From Struggle To Peaceful Mind

Saul Bellow (1915-2005) was awarded with the Nobel Prize in literature in 1976 "for his human understanding and subtle analysis of contemporary culture that are combined in his work". Bellow's short stories had long been overshadowed by his novels. The scholars both at home and abroad focused much more on Bellow's master novels than his short stories. However, his short stories are as gorgeous as his novels. Up to now, despite some critical essays, there had been no master degree paper on Saul Bellow's short stories from CNKI data base.By means of close reading of the text, this paper will do a study on Bellow's two short stories——"A Father-to-be"(1955) and "Leaving the Yellow House"(1958), trying to figure out Bellow's writing philosophy. These two short stories were the same in its upper textual meaning. Both two protagonists had been struggling against the plight of life and both of them escape from tackling it. But were they the same beneath their heart? If not, what is the reason? This thesis tries to answer these questions through the close reading of the text.Chapter one is the introduction to Saul Bellow and his works, literature review home and abroad, and the intention of this thesis. In the body part, two of Bellow's short stories had been chosen for comparative reading, "A Father-to-be" and "Leaving the Yellow House". They are mutually supportive for being similar in many points. Both of the two protagonists leaded quite a miserable life. They had been struggling against the plight of life, such as money shortage, poverty, helplessness, and troubled emotions and so on. When confronted with the harsh reality, both of them escape from tackling it. Though both of them sharing the same experience of life, they were not the same beneath their heart. Comparatively speaking, Rogin suffered more from his inner turmoil, while Hattie enjoyed her later old life for her peaceful mind. Living in the countryside enabled her to have a chat with nature. By embracing the spacious nature, Hattie was free beneath her heart to enjoy the gorgeous life. From struggle to peaceful mind, it was the nature helped Hattie to enjoy her later old life. Bellow shared the same opinion with Ralph Waldo Emerson that one could retire from modern society to nature and enjoy the gorgeous life. A little dose of nature was good for Hattie and it would be as good for human being.