The Lost And Struggling Hero: A Study On Saul Bellow’s Novel Herzog

Saul Bellow (1915-2005) is one of the most celebrated novelists in contemporary American literary circle. In1976, Saul Bellow was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was the only writer to be awarded the National Book Award three times, and won the Pulitzer Prize in1975.Herzog, published in1964, was one of Bellow’s masterpieces, and won the National Book Award in the next year.This thesis is intended to study the hero in Herzog and tries to explore the features in Bellow’s literary works.The thesis firstly analyzes the Jewish American writers’success and.discusses their adaptation to the American culture.Then the thesis focuses on the analysis of the archetype of Herzog and tries to find the implied correlation between Herzog and Moses and the significance of this correlation.,Finally, the thesis makes an in-depth analysis of alienation and restoration in Herzog, trying to find the reason for the alienation and restoration. As a representative of the Jewish American intellectuals, Herzog is well-educated and has a high social status, but in reality he always suffers mental crisis, despair and frustration. However, he never stops the pursuit of the meaning of life and his restoration to the nature reflects his positive attitude towards life.