Siddhartha
by Hermann Hesse
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Siddhartha: Foil 1 key example

Key Examples in Siddhartha

Part One, Chapter 3 – Gautama
Explanation and Analysis—Govinda & Siddhartha:

Childhood friends Govinda and Siddhartha are foil characters. The first and most obvious difference between them is that Govinda always follows in the footsteps of another person. Throughout his childhood, he admires Siddhartha and initially follows him in order to achieve sainthood. He believes that all of the answers to life's hard questions can be answered by the right teacher. By contrast, Siddhartha refuses to accept any single person as his primary teacher. He prefers to live through "his own knowing, his own seeking" and wonders "What father, what teacher could shield him from living his own life [...] finding the path for himself?" Unlike Govinda, Siddhartha does not readily accept any other person's way of life or learning without critical thought.