The Reflection Of Alienation Theme In Herzog And Henderson The Rain King

Saul Bellow (Saul Bellow,1915-2005) is one of the most representative figures inmodern American literature after Hemingway and Faulkner. In1976, he was awarded theNobel Prize in Literature for his profound understanding and subtle analysis of contemporaryhuman culture. Henderson the Rain King and Herzog are the best-realized representatives ofSaul Bellow’s Works of spiritual wandering. The heroes of these two novels are aliens tothemselves, the rest and the society as well. This paper attempts to explore the causes,embodiment and removal of the alienation of the leading characters.There are three chapters in the body of this paper.Chapter One probes into causes of the figures’ alienation, primarily analyzing the themein three respects: people’s void spirit in capitalist society, the spontaneous fear of death andthe confusion of Jewish American under the American culture shock.Chapter Two illustrates the themes of the embodiment of alienation, by analyzing andcomparing the two protagonists’ similarities and differences in presentation of the heroes’alienation to depict the topic. This part is researched from three angles: alienation fromoneself, alienation from others and that from the society, and gradually reveals theprotagonists’ suffering and isolated circumstances in a materialized society.Chapter Three explores the ways of getting rid of the alienation and explores theprotagonists’ journey of their heart. This part analyzes the protagonists’ returning fromself-recognition, reconciliation with other people and comprehension with the physical worldin three aspects.The conclusion part demonstrates that the techniques Bellow employs in the two novelsto cope with the themes of alienation fully manifests Bellow’s solid humanistic concern whichis filled with profound sympathy along with his optimism and confidence in Human beings’destiny. The study of the themes of alienation in these two novels can be instructive forfurthering the study in Bellow’s works or even those of other Jewish American authors,particularly in novels of spiritual-wandering mode.