Glorification of The Present in Saul Bellow's Seize The Day

Abstract

With the application of carpe diem theory, this research study comes to the conclusion that Bellow's novel Seize The Day glorifies the present. Bellow glorifies the present by using Derridian ethos - the presence of the absence and the absence of the presence. He shows the absence of carpe diem motif throughout the novel to affirm its necessity for a happy life. Many Americans after the post World War II America harbored a vague, gnawing existentialist angst and a dread of the future which was because of their failure to seize the moment as the title of the novel suggests. The researcher undertakes an examination of the characterization, events and their aftermath in Seize The Day, concentrating on the personal histories of the characters, the decision he takes and the events and their outcome, to analyze and evaluate the carpe diem motif in the novel. For example, Tommy Wilhelm's inability to act in the present by registering a deep nostalgia for his ordered past eventually ruins his life. With such issues in mind Bellow's effort is to focus on the necessity of space - time continuum for a happy life. In this way Bellow's effort is to wake us from the trance of the modernity and seize the moment as the title of the novel suggests.