Saul Bellow's Cultural Origins

Theme: the cultural sources of Saul Bellow's fictionsIn Saul Bellow's literary creation there integrate different kinds of cultures, of which his Jewish complex, the American concepts and the European influences are not only the cultural sources of his fiction, but also the reflection of its cultural character. First, the Jewish character constitutes the fundamental character of Saul Bellow's writing. From the matrix topics, his wandering, suspending, suffering and so on not only reflect the historical plight of the Jewish, but also reveal the one of the contemporaries. In terms of archetype, many of Bellow's novels are originated from the Old Testament. These archetypes represent the experience of the humankind, enrich and deepen the meanings of the fictions. From the ethic view, Hcrzog who gives loose to himself can not escape from the bondage of the Jewish morals. The conflict between the sex disorder and the Jewish ethnics is the origin of his mental anxiety. In terms of narration, Bellow, who bases himself upon the Jewish culture and also looks on the contemporary one, combines the religious elements and the philosophical ones together, which bestows his narration with the cultural features. Second, the cultural character created by Bellow has something with the American concepts, which represent the Puritan viewpoints on value. The pursuit of the American dream of the brothers of Augie reflects the Christian viewpoint on labor and wealth. The consciousness of salvation shown by Henderson in the African tribes is a mutation of the American consciousness of electorates. The attitude shown by Bellow towards China or "the other" also reflects the American viewpoint on value. Bellow tries to be an American writer rather than a Jewish one, and the Americanizing process of his writing is the process of his taking in the American viewpoints on value. Third, the cultural character created by Bellow can not be independent from the influence of the European cultures. The masterpieces of the European masters offer a blueprint for him which influence him philosophically and inwardly. The "strangers" of Camus and the "fringe people"of Bellow both reveal the existing absurdity of the modern people. Like Sisyphus, the characters created by Bellow walk towards the future in the face of hardships. The early works of Bellow get much inspiration from Sartre. Bellow consents to the parlance of Sartre that existence is prior to nature, but there exists difference between them in terms of freedom. Bellow is a disciple of Dostoevsky, and his Victims is similar in plot with the Eternal Husband of Dostoevsky. The two writers show heartfelt sympathy to the victims, which expresses clearly their humane feelings.The Jewish complex, the American concepts and the European influences are indispensable to the cultural sources of Bellow's writing. The Jewish character acts as the grounding of his works, the American concepts as the spirit and the European influences the momentum. From a national perspective Bellow observes the world, and he upgrades the national plight to the fate of the humankind, getting his works transcending the borders between peoples and nations with more universal world meaning. The represented by the Jewish experience, the American concepts and the European influences is just the multidimensional cultural character of the people, the nation and the world.