Henderson The Rain King: A Quest Romance In An Absurd World

"To be. or not to be, this is a question." Indeed, this is often the concern of philosophers for generations. And great writers, in their serious contemplation about the fundamental questions such as nature of human existence and the meaning of life, might sometimes reach a very philosophical height, which will certainly be reflected in their works. Saul Bellow is a good case in point.Saul Bellow is influenced greatly by the existentialism prevailing in the 20^th century, represented by Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. Existentialism argues that existence precedes essence and life is absurd and meaningless, and the concept of absurdity is the core of Existentialism. Nobody perhaps presents absurdity more clearly and vividly than the French philosopher Albert Camus. This thesis believes that Saul Bellow adopts the preaching that the world is absurd, but he is more affirmative than Camus in that his heroes can always hold hope and experience a return to the society after exile. Saul Bellow is an affirmative writer, and though, like his contemporaries, deeply influenced by the wasteland outlook after the world wars and the obscure narrative strategies, he resorts to the romantic tradition to seek for an outlet for man, which refreshes the 20^th century literary circle like a breeze.This thesis believes Henderson the Rain King is a quest story which includes Bellow's contemplation upon the identity and spiritual crisis of modern man. His originality lies in his affirmative courage in the face of the pervasive existential philosophy. There are two plots in this novel, one is Henderson's concrete passage to Africa, the other is a spiritual one from Henderson's self-exile to return, and both of them reveal the same theme: Alienated man's efforts in searching for a meaningful existence in a chaotic and absurd world by resorting to traditional romanticism. But his romanticism is an adapted one to meet the needs in modern society and hold hope in present life. Therefore it is more proper to define Bellow's version of romanticism a secular one. This thesis is mainly divided into four chapters.Chapter one is Bellow's philosophical contemplation, his introspection on existential philosophy and his rejection of the vision of absurdity. Also in this chapter, a comparison between Bellow and the French philosopher Camus is made to show his affirmation about man's social role.Chapter two analyzes the motives of Henderson's self-exile and points out that it is out of his feeling of absurdity and fear of death that Henderson began his travel to Africa for a remedy to his spiritual crisis. Therefore this novel is a quest story.Chapter three describes Henderson's spiritual experience in the two African tribes. The enlightenment from the Arnewi Queen and the allegorical role of Dahfu as Henderson's double figure are also probed. This experience taught him to face the music in a right way.Chapter four analyzes the salient features of Bellow's version of romanticism from three aspects: the healing nature, fantastic imagination, and the employment of symbolic images. Bellow's romantic vision is an adapted one which is different from the traditional sense of romanticism, his heroes always experience a spiritual process of inquiry and return back to society to face the reality. So his version of romanticism is a secular one which combines the 19^th romanticism with the modern theme of absurdity.The last part comes to the conclusion that through a deep recognition of the absurd yet apparently inevitable phenomenon in life, the writer resorts to a romantic spirit in his explorations of the fundamental questions such as death and the meaning of life. Therefore, it can be safely concluded that Henderson the Rain King is a quest romance.