D. Themes and Symbolism/Archetypes

1. a. When Siddhartha first crosses the river he comes across the ferryman and they become friends which is of importance later on in the book. When this happened the ferryman spoke to Siddhartha, he said, "One can learn much from a river....everything comes back, You, too, Samana, will come back. Now farewell, May your friendship be my payment!"(49). Also, when he crosses the river for the first time he meets this woman named Kamala, who later in the book teaches Siddhartha the secrets of love.

b.The second time Siddhartha runs across the river is when he contemplates his suicide the wakes up and sees Govinda. The river is important in this part of the book because it cleanses him and he realizes he must leave his rich life behind him. When Siddhartha falls asleep by the river under the coconut tree he replies by saying, "Never had a sleep so refreshed him, so renewed him, so rejuvenated him! Perhaps he had really died, perhaps he had been drowned and was reborn in another form."(91). …show more content…
The third time Siddhartha runs into the river is when his son leaves him. The river is important here because he realizes that it is the same situation from when Siddhartha left his father. It links both events to each other, to prove "...when he reflected on it, he remembered. His face resembled that of another person, whom he had once loved and even feared. It resembled the face of his father, the