The Similarities Of The Protagonists In Saul Bellow's Early Fictions

Saul Bellow(1915-2005)is considered as the spokesman of the contemporary American literature,the successor of Ernest Miller Hemingway(1899-1961)and William Faulkner(1897-1962).He is the winner of Pulitzer Prize in 1976 and the only one to win the National Book Award for Fiction three times.Besides,He is also the first contemporary Jewish American writer to win the Nobel Prize for literature in 1976 for “the human understanding and subtle analysis of contemporary culture that are combined in his work.”In Bellow's early fictions,the protagonists are almost Jewish people and suffer from a lot of pressure because of living in the indifferent,absurd modern society.The contradiction between the protagonists and social reality is irreconcilable.They are confused about whether keeping their Jewish identities or getting integrated into the American society.Finally,they choose to get into the community in order to get rid of the alienated condition and find a balancing point between Jewish culture and American culture.Joseph in Dangling Man and Leventhal in The Victim are two typical such protagonists from Bellow's early fictions.This thesis analyzes the similarities of Joseph in Dangling Man and Leventhal in The Victim through textual analysis and comparative analysis by virtue of theoretical basis such as New Historicism and Myth Archetypal Criticism.Therefore,Bellow's humanistic concern can also be reflected.According to the analysis,the similarities of the protagonists in Bellow's early fictions can be concluded into three points:(1)Alienation.They try to find the best way to get rid of the situation,from escaping to confronting with the reality;(2)Jewishness.They struggle to find a balancing point between Jewish culture and American culture;(3)Schlemiel.They attempt to get integrated into the community and pursue a spiritual ballast in order to relieve from the restrictions.The protagonists in Bellow's early fictions almost have the three features and try to find the existence meaning as Jewish people in the modern society.According to the analysis of the similarities of Joseph and Leventhal as well as their attempts to get rid of the current situation,Bellow's humanistic concern can be reflected in two aspects:(1)Bellow lays emphasis on the dignity of the humans.In his early fictions,the protagonists pursue their dignity,wisdom,endurance and other virtuous qualities.(2)Bellow believes in love and community.In his early fictions,after a series of struggles,the protagonists finally understand the best way to get their foothold is to get into the community.The early fictions of Saul Bellow lay the foundation of his later creation theme and plays an important role in his literary career.The features of the protagonists in his early fictions can also be seen in his later fictions.Therefore,the analysis of Bellow's early fictions can not only help to understand Bellow's original intention during his creation,but also contribute to study his later fictions.As a new perspective in studying Bellow's early fictions,Schlemiel can also be used in studying Bellow's other fictions and his humanistic concern.What's more,this thesis provides some references for studying Jewish American culture.