Existential consciousness, redemption, and Buddhist allusions in the work of Saul Bellow

235 Pages·2010·1.02 MB·English

by  Jerry Durbeej

EXISTENTIAL CONSCIOUSNESS, REDEMPTION, AND BUDDHIST
ALLUSIONS IN THE WORK OF SAUL BELLOW
by
Jerry Durbeej

A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of
The Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL
May 2010

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Dr. Andrew Furman for introducing me to Saul Bellow and
Jewish American Literature and for his patience and scholarly guidance. I am also
indebted to Dr. Steven Blakemore and Dr. Carol Gould who have read my work, and I
am grateful for their critical perspectives and invaluable support. I will always be
respectful to Drs. Furman, Blakemore, and Gould for I am fully aware that the essence
of my study also bears the imprint of your keen minds.
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ABSTRACT
Author: Jerry K. Durbeej
Title: Existential Consciousness, Redemption, and Buddhist Allusions
in the Work of Saul Bellow
Institution: Florida Atlantic University
Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Andrew Furman
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
Year: 2010
Within the past two centuries, massive industrialization, technological and
scientific advances, wars, diseases, failures in social systems, and religious, ethnic, and
political conflicts have produced an existential angst that has saturated the collective
consciousness of modern man. The atrocities of World Wars I and II induced European
and American authors and artists to confront this state of disillusionment, anxiety,
loneliness, fear, and dread; consequently, much of our modern literature reflects this
nihilistic darkness. In this state of grave doubts and uncertainties, the modern man finds
himself alienated and disconnected from the very essences that ground him.
Scholars of literature, philosophy, and the various arts and social sciences,
having examined this contemporary dilemma, find just cause to question our western
belief that science, technology, and materialism put the world in order. The further
indictment is that these rational and materialistic forces have usurped the place of God
and dismantled the ancient mythologies that once grounded our existence.
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This study examines the selected work of Saul Bellow and argues that his
recurring themes of suffering, compassion, humanity, and renewal of the human spirit
are antithetical to this collective existential angst. My argument introduces the doctrine
of Existentialism and then explores the basic existentialist theory of Jean-Paul Sartre.
From this platform, I later establish that Bellow takes a stand against this collective
nihilism in favor of community and the celebration of life that are defined by a moral
framework.
Bellow‘s most representative novel in this vein of existential dislocation is
Dangling Man. From this novel I argue that there is an inherent flaw in the notion that
man‘s essential existence can only be defined through his agency as an individual, and
that man, not God, is ultimately responsible for his actions and destiny. This pursuit of
existence based on personal freedom and intellectual synthesis is prone to failure;
Bellow‘s point of view is that the existentialist, having disconnected himself from God
and community, plunges into an abyss fraught with angst and turmoil. Bellow‘s theme
of humanity instructs that our redemption lies not in our personal quest, but in our
absorption and participation in a community framed by moral precepts and the respect
for God. Finally, and from another angle and through Bellow‘s Herzog, I establish a
connection to Buddhism. From these Buddhist allusions, I further affirm that the quest
for authentic existence and redemption demands a confrontation with our angst and an
acknowledgement of our suffering.
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DEDICATION
This manuscript is dedicated to my family, particularly to my patient and
encouraging wife, Chandra, who has put up with these many years of my schooling, and
to my children, Ravi and Arianna, who are the center of our lives. I also dedicate this
work to my late parents who believed in the pursuit of an education.
EXISTENTIAL CONSCIOUSNESS, REDEMPTION, AND BUDDHIST
ALLUSIONS IN THE WORK OF SAUL BELLOW
Chapter 1: Saul Bellow: Trajectory and Influences ........................................................... 1
Saul Bellow: His Background and the Influence of the Jewish Tradition ................... 5
Bellow and the Relevance of the Primordial .............................................................. 12
Materialism and Spiritual Disconnect ........................................................................ 15
Existential Angst: Agency .......................................................................................... 17
Influence of the Romantic Ideology ........................................................................... 21
Ambiguity in Bellow .................................................................................................. 24
Bellow: Out of Favor .................................................................................................. 25
A Recap of the Essential Bellow ................................................................................ 28
Chapter 2: Existentialism: Counterpoint to Bellow .......................................................... 31
Existential Consciousness as a Prerequisite in Bellow ............................................... 31
Existentialism: A Brief Background .......................................................................... 34
Jean-Paul Sartre: His Basic Existential Premise ........................................................ 39
Existential Theme in Nausea ...................................................................................... 45
Chapter 3: Buddhism: Another Counterpoint to Bellow .................................................. 52
