From Opposition To Conciliation

This thesis intends to interpret the theme in Henderson the Rain King, focusing on the study of Henderson the protagonist. Despite his sizeable wealth from family heritage, Henderson suffers from the spiritual crisis widespread in America. The experiences of Henderson in America reflect that the overmuch material cannot release people's spiritual crisis. He always stands at the opposite side of reality. So he runs to Africa to find a way to survive in the material society. Through the progress of protagonist's spiritual growth, which best illustrates Bellow's affirmative attitude towards human's future, Henderson turns from an objector to an accepter. Eventually, Henderson knows man can get on well with others by love and establish a harmonious relationship with society. The thesis consists of three parts. The first part introduces Saul Bellow as a humanistic writer and his novel Henderson the Rain King, and emphasizes the significance of perceiving this novel. In China when we are in the process of being rich we might face the same spiritual crisis as Henderson's. Through analyzing the novel, we know that how we can live with others and solve the conflicts between individual and reality. In the second part through the analyzing of Henderson's spiritual progress we see that Henderson from an objector to an accepter. The wealthy Henderson is drowning in the money world, but his economic freedom has ironically generated in him a sense of his own uselessness. So Henderson think he cannot live in such mental condition. But after the journey, he can conciliate with reality and he knows what he wants is love, which is the love for reality and for others. Under this powerful emotion Henderson returns America and he is ready to pursue his dreams in reality. The third part draws a conclusion. I see that in order to solve the conflicts between individual and reality, Bellow shows that when people realize their dreams they, on the one hand consider their own aims; on the other hand they exist in the world, so they should mix well with others in love in order to reach the harmonization of the whole society.