On The Theme Of "Sin And Salvation" In Saul Bellow's Early Novels

This thesis discusses the theme of "Sin - Salvation" in Saul Bellow's early novels. "Sin - Salvation" has been a universal significance theme in American Jewish novels, which follows and evolves the motif of Jewish culture in a specific way. Bellow was born in a Jewish immigrant family, received American-style education. He selects the Jewish elements as a background in his novels, and brings the suffering of losing self-identity into the fate of sin to show the plight of man's existence, and reveal humanitarian crisis under the technical power. Life loses its true state, and becomes as a performance. In Bellow's novels, protagonists can not only find their place in the physical world, but also lose self-identity, so they have to undergo spiritual suffering. However they are active explorers, they find the salvation initiatively to get a rebirth of soul and confirm the value of man's existence after experiencing the suffering of losing self-identity. This thesis researches on the American Jewish immigrants and uses the model of spiritual suffering, looking for salvation and getting the soul's rebirth to discuss the theme of "Sin - Salvation" in Bellow's novels. Through above analysis, the aim of this thesis is to show humanitarian value of Bellow, deduces the fate of man's "Sin - Salvation - New", beyond Jewish, reveals the general plight of man's existence.