Escaping From The Life That Exhibits Itself

Herzog is Bellow's masterpiece, which reflects the crisis of humanism in modern society and shows us the pang and confusion as well as the exploration and pursuit of the intellectual of the middle class in America.This thesis tries to use the theories about freedom and love of Erich Fromm, a German American sociologist, to analyze the contradictory inner world of the protagonist: Herzog's strong longing for active freedom and the fear of passive freedom; love and war between the sexes; the longing for both life and death. The analysis of the contradictory inner world of Herzog is helpful for us to understand the theme of the novel, and the contradictions, which exist in Herzog have universal significance. In essence, the spiritual crisis of Herzog is an era disease, just as Bellow said that the unavoidable confusion of an individual was the tragic portrayal of the society.Through the analysis of the contradictory inner world of the protagonist, the modern man who lives in this chaotic world has the opportunity to hear the voice coming from the bottom of his heart.