From Rebellion To Reconciliation: The Father-son Relationship In Henderson The Rain King

Saul Bellow (1915-2005) is one of the most significant writers inpostwar America. Henderson the Rain King is one of his most important novels,signifying the transition of Bellow from apprenticeship toward maturity. As asensitive Jewish writer, Bellow was influenced by Jewish culture profoundly.Therefore, his novels are characterized by the theme of father-son relationshipwhich runs through Jewish culture and history. In the meantime, his troubledrelationship with his father that endured the first half of his life, along with theinfluences from Kafka, results in the inevitable involvement of father-sonrelationship in his novels. And it’s not difficult to see that the theme is reflected inBellow’s novels with various forms, and is especially noteworthy in Hendersonthe Rain King. Unlike his earlier novels which depict the conflicts between fatherand son directly, the novel presents the relationship in a metaphorical way,mirroring the spiritual crisis in the midst of the affluent American society in the1950s. Combining the motif of father-son relationship in Jewish tradition with theproblems of American society, Bellow expresses his philosophical contemplationabout human beings. The theme in this novel not only reflects profound Jewishculture, but also transcends the limitations of narrow Jewish identity, thus having acosmopolitan significance.This thesis is composed of three chapters apart from Introduction andConclusion. The Introduction provides a survey of the frame of the whole thesis inaddition to the background of both the author and the novel, including the life ofBellow, an overview of the studies of Bellow and Henderson the Rain King.Chapter One touches upon the theme of father-son relationship in AmericanJewish novels. Since the arrival of the first Jewish community in1654, Americahas become the country which most Jewish immigrants live around the world.Though a minority, Jewish immigrants have made tremendous contribution toAmerican literature. Consciously or unconsciously, American Jewish novelists,due to the unique historical experiences and religious culture of their people, areinclined to present some recurring themes in their works. Among these themesfather-son relationship is one of the most important ones, reflecting profoundJewish cultural connotations.Chapter Two is devoted to the discussion of the origins for the theme offather-son relationship, especially father-son conflict, in Bellow’s novels. Borninto and brought up in an orthodox Jewish family, Bellow is deeply influenced byJewish culture. His growth and education in the traditional Jewish environmenthas shaped his thought and artistic creation. His Jewishness endowed by Jewishcollective unconscious stimulates him to keep paying close attention to andcontemplating the fate of his people. And he reflects what he feels and thinks overin his novels. Therefore, the theme of father-son relationship which runs throughJewish history and culture is manifest in Bellow’s works in a variety of forms.Meanwhile, the troubled relationship between Bellow and his father caused by thefactors like characteristics, physique, and life choice also results in the author’sspecial concern of the theme. Moreover, the profound influence from Kafka isanother important reason for Bellow’s full expression of father-son relationship inhis novels.Chapter Three gives a detailed analysis of the theme of father-sonrelationship in Henderson the Rain King. Though the fact that the theme isinvolved in most of Bellow’s novels, Henderson the Rain King is extremelyimportant for the crucial position of father-son relationship in comprehending the profound meaning the novel contains. Eugene Henderson, the protagonist of thenovel, is trapped in a severe spiritual crisis essentially caused by his father. Thegrief of being abandoned aroused by the absent paternal love, the selfhooddeprived of by the compulsory legacies from his father, the suppressed individualvalues, and the threat from death warned by the mortal body are responsible for hisspiritual crisis. In order to seek salvation, Henderson flies to Africa. In theprimitive tribes far away from modern civilization, Henderson realizes hisfundamental values as individual existence, recovers his selfhood, and overcomesthe fear of death. With the rebirth of his soul, he recollects the love from his fatherwhich has been ignored. This signifies his reconciliation with his father.Through the above analysis, this thesis arrives at the conclusion that theconflict between Henderson and his father is actually the contradiction betweenmaterial wealth and spiritual emptiness, between the suffocating force of moderncivilization and the quest for selfhood as well as individual values. The finalreconciliation between the protagonist and his father symbolizes the compromisebetween material wealth and spiritual happiness. Thus the author provides hisresolution for the spiritual emptiness in the midst of the affluent society. He vetoesthe irreconcilability between material and spirit, and believes man can pursuespiritual harmony on the basis of wealth, which expresses his optimistic view ofhuman future.