Problem
A. By entitling the chapter "Om" Hesse suggests that Siddhartha has begun to live in the "Om," not just to say it in times of stress and disappointment. What does Siddhartha do as a person living the "Om"?
B. Why do Siddhartha and Vasudeva listen to the river? What do they hear? Think some more about what the river might symbolize. How is Siddhartha changed by listening to the river?
C. What memory from his youth is evoked in him by his loss of his son?
D. Near the end of the chapter Siddhartha feels that he has "completely learned the art of listening." How would you describe this "art" that Siddhartha is practicing?
E. What changes take place in Siddhartha and Vasudeva at the end of the chapter?
Source: Siddhartha, novel by Hermann Hesse.