A Circle Isn't a Line! and Other Considerations about Cycles and the Hero's Journey

I think "Hero's Journey" is a misleading name. A journey implies a beginning and an end, a trip from A to B, a straight line with events in the middle that begins and ends. Yet we find ourselves constantly referring to the same, circular diagram. Graphic-design related error aside, why on earth would someone take a journey, a shining example of all things linear, and twist it into a circle? They are two completely different shapes, people! The reason, I believe, is thus: the hero's journey and the cycle of life (Samsara, anyone?) intersect so fundamentally, it's hard to detangle the two. But the hero's journey doesn't just relate to death and rebirth; we are all constantly concluding and embarking on journeys throughout our lives. In a sense, we are all living a tangled web of hero's journeys all the time. We are all heroes (isn't that a nice thought)! But specifically pertaining to the idea of Samsara in Siddhartha, we see exactly how, in timescales much larger than the everyday, the hero's journey ultimately is a cycle. 

There are many noticeable parallels between Siddhartha and Siddhartha Junior's beginnings to their respective journeys. Siddhartha's call to adventure is realized when he encounters the Samanas passing through town. He desires something greater than his circumstances can provide (knowledge, and ultimately enlightenment). He asks his father to let him join the Samanas, but his father does not let him. Although Siddhartha individually does not refuse the call, his father (whom I will be referring to as "Siddhartha Senior from this point onwards, as it just seems right) prevents him from initiating his journey on his own. Siddhartha Senior is disturbed and in disbelief that Siddhartha would even consider abandoning his current life for a life with the Samanas, even though he can plainly see Siddhartha's dissatisfaction and thirst for his goal. Eventually, Siddhartha Senior comes to realize Siddhartha's ambition and understands that it will be best for Siddhartha to undertake his own journey, free from his father's oversight, lets him go. 

Next, let's consider how Siddhartha Junior's initial journey reflects that of his father. Siddhartha Junior's Journey begins much the same as Siddhartha's. He desires something greater than what his circumstances can provide (which we see as greed and desire for a richer life that he lost after Kamala died). He refuses to participate in any chores or to help Siddhartha in any way. He demands to be set free, for Siddhartha to let him roam the countryside and for him to find his own path, but Siddhartha does not let him. Just as Siddhartha Senior refused Siddhartha's call, Siddhartha refuses Siddhartha Junior's call. One day, Siddhartha Junior has had enough of his life, and decides to run away. Though he initially tries to chase Siddhartha Junior, Siddhartha realizes that, just as his own father let him go, he must let Siddhartha begin his own hero's journey.

Of course, given that both stories follow the same monomyth, they are bound to share similarities. But this comparison also gives way to a more complex understanding of the hero's journey. In a quick one-sentence summary, Samsara is the idea that everything in life exists in cycles. Popularly, it is the idea that once something dies it is reborn, but that doesn't have so much to do with our discussion. I am more concerned with the idea that, generationally, the Siddhartha family seems to be repeating itself. Given how little we see from Siddhartha Senior's and Junior's perspectives, it isn't a perfect thesis, but the idea of the hero's journey and samsara mesh nicely together. In essence, what I'm trying to say is that the hero's journey and samsara, the cycle of your life, are kind of the same thing. And by living your life (having children, making friends, even just interacting with others) you are allowing others to pass through stages of their hero's journeys. 

In conclusion, everything is a hero's journey and we are all going to die. Thanks for reading.