The Implication Of Death In Saul Bellow's Henderson The Rain King

Saul Bellow(1915-2005)is one of the outstanding Jewish-American writers in American literary field. He wins high reputation and plays a special role in American literary field for his superb literary accomplishments and his distinctive Jewish writings.Bellow's Henderson the Rain King is a work combined with Romanticism and Jewish culture. Though it is Bellow's own favorite work, it is commented least. Most of the critics think that the hero Henderson's African journey is a metaphor of his spiritual growth, but they do not pay enough attention to the death theme in Henderson the Rain King. So, the representation of the relationship between theme of death and the hero still needs a deep investigation and systematical study. Therefore, this thesis attempts to explore theme of death in the light of Heidegger's existentialism.The main body of the thesis is divided into three parts. In the first part, the thesis analyzes Henderson's fear of death, with his sense of alienation as the starting point. It suggests that alienation is a way of Henderson's being, which is manifested in his relationship with self and society. This kind of alienation makes him involved in an"inauthentic Dasein", that is to say, a kind of existence that evades death. In the second part, the thesis explores Henderson's confrontation with death. It tries to investigate two kinds of death symbols in the novel: the death symbols in nature and Henderson's witness of others'deaths. These two kinds of death symbols implicate the process of Henderson's confrontation with death, in which Henderson gradually realizes and acknowledges the authentic death. In the third Part, the thesis focuses on Henderson's transcendence over death. This part pays more attention to Henderson's cultural backgrounds to explore his transcendence over death, pointing out that Henderson is an American man who is influenced by Jewish culture. When Henderson confronts death, he has to activate his cultural background for self-protection, and it is the American culture and Jewish culture that help Henderson transcendent over death.In a word, Henderson changes his attitude towards death in the process of fearing death to transcending over death, which influences his living mold. Henderson, in his fearing death, involves himself in an inauthentic Dasein. In his confronting with death, Henderson gradually understands and accepts the inevitable death and gains an authentic understanding of death. And in his transcendence over death, Henderson has to activate his cultural backgrounds for self-protection from death. Therefore, Henderson's African journey is a process of transcendence over death.