The River In Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha

Siddhartha has spent many years pursuing enlightenment but his experience has showed him that enlightenment cannot be taught. However Siddhartha finds a teacher (peaceful man) who does not teach. Vasudeva listen to Siddhartha and encourages him to listen to the river. One of the most important lessons the river teaches Siddhartha is that time does not exist and the present is all that matters. With personification and exaggeration, it is explained that the river can be at all places at once, its importance never changes as well. In such way, Siddhartha resembles the river. Despite the changing aspect of his experience, his essential self has always remained the same. He uses metaphors to determine that time does not exist. Siddhartha, with