Stumbling toward consciousness: The essential quest of soul in Saul Bellow's 'Herzog', 'Mr. Sammler's Planet' and 'Humboldt's Gift'

This thesis examines Saul Bellow's three novels Herzog (1964), Mr. Sammler's Planet (1970), and Humboldt's Gift (1975) with a main focus on his use and understanding of the soul, its quest and essence whether profane, dialectic, or transcendental. It argues that throughout his body of work Bellow's protagonists have shown increasing awareness of their own consciousness and are therefore able to deliberate on life ephemeral and the allusive state of the soul, a condition compacted and played to quintessential perfection in the microcosmic worlds of the three aforementioned novels. By examining these three novels in roughly chronological order, the development of just such a burgeoning consciousness is progressively revealed. When and if these characters achieve transcendence is also discussed. Furthermore, their central function in affecting the implicit themes of each work is addressed in relation to the overall atmosphere of each novel.