Siddartha Intertextuality- Shrek

     I'll admit, just like you, I too was questioning the respectability of this intertextual comparison, seeing as Shrek is a children's comedy movie and Siddartha is about spiritual self-reflection. But what about this glaringly obvious inconsistency (which kind of ruins the novel's credibility) regarding Siddartha: this entire novel about Indian culture and spiritual practice was written by a German man during colonial rule by another European country, I mean, I could've gone much worse than Shrek in the name of my ancestors. Anyways, that is beside the point because Shrek is actually one of the best and most profound hero's journeys I know. 

    While Shrek may not have started out as a devotional man, he and Siddartha shared a sort of separation from the rest of their community. Siddartha sought to improve his personal spirituality and Shrek sought to improve the condition of his home of the swamp which was a large part of his identity. The journey itself was meant to find the root of something. Shrek needed to find Lord Farquaad himself in order to reverse the damage done to his home- he was then given a mission that would benefit Farquaad and make him known as a savior prince in return for his swamp. In this mission, however, Shrek himself grew as an individual to become genuinely caring for Fiona- he then battles with an internal conflict of being seen as bad and evil due to being an ogre. Physical appearance is a consistent theme in Shrek, where it drives much of the conflict and personal growth. Siddartha learns in his first interactions with the Samanas that physical appearance and pleasure are to be left behind in favor of enlightenment. This concept is reflected in many faiths and spiritualities across cultures. Removing precedence of physical appearance can lessen a person's ego when it comes to approaching narcissism. I've noticed that some American stories, in particular, don't value this as much, especially when it comes to girls. Instead, a big part of modern plots is a 'glow-up' where the main character undergoes a makeover and becomes popular and desirable. A known example of this narrative is Mia Thermopolis from the princess diaries who starts out as a shy geek but finds out that she is the princess of Genovia.

 Siddartha seems already above the vain satisfaction found in physical appearance but Fiona from Shrek battles with self-esteem tied to her secretly turning into an ogre at night. Her curse is broken after a true loves kiss, but instead of returning to a permanent human form, she is permanently an ogre. While this would have been more powerful if this had been live-action and about actual beauty standards, the story makes a point of going against the western cliche in that beauty is subjective and that real happiness and quality are found in one's character. 

    Shrek and Fiona will undergo a deeper inner change in the next few films but Siddartha's agenda is all about reaching enlightenment. While Shrek is a more whimsical look at becoming a better person, I believe him to follow a true hero's journey accompanied by valuable characters just as Siddartha is accompanied by his friend and different groups.