The novel Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse is a timeless story about a man's journey in search of peace in his way of life and thoughts. Siddhartha is the son of a young Brahmin, who is dissatisfied with his worship and, in turn, sets out to find the right lifestyle for him. Siddhartha faces many external physical conflicts, but this is not the most important type of conflict in the story. Hesse creates excitement and suspense through Siddhartha's internal journey to create an emotional response usually associated with external conflict. The beginning of Siddhartha's suspenseful journey occurred when he was a fairly young boy. It was then that he had one of his most important awakenings, realizing that his religion was not enough to truly nourish his spirit and mind and give him the peace he desired. «And among the wise men he knew and whose teachings he enjoyed, there was not one who had entirely reached the celestial world, nor one who had completely quenched his eternal thirst» (8). He began to feel that no religious knowledge, sacrifice or prayer could be as important as being at complete peace with one's mind and heart. The importance of this psychological aspect of Siddhartha's journey can be shown with: “These were Siddhartha's thoughts; this was his thirst, his pain" (8). This quote expresses how important it was for Hesse to put the reader into Siddhartha's mind, because through his thoughts there is a lot to learn about him. This was also the first major step in Siddhartha's journey, so the internal conflict begins to create excitement as the reader anticipates what will happen next in his quest for enlightenment. Siddhartha's entry into the "material world" is another aspect of n... ... middle of paper ......ment and suspense. However, as far as Siddhartha is concerned, this is far from the case. Hesse includes many important psychological events, such as Siddhartha's first awakening and achieving enlightenment, which create feelings usually associated with external events. Reading this novel is like embarking on an emotional journey through Siddhartha's mind, throughout his life. It is full of trials and tribulations, which creates suspense for the resolution. The strong emotions of excitement and suspense would not have been expressed if it were not for Hesse's ability to convey Siddhartha's psychological feelings and thoughts to the reader. Hesse used mostly mental and psychological events, along with some external details, to create a novel that has a strong impact on anyone who reads it. Works Cited Hesse, Hermann, Siddhartha, New Delhi: Rupa Publications, 2003