Existential Struggle in Saul Bellow's Seize the Day

Abstract

Saul Bellow'sSeize the Daythat explores the protagonist's struggle for existence. Here, we can find slingshot loaded with" higher consciousness", the "human essence" "the importance of one's own depths". Here we can see that most of the characters are in 'ego' which is taken as the symbol of existence. Tommy Wilhelm, the protagonist, has struggled with different situation of the society. Tommy, seems as failed character (but not in reality), who becomes victimized by his own father, wife, close friend, and Hollywood. But he does not accept his defeat. He invests his a few remained money in stock market but it is also in vain; whatever he does only for his pride (pride itself is existence), name, fame and prestige. At last, when he weeps very bitterly in the funeral ceremony of a strange man, he realizes his existence in another way. Though Tommy Wilhelm faces different problems as above but he never tires and surrenders, and never feels tired rather he faces these problems one after another that is his existential struggle for creating meaning in his life.