does Govinda reach enlightenment?

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The unanswered question: does Govinda reach enlightenment? Throughout the story, this question essentially remains on one’s mind. It is obvious Govinda serves a purpose to the story line, but does h... e reach enlightenment just as Siddhartha does? Despite what the internet and Spark Notes says, I do not believe Govinda achieves the same state of enlightenment as Siddhartha. The story of Siddhartha is an allegory, which means there is an intended meaning or message embedded in the text. Hesse wrote Siddhartha for a reason. Hesse expressed his own thoughts and feelings through the storyline. He rejected his own religion of orthodox Christianity taught to him by his parents. In the 1920’s this was the major religion of Europe, but Hesse wanted more. In the middle of writing the book, he found himself depressed and disconnected from his own mind. It was not until he began studying Buddhism when he found himself again and was able to finish the story. Clearly, the characters of Siddhartha are all there for a reason. In my opinion, Govinda is in the story to teach Siddhartha a lesson, adding on to the overall message in the end [Show More]

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