An Interpretation Of Symbolism In Seize The Day

Saul Bellow is a famous contemporary Jewish American novelist.He won the Pulitzer Prize and three National Book Awards.In 1976,Bellow was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature because “the human understanding and subtle analysis of contemporary culture are combined in his work”.He skillfully combines the characteristics of realism and modernism in his literary creation: inheriting the tradition of realistic literature and adopting the symbolism of modernist literature,which gives the novel a multi-level and profound meaning.He makes extensive use of Jewish allegories and legends in his works.The Royal Swedish Academy singles out Seize the Day for special praise as one of the classic works of our times.Seize the Day chronicles the life experiences of Wilhelm in a single day.Wilhelm,the protagonist,is a loser who is unemployed,separate from his wife and children,estranged from his father and cheated by Dr.Tamkin.Bellow describes Wilhelm's painful experiences of failures in family,life and career.So far,few scholars have studied the novel from the perspective of symbolism.Therefore,this thesis interprets Seize the Day from the perspective of symbolism and uses the theory of symbolism to analyze the symbols in the novel.It sequentially analyzes the application of symbolic characters,symbolic images and symbolic relationships between characters in the novel,and the functions and influences of symbolism to the novel.The thesis consists of three parts: an introduction,the main body and a conclusion.The main contents are as follows:The first part is the introduction.This part briefly introduces Saul Bellow and his achievements,creation background and the main content of Seize the Day and the theory of symbolism.It analyzes the research status of Seize the Day at home and abroad.Moreover,it expounds the research angle,aim,significance,innovation point of the paper and the remaining research space.The second part is the main body,which is divided into three chapters.Chapter One discusses symbolism in characters.The behavior of the novel's protagonist Wilhelm is always driven by emotions,so he is a symbol of “emotions”.Dr.Adler,a ruthless and selfish person,is completely assimilated by the money society and rejects the emotions with so-called rationality,thus he is a symbol of “rationality”.Dr.Tamkin who claims to be an advocating emotions and honest man,is essentially a person who pursues the principle of “rational supremacy.” His rationality is to deceive Wilhelm's money into stock business to seek self interest and money in the guise of hypocrisy.Dr.Tamkin is a symbol of “rationality”.Chapter Two elaborates symbolism in images.During “The day”,Wilhelm experienced suffering,reminiscence,introspection,confession,and self-purification.“The day” symbolizes the “Day of Atonement” in Judaism,which symbolizes Wilhelm's new life on this day.The water image contains double implications: On the one hand,water is a destructive material and symbolizes the death of Wilhelm.On the other hand,water is a medium used in the purification and baptism and symbolizes Wilhelm's rebirth.The stranger's funeral symbolizes Wilhelm's funeral.The stranger's corpse symbolizes the death of Wilhelm's past or his “pretender soul”.The ending of the novel symbolizes Wilhelm's return to the Jewish tradition.His tears symbolize that he experienced a baptism and gained a new life.Chapter Three focuses on symbolism in the relationships among characters.The relationship between Wilhelm and Dr.Adler symbolizes the conflict between Jewish cultural tradition and American culture.The spiritual life of Wilhelm is guided by Dr.Tamkin,from whom Wilhelm finds a kind of affection that is similar to fatherly love.So Dr.Tamkin becomes Wilhelm's spiritual father who represents a higher spiritual realm that faces the reality courageously and transcends secular life.Following the spiritual father symbolizes the search for new ideals of life and the spirit of conversion.The relationship between Wilhelm and Margaret symbolizes the alienation of the personal relationships.Wilhelm can not communicate with his wife and becomes estranged from her.The third part is the conclusion,which gives a brief summary of the viewpoints of this paper.This part explores and sums up the significance of symbolism to the novel and the usage of symbolism in the novel.It also sorts out and summarizes the symbols in the novel.Theoretically,the significance for this paper is making contrib utions to the study of Seize the Day.Practically,through the interpretation of Seize the Day,we can know that Bellow aims to reveal the human survival predicament and spiritual crisis in the modern society pervaded with materialism and mammon worship,as well as the search for the significance and value of life.As a humanitarian writer,Bellow firmly upholds the value and dignity of human beings and conveys deep concerns about the human fate in the society.