010. THE SON
Summary
- Siddhartha has now lived a worldly and lustful life for years but hasn't been a true part of it, maintaining some of his previous Samana habits
- He amasses wealth and power, well-liked by the people who come to him for advice or money, but with no individual close to him except Kamala
- Over time, the vibrant spirituality of his youth begins to fade, replaced by a hollow silence, decreased vigor and an eventual introverted sloth
- Siddhartha begins engaging in excesses, enjoying rich food, leisure activities and the comforts of wealth
- Despite this, he still feels superior to others and belittles their worldly concerns. However, this sense of superiority slowly evolves into a more quiet state as he starts to adopt their lifestyle and even envies their passionate pursuits and attachments
- He gradually falls into the vice of greed, getting absorbed into acquiring more wealth even though it starts to feel like a burden. He starts gambling with high stakes for money and precious things. The stakes are high and the losses big, but he seems to derive a strange kind of joy from this
- A dream featuring a dead caged bird belonging to Kamala leaves Siddhartha with a profound sense of sadness and purposelessness - symbolic of the end of his lustful and materialistic existence - he has become “castaway” in life
- Reminiscing about his life thus far under a mango tree in his pleasure garden, he finds himself unable to recall a time of true happiness. He finds his life filled with disappointments, overshadowed by his past spiritual pursuits and realizations. His lustful activities were never satisfactory, and his pursuit of wealth ultimately seeming pointless
- The realization that his desire-filled life is over comes upon him, leading him to leave his city, his home and his gardens. He abandons all his material possessions and never returns
- Kamala, now pregnant with Siddhartha’s child, chooses, after hearing of Siddhartha’s disappearance, to lock herself away from the world, setting free her rare caged bird, symbolizing an end to her past enjoyment of worldly pleasures too