Tricksterism In The Adventures Of Augie March

For Saul Bellow's profound contribution to American literature,he is awarded the Nobel Prize and is considered as the spokesman of American contemporary literature.His masterpiece Herzog which depicts a great sufferer's mental crisis with brilliant language also won National Book Awards.As a humorous writer with penetrating insight into life,his writing is interwoven with philosophical thinking on life and comic linguistic style.The Adventures of Augie March is the typical picaresque novel he has written with witty language.Therefore,this thesis aims to explore stylistically and thematically the tricksterism in The Adventures of Augie March in order to find it's interrelationship with initiation demonstrated in the course of Augie's adventures.According to Ammons and Parks,,“tricksterism can become a weapons through which oppressed groups or individuals may attain a certain degree of personal autonomy within the restrictions of an oppressive dominant system”(3).Since trickster characters and trickster aesthetics are integral part of tricksterism,this thesis endeavors to discuss typical characteristics of tricksterism including characterization of comic figures and tricksterlike narrative strategies involving verbal humor,open ending,episodic narration as well multivolcality in the novel.The analyses about stylistic tricksterism mainly focuses on trickster aesthetics while thematic tricksterism and initiation analyses concentrate on some minor tricksters in the novel together with initiation of Augie the trickster.In the opening chapter,the theoretical framework of tricksterism and initiation will be introduced to lay a solid foundation for further discussion of the topic.Then the body part will endeavor to illustrate textually themes of tricksterism and bildungsroman with the assistance of various theories.In chapter two trickster aesthetics that are fabricated in the novel will be discussed to demonstrate stylistic tricksterism immersed in text.Chapter three aims to scrutinize some minor trickster figures including Grandma Lausch,William Einhorn,Simon and Padilla.What drives them to be multifaceted tricksters will also be analyzed to reveal the social significance of their tricks.Chapter four is going to discuss how the protagonist grows to be an authentic trickster under the influence of his trickster mentors and becomes independent.To conclude,this thesis demonstrates that tricksters are prevailing in the novel.Even some minor characters are tricksters.Nevertheless,their tricks are the response to imperfection of the world: economic depression,unbalanced wealth distribution as well as increased unemployment.However,with tricksterism as weapons of autonomy and survival,those tricksters are able to survive in the imperfect world and achieve personal autonomy.The protagonist is also transformed into a real trickster during interaction with those tricksters.The encountering with those trickster mentors also enables him to grow intellectually,sexually and socially,which makes it possible for him to achieve independence.