Seize the day is a
reflection of the times in which it was written. The novel was written in a
post-war world. WWII created
several factors that serve as a backdrop to Wilhelm's isolation in the novel,
an isolation that represents the feeling of many during the time period.
First and foremost, war
creates dissolution and in many cases dislocation because of forced
immigration. During the war many people, Jews especially, were escaping the
Germans and, thus, fleeing, when they could. Also, American troop and other
members of the alliance were disillusioned to see that such horrors could
exist. Finally, and in opposition to the above, the war had a positive effect
of creating an economic boom. There was also a surge in technological interest
in America. The reasons for this serge are two-fold: America was rich and
America was involved in a post-WWII
cold war with the Soviet Union, since the countries competed technologically.
It is in this world that a man like Tommy Wilhelm is lost.
Tommy is an idealist
surrounded by the pressures of the outside world. He is isolated and, thus, is
forced to turn inward. The urban landscape is the symbol that furthers his
isolation, for he is always "alone in a crowd." Bellow wants the
reader to understand this isolation and thus has almost the entire novel take
place within Wilhelm's head. We experience the back and forth of uncertainty,
the wavering of watery thoughts, the sadness and frustration of being that
person that is "alone in the crowd."
This isolation and
inner struggle is the predicament of modernity. Bellow would not be the only
modern master to touch up the subject. For instance, T.S. Eliot had
written The Wasteland in which he discusses many of the same subjects
as Bellow, albeit in a very different fashion and style. Eliot discusses the
"unreal city" which can be compared to the city that Wilhelm feels so
uncomfortable within. Eliot also claims that there are many "dead"
within the crowds. This symbolic death points to the fact that the modern man
seems only to be going through the motions of things. Wilhelm, for instance, at
the beginning of the novel, is like a character seemingly dead, both in
appearance and in the way he claims he will simply go about the actions of his
day. Other similarities between The Wasteland and Seize the Day include
the images of "drowning" and "water." Both writers used
these images to illustrate a person drowning in life.
Seize the Day is
not a regular day in the life of the modern man because it is a "day of
reckoning," a day in which someone that is truly dead will give the
protagonist a jolt of life. Unlike many modern masterpieces, Bellow has chosen
a positive ending for his novel. He has also allowed his protagonist
connections with the modern world. In Times Square, for example, Wilhelm had
felt connected to the "larger body" of humanity. Furthermore, Bellow
complicates the predicament of modernity by adding a very human and positive
element. Bellow seems to be saying that the predicament of modern man goes far
beyond the typical pessimism, cynicism, and isolation because it has the
potential of reaching understanding and love.
