Siddhartha as Sidharthtress

Hey guys!

Welcome back to my Heros Journies blog! Today we will talk about the "Woman as Temptress" stage of the Hero's Journey in Siddhartha by Herman Hesse from 1922. The "Woman as Temptress" is a critical stage in Siddhartha. This is the main point where he becomes derailed from his journey, or so it seems, and is tempted and falls into a purely material and physical lifestyle. However, it becomes clear later that this stage was actually essential to Siddhartha's development, and leads him to his moment of Apotheosis and therefore peace and unity with the universe.

This stage in the Hero's Journey is demonstrated when Siddhartha meets Kamala for the first time and everything that happens after. As soon as Siddhartha meets her, he devotes his whole life to winning her and living up to her expectations. He becomes rich and lives a pleasure-filled life. He is taught by Kamala in the ways of love and instructed by Kamaswarmi in the ways of trade. An interesting thing to note about this stage is that although this stage has always been rather sexist in its portrayal of a woman tempting the male character off his true path, I feel that it is essential to note that it is not only Kamala who tempts Siddhartha in the book. She is the one who initiates the deviation from the path, as he becomes enamored with her beauty, but ultimately it is the lifestyle that keeps him there. The most important part of this stage is that it deviates from the Hero's true path, or at least it appears that way. 

In the case of Siddhartha, we clearly see him deviating from his intentions to separate himself from all worldly things to truly find himself, which is the main idea of Woman as Temptress. As the story progresses, he despises himself and his life. Then, right as he reaches his lowest point, he hears the river speak the word Aum and realizes he has made a huge mistake. This moment leads him to his apotheosis, where he is reborn as a more deified figure, in unity with the universe. His experiences demonstrate the importance of the Woman as Temptress stage in Siddhartha because they are an essential part of his journey to true unity and peace with the universe.

After he has this realization he looks for and finds Vasudeva again. With him, he begins to find his peace and understand the universe better through the river. As he reflects, he begins to see the necessity of his fall and rebirth, originating from the Woman as Temptress stage. The understanding that he gains from this part of the book is what ultimately allows him to let his son go after he runs away. This final trial was only able to be conquered by Siddhartha because of the Woman as Temptress stage. This stage is the main thing that causes Siddhartha to reach his understanding of the universe and thus be able to allow his son to follow his own path. 

Overall, Herman Hesse's use of the Woman as Temptress stage in Siddhartha is not entirely sexist or could be viewed that way, but it definitely still has some undertones. The fact that the "first domino" was his meeting with Kamala and his actions thenceforth to win her by becoming rich and successful still portrays women as this distraction for a male hero away from his true path. However, Siddhartha himself realizes that it was in fact his true path all along, and those steps were necessary for him to have reached the place where he is now, and understand the flowing of the universe.

The reason that this is of significance in this novel is that it is made clear that this stage is key to the development of Siddhartha as a character. Siddhartha himself realizes that he needed to go through that experience to get where he is, and later that his son must too, completing the cycle that is present everywhere and always. The effect that this stage has on Siddhartha is something that should not be passed over because even though it is sexist, both in general and in Siddhartha specifically, it is still one of the most important parts of the Hero's Journey and how it works.