Representation of Female as the 'Second Sex' in Hesse's Siddhartha

Abstract

This research entitled "Representation of Female as the 'Second Sex' in Hesse's Siddhartha" explores Hesse's male mentality to portray weak female character in his novel. This novel revolves around a male character Siddhartha. There are very few female characters including Kamala, Siddhartha's beloved and Siddhartha's mother whose name is not even mentioned in the novel. Both of them are victims of patriarchal society. Kamala is used by Siddhartha to fulfill his sexual desire. Kamala is an example of poor female who is dominated in the patriarchal society. She is represented as a weak and helpless female. Siddhartha is a gambler, a drunkard, lady killer who always runs away from his responsibilities. Hesse on the one hand presents such image of Siddhartha and on the other hand he compares him with Lord Gautam Buddha which is clearly a result of Hesse's masculinist mind set. This research reveals how this novel Siddhartha fails to produce correct image of a hero and how females are marginalized in the text.