Duality

In the first third of the novel Siddhartha has a friend, Govinda, who is less of a friend and more of a follower, a diciple who is facinated by Siddhartha's mental and spiritual strength. The two friends begin each of their life journies together as they both join the Samanas on page 10 and live a life deviod anything, a life that where only the hardest elements of life are experienced. After meeting the Buddha on page 25, a man who surpasses Siddartha's mental and spiritual strength, they must however part as Govinda decides to follow the Buddha and Siddhartha decides to wander off into the world alone to learn to ways of the world firsthand. In the last third of the novel, after Siddartha has reached his lowest point, but learned much from the experience, he meets a man of such great spiritual and mental strength that it once again surpasses Siddartha's. However, instead of turning away from him and continuing his search for enlightenment by himself, he decides to become his diciple and learn the secret of his great peace. And in the second third of the novel Siddartha acts both as a student and a teacher of Kamala, a sutdent of the arts of love, and a teacher of spiritual strength. The book's use of duality as a theme can be found with its use of role switching and relationships. Also, Siddartha meets Govinda twice after the end of the first third of the novel (first on page 73 after Siddhartha has fled the town and his gluttinous life, and second on page 112 after Vesudeva has left and he meets Siddhartha again by accident), he meets Kamala once after the end of the second third of the novel (on page 91, after she was bitten by the snake), and Vasudeva is never seen again after his envelopement in light near the end of the last third. p. 103 - When Siddhartha tries to find his son by travelling all the way to the town, and falls asleep near Kamala's former grove, where a couple of monks are currently residing, the monks see him and lay two bananas in front of him.