A Study On Leventhal's Self-Construction In The Victim From The Perspective Of Existentialism

Saul Bellow is undoubtedly one of the most written-about fiction writers of the contemporary American literary history. As Nobel Laureate (1976) Winner and winner of numerous awards, Bellow has commanded serious critical attention for more than 45 years. Widely regarded as one of the 20-century greatest authors, Bellow writes 12 novels and 2 non-fictions, having 6 collections. This thesis, consisting of six chapters, focuses on his second novel The Victim, using existentialism to analyze the protagonist Leventhal's self construction.Chapter One gives a brief introduction of Saul Bellow's life, works and the critical reception of his works both home and abroad, especially The Victim and its background. The deployment, importance and methodology of this thesis are stated in this chapter.Chapter Two presents a brief introduction on Existentialism, including its origin, development, its representatives, and its influence which is not only in philosophy, but also in literature, films, theology and other areas. Additionally, this chapter discusses an outlook of existential elements in Bellow's major works.Chapter Three is about the self-alienation of Leventhal who is not only alienated by the people around and the society, but also by himself. His family—selfish father, insane mother, his early hard times and his Jewishness lead to his insecurity, indifference, self-deception and self-hatred, which are what Sartre called"bad faith."Leventhal wants to protect himself from the absurd world so as to escape from the anxiety and accordingly being alienated is his own choice.Chapter Four reveals Leventhal's gradual awakening. He begins to introspect and doubt if he is responsible. He finds that the world is"absurd"as Camus articulated and"Hell is other people"as Sartre said. Consequently, self-questioning follows. Facing the absurd world and people, he wonders whether to choose to believe in determinism or transform, whether to maintain his social self or his private self, whether to be less than human or more than human. His self-analysis is deployed from two perspectives—existence precedes essence and human is condemned to be free.Chapter Five witnesses Leventhal's self-affirmation. With the guidance of the spiritual father Schlossberg, reality instructor Allbee and his self-adjustment, Leventhal seeks his authentic life and reintegrates into the society happily. After several years, he finds a better job and looks much younger, being a responsible person, and bidding farewell to determinism. All of these indicate a new hope and a rebirth for Leventhal, which is the aspiration Bellow brings to us.Chapter Six concludes that Bellow is a great writer, for his caring for all human beings and bringing a rosy picture to us, which is well illustrated in The Victim. Although everyone is a victim, this thesis shows Bellow's humanity through Leventhal's self construction, which indicates what we should do on the way to maintaining our humanity.