Buddhism and Judaism ............................................................................................... 52
A Prelude to Buddhism .............................................................................................. 58
Buddhism: The Basic Doctrine .................................................................................. 60
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The First Holy Truth: All Is Suffering ....................................................................... 65
The Second Holy Truth: The Origin of Suffering ...................................................... 66
The Third Holy Truth: Nirvana .................................................................................. 67
The Fourth Holy Truth: The Path ............................................................................... 70
Closure ........................................................................................................................ 73
Chapter 4: The Aesthetic and Moral Conduct in Art and Literature ................................ 75
The Aesthetic and Moral Conduct: An Overview ...................................................... 75
Arts and Moral Conduct: A Background and Historic Point of View ....................... 78
The Axis of Poetry and Morality ................................................................................ 84
The Justification of Art: A Brief Segue ...................................................................... 86
The Artist as Outsider ................................................................................................. 89
The Power of Literature as Art ................................................................................... 91
The Role of the Author ............................................................................................. 100
The Unethical Stain: Some Justification .................................................................. 101
Moral Conduct: The Play of Emotion ...................................................................... 103
Closure ...................................................................................................................... 104
Chapter 5: Existential Play and Redemption in Bellow‘s Dangling Man ...................... 107
Dangling Man: The Prototype Novel ....................................................................... 107
SECTION A: Existential Play in Dangling Man ..................................................... 111
Bellow and the Lure of the Existential ............................................................... 111
Bellow‘s Existential Anti-Hero .......................................................................... 115
The Issue of Identity: The Existentialism Dilemma ........................................... 121
Joseph‘s Existential Preoccupation with Evil and Death ................................... 124
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The Holocaust: Memory and Death ................................................................... 133
SECTION B: Redemption in Dangling Man: Bellow‘s Repudiation of
Existentialism ........................................................................................................... 137
Redemption: The Power of Poetry, Emotion, and Love ............................................. 137
The Ordinary: Bellow’s Bridge to Redemption ............................................................. 141
Transformation: Bellow’s Religious Psychology ........................................................... 143
Induction and Death: Final Surrender ............................................................................ 148
Chapter 6: Buddhist Allusions to Bellow‘s Herzog ....................................................... 152
Overview of Herzog ................................................................................................. 152
The Buddhist Argument ........................................................................................... 162
A Preface to Herzog‘s Buddhist Journey ................................................................. 164
Herzog‘s Buddhist Detour: The Road to Suffering .................................................. 166
Herzog the Good and Peaceful Buddhist .................................................................. 173
Ludeyville: Herzog‘s Buddhist Ashram ................................................................... 176
Sentient Beings: Herzog the Compassionate ............................................................ 181
Buddhist Silence and Emptiness .............................................................................. 185
Closing the Buddhist Argument ............................................................................... 192
Chapter 7: Conclusion .................................................................................................... 197
The Essential Bellow ................................................................................................ 197
The Existentialist Bellow ........................................................................................ 200
Buddhism as a Platform ............................................................................................ 202
The Aesthetic and Moral Blueprint .......................................................................... 203
Dangling Man: A Study in Existentialism and Redemption .................................... 204
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Bellow and Buddhist Allusions in Herzog .............................................................................. 207
Closing the Dissertation........................................................................................................... 208
Works Cited .................................................................................................................... 212

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