Eyes Are The Windows To The Soul

In the novel, “Siddhartha”, the motif of eyes and gazing are seen prominently throughout the story. The first appearance of the eyes was on page 13 when “hot dreams flickered from his large eyes”. Also on page 13, while Siddhartha was walking through the village he felt that “none of this merited a single glance of his eye” showing that he felt indifference for the world around him. A scene on page 34 depicts that he feels great pleasure upon waking up as his eyes take in the grandeur beauty of the world around him such as the vivid blue of the grass or the hues of the grass. Other than
Siddhartha’s own eyes being described, in the chapter “Kamala” he sees her “face full of desire and her eyes, made small, entreating him with longing”(43). As seen, the constant description of eyes in “Siddhartha” as a motif that helps establish that eyes are often “a window to the soul” and greatly influence their beholder. This is done in “Siddhartha” to further establish the emotional connection in finding oneself that acts as the goal of the protagonist and aids the reader in understanding the deep, emotions and passions in expressive ways. The constant appearance of eyes is significant as it acts as a gauge to Siddhartha’s and other characters deepest and most primal desires and reactions. However, a question is raised as to why is it so easy for eyes to act as a canvas of emotion rather than actions? Is it due to the fact that many words and notions often go unspoken or forgotten? This question leads to the exploration of “expressing one’s self often is unnoticed which thus causes the feeling of losing oneself” as a theme. If Siddhartha possibly knew of his eyes and used them as his guide to his emotions and soul then his work on finding himself and “transcending the self” would be much simpler; he wouldn’t feel a vague sense of being lost in a world where he MUST find himself. (-Shannon V. Robinson)