Once Kamala’s funeral is over, Siddhartha tries his best to console his son and provide for him. The boy, however, is cynical and spoiled. He dislikes being with the two ferrymen and wants to go back to the city and the life of wealth he has always had. Siddhartha is unable to make him believe that the trappings of wealth such as fine clothes and servants have little meaning. Siddhartha thinks he ought to raise the boy himself. Vasudeva agrees at first. However, even though he tries as hard as he can to make his son happy and teach him how to live a good life, Siddhartha discovers that the boy is full of rage. The boy berates his father and Vasudeva and steals from them. Siddhartha discovers that, although he has never been able to love before this, he loves his child. It is because of this that he dismisses the bad behavior as the result of the boy’s mother’s death. He thinks that his son will in time be persuaded to follow the same path he and Vasudeva follow. Vasudeva eventually tells Siddhartha that he should allow the boy to leave if he wishes. Although old men like them may feel satisfied with only ferrying passengers across a river, a young boy may be unhappy in such a life, he explains. Vasudeva reminds his friend that his own father had not been able to persuade him to stay home and not join the Samanas or learn from the lesson of a worldly life. He says that the boy should have the chance to follow his own path, even if that causes his father unhappiness. Siddhartha disagrees with this. He thinks that the bond between a father and his son is very important. He also feels that as the boy is his son, it is inevitable that he will be driven in the same way he was for the search for enlightenment. The river is a place where true learning and enlightenment can be found. Siddhartha therefore feels that it should be an ideal place for the boy to live.
One evening, the boy yells at his father that he does not have the authority or the will needed to discipline him. He says that being a ferryman on a river is something he would never want to become. He says he would prefer to be a murderer than a man resembling Siddhartha. Siddhartha does not reply to this. The following morning, it is discovered that the boy has run away, taking all of his father’s and Vasudeva’s money. Vasudeva thinks that Siddhartha ought to let the boy go, but Siddhartha believes that he needs to follow his son, if not just out of concern for his well-being. Siddhartha sets out on the search but soon recognizes that it is a futile task. He knows that the boy will hide if he sees him. He keeps going, though, until he gets to the city.
He sees the city again and many memories come into his mind. He recalls the time he spent with Kamala and Kamaswami. He suddenly realizes that he needs to let his son go. He knows that there is no amount of reasoning that could possibly persuade him to want to stay. While the son may eventually become a spiritual pilgrim like his father, the quest needs to be undertaken by himself. Siddhartha is so exhausted that he collapses to the ground. Vasudeva has secretly followed him and sees this. He wakes Siddhartha up, and the two men go back to the river.
Explanation: excatly from the book
