An Existentialist Interpretation Of The Dean’s December

Saul Bellow is regarded as one of the most influential leading figures inAmerican literature. He has received numerous awards includes the Pulitzer Prize,three National Book Awards and the Nobel Prize in1976. Bellow is acknowledged asanother literary giant with the equivalent importance as Hemingway and Faulkner.Bellow has an unsurpassed position in American literature.The Dean’s December mainly describes an alienated intellectual who suffersfrom a series of failures in his life, at last, the protagonist seek for his authenticexistence and meaningful life through his consistent choices and actions. Living inthis material-driven, pragmatic, spiritual-empty western capitalist world, one suffersfrom the alienation from himself, from others and from the society. Finally, oneabandons absurdity and alienation and obtains a brand new comprehension of themeaning of existence. Through the description of the novel, Bellow vividlydemonstrates the serious mental crisis of modern American intellectuals and pointsout the meaning of existence of human beings.This thesis mainly analyzes The Dean’s December from the perspective ofexistentialism. A conclusion is reached after a deeper analysis from the views ofabsurdity, alienation and authentic existence. Absurdity and alienation is not whatexistentialism wants to express. On the contrary, absurdity and alienation is thepremise of one’s quest for authentic existence. The awareness of the absurdity andalienation forces people to seek for authentic existence through their freedom ofchoices and shouldering the corresponding responsibility.