The Beauty of Nature signifcance

One motif that is constantly occurring in this book is the beauty of nature motif because throughout this book, Siddhartha is constantly discovering more beauty within nature as he progresses in the book. One example of Siddhartha discovering the beauty of nature is when he says “he looks around him as if seeing the world for the first time. The world was beautiful, strange, and mysterious.” (p. 39). This quote is functioning by saying that Siddhartha is now seeing the world, and is making it seem like he had never seen that the world was beautiful while it has always been there. This is significant because it helps to show the development of Siddhartha’s character from a youth into a man who is starting to see the world as it is rather than how it is when it is being hindered by others. Before Siddhartha “saw the beauty,” he was originally trying to separate from the “Self” when he realizes that while discovering the “Self,” it will also mean finding balance with this beautiful world. A second example of this motif is when Siddhartha is speaking to the Ferryman about the river and he says “it is a very beautiful river. I love it above everything. I have often listened to it, gazed at it, and I have always learned something from it.” (p. 49). This is important because it shows that the beauty of nature isn’t just important to people like Siddhartha who are trying to find themselves, but it is also important to normal everyday people who have jobs, possessions, and necessities, unlike the Siddhartha who has given this up. This will become a very important motif later in the book because Siddhartha will come to have all these possessions, and he will still be able to find beauty in the world. A final example of Siddhartha finding beauty in the world is after he feels like he has become a child again and he “never had a river attracted him as much as this river. Never had he found the voice and appearance of flowing water so beautiful" (p. 100). This is significant because Siddhartha had just been thinking about committing suicide; furthermore, he still had the possessions that he had left behind when he was younger, but he was still able to find beauty in the world, especially in this river, even after all the terrible things that had happened to him. This quote is extremely important because if Siddhartha is able to see beauty in the river again (through this motif), then he is progressing to another stage of his life cycle, which will lead to developing a whole new aspect of Siddhartha's character that goes beyond his original arrogance. The "Beauty of Nature" motif has become really important within this novel because each time it is referenced, Siddhartha goes through a new part of his life, as well as having epiphanies.

-Blake Ocampo