Symbols and Symbolism in Siddhartha - The Serpent, the Bird and the RiverIn Siddhartha by Herman Hess, Siddhartha's constant growth and spiritual evolution are elucidated through the symbolism of the snake, the bird and the river. Like a snake shedding its skin to continue its physical growth, Siddhartha sheds the skin of his past: "he realized that something had left him, like the old skin that a snake sheds/ Something was no longer with him, something which had accompanied him throughout his youth and which was part of him” (37). Siddhartha thus leaves his childhood companion, Govinda, and follows the teachings of the Illustrious Siddhartha. his journey alone and feels vulnerable as his past reveals his lost soul: "I was afraid, I was running away..." (38). draws more on his past, his upbringing and his heritage in Samana “Immediately, he set off again and began walking quickly and impatiently, no longer towards home, more towards his father, never looking back.....