Siddhartha and Gandhi strove for different goals during their lives. Siddhartha's goal was very personal, while Gandhi's goal encompassed the world. This was shown by their spiritual development throughout their journeys. Siddhartha evolved from an inexperienced spiritual being to a man, returned to spirituality, and ended with nirvana. Gandhi traveled a much straighter path, originally being a worldly man merely seeking his correct place in life, when his spiritual development unexpectedly…

creation, but the very second we are born it is our job to find out who we are. Life is described by some to be an epic journey of self-discovery and actualization, and that’s exactly what it is. Self-actualization is the term used to describe how individuals go their whole lives trying to reach their full potential. Now, what does this mean to an individual? Being self-actualized means that an individual knows who they are and what they want and what they were made for, and generally this notion is…

The Themes of Siddhartha There are two themes developed in Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. One theme is that people can teach religious doctrine, but it may not lead one to find one's true inner "self". The other theme is that knowledge can be taught, but wisdom comes from experience. The main character, Siddhartha, came to these understandings during his glorious journey to find spiritual enlightenment. In order to find his "self", Siddhartha…

important fiction piece that explores relations throughout black communities and families. It also examines different issues such as, gender and class and these issues bring forth the theme of voice. In Janie’s attempt to find herself, she grows into a stronger woman through three marriages. Janie’s first discovery about herself comes when she is a child. She is around the age of six when she realizes that she is colored. Janie’s confusion about her race is based on the reasoning that all her peers…

the path of self discovery? The journey of self discovery is a journey that most people take at some point during their life, whether it is very early in life or rather late in life. In the novels, Billy Lynn 's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald the three protagonists have all undergone a journey on the path of self discovery. These journey range in length, depth, and significance just as these self discovery journeys vary…

and many others, the literary theme of self-identity coupled with coming of age has been a long running one in the history of literature. Certainly, we find this theme in novels such as Between Tides and Shadows of Your Black Memory, respectively. The development of character and self-identity is vital in the analysis of each protagonist. Between Tides follows Pierre Landu, a black Catholic Priest and revolutionist, on a journey to right his wrongs through rigorous self-examination. Pierre, having…

Knowing Self This semester, I had the privilege to experience unrestricted creativity in a structured writing class. Now, as I reflect upon the semester I come to realize how closed minded I really am. This semester, I was challenged as a student writer to draw upon something or find inspiration from within to constructively create a masterpiece with words. Often times, finding or even tapping into my creative nerve was very difficult. Then I came to realize, as a student writer, I am paralyzed by…

The Theme of Self-discovery in The Awakening and A Doll House In Chopin's The Awakening and Ibsen's A Doll House, the main characters each experience an awakening. Although they lead different lives, Nora Helmer and Edna Pontellier's respective awakenings are caused by similar factors. From the beginning, neither character fits the standard stereotype of women in the society in which they lived. Another factor that influences Nora and Edna's awakenings is their marital relationship. Neither…

Self Discovery in American Beauty and Hermann Hesse's Demian After Jane Burnham's first meeting with Ricky Fitts in American Beauty she responds by saying, "He's so confident. That can't be real." If it isn't real, is it a dream? If it is a dream, is it Jane's dream? If it is Jane's dream, is this her unconscious wish for pleasure or happiness...to be like Ricky Fitts? There seems to be a theme running through the movie American Beauty where we see people looking to other people as a source…

Pursuit of Self-Discovery: A Psychoanalytic look at The Picture of Dorian Gray When one hears the title The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde a flash of Faustian images such as villains, tragedy, and worldly pleasures might come to mind. The reader might recall Lord Henry Wotton as the Mephistophelian presence of the novel, and his epigram that “All influence is immoral…because to influence a person is to give him one 's own soul” (Wilde 19-20). But, to say this is the only theme, or even the…