Problem
Godivs
I. Why do you think Govinda is the title of this concluding chapter? Summarize the comparisons between Govinda and Siddhartha that are the focus of the chapter. What is Hesse's point in setting up this contrast? Is Govinda a symbolic figure here? What does he represent?
II. What differences result from a lifestyle of seeking (Govinda) and a lifestyle of acceptance (Siddhartha)?
III. What has Siddhartha discovered about illusion and truth? About the possibility of communicating what wisdom is? What is the value of the physical world to Siddhartha? What is its relationship to the spiritual world?
IV. At the end of the novel Govinda has a vision. Describe what he sees. What do you think this vision means?
Source: Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse.