Comparing Siddhartha and the Temple of the Golden Pavilion - Admission/Application Essay Example

How does the compose vivid characteristics of the main characters by comparing Siddhartha and the Temple of the Golden Pavilion? Characterization plays a pivotal role in the development of the plot of the novel and good novelists have always succeeded in composing vivid characteristics of the main characters in their novels. While Mizoguchi, a young man who aspires to be a Zen Buddhist monk at the Kinkakuji temple in Kyoto becomes the main character in Mishima’s The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Hesse’s central character Siddhatha seeks to embrace enlightenment in his own unique way. Both of the central characters are moved by their motifs- Mizoguchi seeks to destroy the temple while Siddhartha seeks for enlightenment and salvation. While both the main characters display their own unique characteristics, it can be observed that Mizoguchi’s character is not influenced by any other characters in the novel whereas each and everyone in Siddhartha offers some kind of insights to the central character in his pursuit for the ultimate truth. This paper seeks to explore how the authors have composed vivid characteristics of the main characters by comparing Siddhartha and the Temple of the Golden Pavilion and in doing so the character sketches of the main characters in both the novels are dealt with. In Siddhartha, one finds the central character Siddhartha believing that true enlightenment cannot be taught and that he has to seek it himself. Siddhartha himself remarks that one must gain experiences himself because wisdom is “inexpressible and incommunicable” (Hesse, p. 40). The novel Siddhartha can be understood as the tale of an Indian’s spiritual journey who seeks out to experience this ultimate wisdom and peace, because he beliefs that no enlightenment can come out of listening to teaching or preaching or sticking to any doctrine by others. However, Siddhartha himself confesses that even though he distrusts doctrines and teachers, there have been many from whom he learned. To quote Siddhartha’s own words: “I came to distrust doctrines and teachers …but I learned from many teachers …but most of all I have learned from the river and from my predecessor, Vasudeva” (Hesse, pp. 113-114). Vasudeva, the ferryman and the river act as the best teachers for Siddhartha in his pursuit for enlightenment; however, one cannot undermine the role played by his own father, the Samanas, Kamala, Kamaswami and Buddha in the life of Siddhartha. All of them taught him important lessons in life and his experiences with each of them have moulded his inner self. On the other hand, Mishima has built his novel The Temple of the Golden Pavilion on a real incident that took place in Japan in 1950 when the Zen temple of Kinkakuji in Kyoto was burned by a young acolyte who was aspiring to be a Zen Buddhist. One needs to have a thorough understanding regarding how Mishima has moulded his central character Mizoguchi, who in the novel, also aspires to be a Zen Buddhist monk at the Kinkakuji temple in Kyoto Japan. As one goes through the novel in detail, one gets a vivid picture of how the author has composed the character sketch of his central character in such a way that the readers never feel hatred for the young protagonist even when he destroys the temple. Mizoguchi’s father was a Budhist priest who instilled in him the belief that the Golden Pavilion is the most beautiful building in the world and even from his childhood the beauty of the temple haunts his thoughts and imagination. Mizoguchi, from the very outset of the novel, feels alienated from other people as he is physically unattractive and suffers from stammering. As a small boy, Mizoguchi happens to see his mother having sex with another man in the presence of his dying father and this has been instrumental for his stammer as well as personality disorder. Later, Mizoguchi joins the Golden Temple, hoping that one day he would become its new superior. However, he is obsessed with the beauty of the golden temple and later this obsession turns into frustration as he knows for certain that he is incapable of attaining the purity and the beauty that the temple demonstrates. While Mizoguchi remains as a static character that does not undergo much change, the character of Siddhartha develops considerably as the novel progresses. One can understand that Siddhartha’s relation with Govinda and his father are very much significant in the novel as it is from them that he learnt the first lessons of seeking enlightenment. Similarly, Siddhartha learns a lot of things with his association with Samanas; he practices self-denial and meditation and learns many ways of loosing the Self from them. He defines meditation as “a flight from the self, a temporary escape from the torment of self” (Hesse, p. 12). Later he understands that the Samana life will never help him to complete his probe, to attain the state of Nirvana. Thus he leaves the Samanas. In the same way, his meeting with Buddha offers him the optimism and the inner strength to follow his pursuit and to experience enlightenment just as Buddha attained it in his own life. Thus, his meeting with Buddha leads Siddhartha to the real awakening that he needs to continue his pursuit in his own unique way. On the other hand, one can understand that the only character that is capable of influencing Mizoguchi in the novel is Kashiwagi whom he meets at the school. One can notice sharp contrasts in the ideologies shared by the two in the novel. While Mizoguchi struggles hard to attain the purity and beauty of the temple Kashiwagi holds that it is knowledge rather than faith that makes one’s life meaningful. Mizoguchi gets attracted with this nihilistic approach to life, moves away from the life of the temple, starts missing his classes and finally thinks of burning the temple to the ground whereby he hopes to gain freedom. Self-loathing lies at the core of Mizoguchi’s character sketch and as he moves away from the temple which at first was a sanctuary for him, he fails to tolerate himself and wants to destroy everything that is beautiful. The mental agony and psychological prick of consciousness that Mizoguchi undergoes is best shown when he starts kissing and touching the girls on a double date but loses his sexual desire on the girls when he thinks of the young woman images of the Golden temple. On the other hand, Siddhartha too undergoes a sensual life but he acquires valuable lessons and continues his pursuit. Siddhartha experiences material and sensual life under the guidance of Kamala and Kamaswami. The life of Sansara, his worldly life with Kamala the beautiful courtesan was essential for Siddhartha’s later conviction and enlightenment. Similarly, it is Kamaswami who initiates Siddhartha into a life of wealth and luxury. Siddhartha’s association with him turns the former into a businessman. He earns a lot of wealth, fine dresses and perfumes for her; however, within no time he understands the futility of all these worldly pleasures. This understanding prompts him to view his life retrospectively and he continues his quest. Later, Vasudeva, the ferryman and the river are the two dominant and most powerful teachers that Siddhartha comes across in his life. The river in the novel acts as a symbol in the novel and it teaches him the way to get rid of his self. The river is the strongest symbol used in the novel. It is the symbol of Siddharta’s and Vasudeva’s inner strength. Both of them derive visions, comforts and answers to their questions from the river. In the same way, the river is closely associated with all the major events in Siddharta’s life. He crosses the river after his meeting with Buddha to lead a life of pleasures. He again comes back to the river side after his Sansara. He can listen to his inner voice, the laments of his soul, his inward spirit the best when he is in communion with the river. Vasudeva, the Ferryman, thus proves to be a strong motivator in Siddharta’s pursuit of eternal bliss. However, the character sketch of Mizoguchi creates certain uncertainties in the minds of the readers regarding his actual motifs and aspirations. While it is evident that Mizoguchi is haunted and moved by his past, his actual motif in the choice of becoming a Buddhist priest is quite vague. Similarly, his owe of the temple’s beauty, his alienation from the outer world and his incessant desire to burn the temple all act as the protagonist’s characteristic features. In the same way, one can also notice that most of the characters in the novel are strange and often unsettling. A close reading of the novel shows that it deals with the story of a disturbed young man whose mind becomes unbalanced towards the end of the novel. It is because of this unbalanced mind that he develops hatred towards the superior of the temple who apparently tries to help him out. Simialrly, Mizoguchi hopes to embrace a glorious death as he tries to enter the Kukkyōchō after setting the bales on fire. Thus, the novel ends with the burning of the temple and Mizoguchi’s retreat to the Mount Hidari Daimonji, raising a number of questions to be answered. To conclude, it can be stated that both Mizoguchi and Siddhartha, the central characters in both the novels, are moved by strong personal motifs. Both of them accomplish their goals but through different means. In Siddhartha’s case, his search for his inner life comes to an end finally; he comes to a complete self –realization. In the end, he grasps the wholeness of life, experiencing the sense of fulfilment and wisdom, which come with it. In short the novel is a classical work dealing with the meaning of life. Thus, the novel Siddhartha is the story of an ordinary man who becomes an enlightened saint by pursuing his inner voice. Thus the novel portrays the growth of Siddharta, the Brahman’s son, to maturity and perfection- to the height of Nirvana and enlightenment- because of his incessant quest and blind obedience to his inner voice. The novel resembles the story of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho where the hero goes in search of his dreams, overcomes obstacles and tribulations, and finally makes his dream come true. On the other hand, Mizoguchi too accomplishes his dreams by setting the golden temple on fire towards the end of the novel. It is to be observed that Mishima’s portrayal of Mizoguchi is abounding with a number of vivid characteristics and, no doubt, the readers can experience the inner struggles and mental turbulences that Mizoguchi experiences in his attempt to gain freedom by destroying the temple. To sum up, analysis of the main characters in both the novels convinces one that both the Hesse and Mishima have successfully composed vivid characteristics of the main characters in Siddhartha and the Temple of the Golden Pavilion respectively. Works Cited Hesse, Herman. Siddhartha. Ed. Hila Rosner. Rupa& Co. New Delhi. 2006. Read More