Pleasure-Seeking in Part 2

The second part of Siddhartha's quest for enlightenment consists of the seeking of pleasure. This new obsession of Siddhartha's contrasts sharply with his previous spiritual and ascetic life. He now leads a life of desire and even transforms his physical body in order to fit into the material world. Kamala, the courtesan, and Kamaswami, the businessman, are mediums through which Siddhartha expresses himself in the material world. Kamala teaches him the art of love, and Kamaswami teaches him the art of business. Although Siddhartha finds success in the material world, he ultimately decides that this part of his journey has not been productive. He has another awakening similar to the one in Part I (in which he realizes that enlightenment comes from within the self) symbolized by the death of Kamala's songbird in Siddhartha's dream. The reality of the situation, however, is that the songbird is set free by Kamala, meaning that Siddhartha has released himself from the reins of pleasure before they have completely hindered his path toward enlightenment.