goal...all the waves and water hastened, and suffered towards goals...The water changed to vapor, rose became rain,came down again...and flowed anewpg.110. he began to relate the voices of the river to the people of the world. He also was taught simultaneity by these realizations, because he found that the river would continue to flow away but the amount of water would never change.