Readers have been fascinated by Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha for decades. Written in 1951, Hesse's most famous novel offers the reader a literary work that "presents a remarkable exploration of the deepest philosophical and spiritual dimensions of human existence" (Bennett np). Siddhartha takes place in India as the Buddha began his teachings. The book follows the life of a man named Siddhartha, on his journey to achieve enlightenment. Siddhartha's main theme is achieving enlightenment without the help of a teacher or mentor. Siddhartha believes that he must learn on his own and that advice from another teacher will only distort his goals of achieving enlightenment. Siddhartha says he must “learn of myself, be a student of myself: I myself will learn the mystery of Siddhartha” (Hesse 36). During Siddhartha's journey to reach Nirvana, the highest level of peace in Buddhist culture, he goes through three stages all of which are essential in helping Siddhartha find peace within himself. At first, Siddhartha struggles to find peace and discover the path to enlightenment. . Siddhartha's interactions with his family, the samanas, and the Buddha help Siddhartha realize that enlightenment cannot be achieved under the guidance of a teacher. In the very beginning, Siddhartha's father is the one who teaches Siddhartha about his culture and spirituality. Siddhartha is very young when he masters all his father's teachings and realizes that "his father was to be admired, his calm and noble manners, his pure life, his wise words, his delicate and noble thoughts lived behind his brow - but even he, who knew so much, did he live in happiness? (Hesse 6). Siddhartha knows that...... middle of article...... me and the structure of Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha. " Symposium 11.2 (Fall 1957): 204-224. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Thomas J. Schoenberg and Lawrence J. Trudeau. Vol. 196. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center Web November 25 2013. Timpe, Eugene F. "Siddhartha of Hesse and the Bhagavad Gita". : The Landscape of the Soul. » Hesse Companion Ed. Frankfurt am Main, Germany: Suhrkamp Verlag, 1970. Rpt. Schoenberg and Lawrence J. Trudeau Vol. 196. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literary Resource Center. November 25.. 2013.